Elimination Holdem Event - Vic Champs

[TassieDevil]

I’m interested to hear some analysis on the proposed Elimination Holdem event scheduled for the Victorian Champs this year.What are people’s thoughts? What sort of player would it suit? What is an optimal strategy to adopt?It’s a unique format, so does this reduce a skillful player’s edge over an amateur since neither have probably played this format before?My gut feeling is that it will just be a complete crapshoot from Hand #1? There will be no time to settle in, you need to be active from the start because you have only 10 hands to make an impression before the first elimination.Here are the rules:[i][b]Elimination Holdem[/b]The Elimination Holdem event will be a Limit Holdem tournament with a maximum of 160 entrants commencing 10-handed. There will be no blind increases during play rather the lowest chipstack on each table will be eliminated after one full round of the dealer button (orbit). In the event that there is a tie for the lowest chipstack, both (or more) tied players will be eliminated. In this instance there will be no further eliminations on that table until all tables are balanced. Once a player is eliminated their chipstack will be removed from play. At the time an elimination is due to occur, the dealer will determine which is the lowest chipstack on their table. Once a player is eliminated, their chipstack will be removed from play. When the tournament is 6-handed or less, an elimination will be conducted after every two rounds. When the number of players on each table reaches five or less, there will be a seat redraw to form 10-handed tables. The button will always commence in the last seat. This shall apply at the beginning of the tournament and after each redraw. In the event that a player exhausts their bank of chips, there will be no further eliminations on that table until all tables are balanced. On the final table, the format will change to No Limit. When two players remain in the tournament, play will continue until one player has all remaining chips. During the tournament players will be required to keep their chipstack neat and in full view at all times and the dealer is under no obligation to advise a player of the size of another player’s chipstack.[/i]

[luckyshades]

"Does this reduce a skillful player’s edge over an amateur"I sure hope so, as it's the only chance I have of beating some of you guys

[Blu3B3ar]

A slightly flawed concept in my opinion. What I understand from this brief desciription is that the button is in seat 10 on the very first hand (SB in seat 1, BB in seat 2). They then play one full orbit and proceed to eliminate one player after 10 hands (ie. after the hand button is in seat 9, SB=10, BB=1).If I've interpreted everything correctly, the players in the later seats (seats 8, 9 and 10) have a MASSIVE advantage over the other players. This advantage will be especially marked on the final table. The reason for this is that during the last few hands of a particular orbit before a player (or players) is to be eliminated, the players closer to the button are able to see how the early positions players manage their stack before acting. And they do not lose this advantage, as the button will always be on the location towards the end of every orbit.What strategies are applicable for this tournament?1) Pray for a seat in the later positions (Seat 9 and Seat 10).2) Pay extremely close attention to everybody's chip stacks, they are even more important than the cards. Ask for chip counts from everybody at all critical key moments.3) On the other hand, disguise your stack size, stack your chips in a manner that it looks low, hide your higher denomination chips, ALWAYS decline to tell your opponents how many chips you have.4) I think it will be unwise to play loosely, recklessly in the early stages of an orbit (after a player has been eliminated). If you are leak too many chips in the early stages of an orbit and quickly become the lowest in chips, it will be extremely difficult to catch up with players as they can just risklessly and safely fold on the later hands to eliminate you. 5) How tight-loose you play would probably be dictated by your stack size relative to the other players. If you have the largest stack in the table, it will be particularly foolish to jeopardize this lead. With a middle-sized stack, it will be wise to take a few more risks to try to build the stack up. If you have the lowest stack in the table and the orbit is almost finishing, it will be correct to go all the way to the showdown with even the weakest of holdings.In order to overcome the deficiencies of this structure, it will be best for the lowest stacked players to be seated on the button when 5-handed tables are recombined (and 2nd lowest stack in the seat 9, 3rd lowest in seat 8, largest stack in seat 1).My opinion is that this is not really strictly of game of poker, but of who can monitor people's stacks the best. The rule of adding the lowest stacks to the latest positions need to be added to overcome the positional deficiencies. Another thing that can be done is to eliminate a player after a fixed number of hands regardless of number of players (say 12 to 15 hands) instead of eliminating them after an orbit or two.Finally, a skillful player would have even a better edge over an amateur because there is the element of stack-size management becomes very important compared to that of regular tournaments.

[Anamul]

On your point 3 Blue Bear:"During the tournament players will be required to keep their chipstack neat and in full view at all times and the dealer is under no obligation to advise a player of the size of another player’s chipstack."

[Blu3B3ar]

Another thought:This game plays very similar to elimination blackjack. I attached a simple strategy guide for this game below (and can be found http://www.playubt.com/ubt_howto_strategy.aspx?pge_id=11&pge_pge_id=3). The strategies between these two games would have some similarities.[i]Elimination Blackjack™ tournament strategy differs from standard blackjack in that your primary objective is to beat the other players. Even if you lose to the dealer you can still win a blackjack tournament by losing less than your opponents. Elimination Blackjack tournament strategy can be very complicated, but understanding a few basic concepts will take you a long way. 1. Bet your money The most important thing to remember is that it's generally better to be aggressive than timid. That is, betting more is usually better than betting less—especially for beginners and when playing Elimination Blackjack. The all-in move in particular can serve beginners well, as an all-in win often provides a lead that forces the other players to win big bets to catch up. As the pros like to say, "When in doubt, put it out." 2. Be aware of position Acting after an opponent is advantageous, so monitor the players nearest to your right (whom you will bet after most often). In Elimination Blackjack, where only the low chip count will be eliminated on Elimination Hands, you can gain a big edge simply by staying ahead of one of the players to the right (you can match his bet if you are ahead). 3. Calculate the button This is another positional consideration. At the start of a tournament, after an opponent busts out, or after an Elimination Hand, you should count the hands till the next Elimination or final hand to determine your betting position. If you will be betting early on the next important hand, you should be more aggressive leading up to it. If you will be one of the later bettors, you can play a little more cautiously. 4. Count chips One of the most important aspects of tournament play is being able to count chips. Count the chips as often as you can to help formulate your bets in live tournaments, and pay attention to the provided counts when playing online. 5. Be willing to make unconventional plays You must be prepared to make plays you wouldn't make playing regular blackjack, especially on Elimination Hands or the last hand of a tournament. This might involve splitting tens or doubling on a hard 19. If you need more chips to advance, then make the play. Remember, you're not playing blackjack, you're playing tournament blackjack. [/i]