3 Card Poker Tournament Virgin no more
December 25th, 2012 at 10:38:40 PM
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This is the story of my first 3 card poker tournament. It is quite lengthy and detailed, so you have been warned.
The tournament took place last week at Turning Stone Casino in NY. Interestingly enough, Turning Stone is one of the few casinos in the country that still offers the full pay table with the relatively low house edge. This played into my strategy as it drops the HE from 7.xx% to 2.xx% on the pair plus.
The tournament had 5k in cash prizes, going to the 7 players that made the final table. Buy-in was 40 dollars for 500 in chips with a bonus 200 in chips if you chipped in 5 dollars for the dealers. The winner took 3k, 2nd took 1k, and the other 5 won small prizes. There were 3 qualifying rounds with 10 tables of 7 at each. The winner of each table would move onto the second round. I made a huge mistake in determining which round to play. I decided to sign up for the 2nd round so that I could observe action in the first round to see how people bet. This turned out to be a major fault in strategy. Only about 50 people played in the first round, so each table had only 5 players, and I believe one or two tables may have only had 4. After people busted out or lost in the first round, they sprinted over to the cashier and re-bought for the 2nd round. This resulted in all tables selling out with 7 players for the 2nd and 3rd qualifying round.
I sat down at my assigned table and was by far the youngest there (I'm 22, don't think any of the other players were under 50). With my 700 in chips I bet conservatively early, going 25 on the ante and 10 on the pair plus. There were 15 rounds to be dealt in this preliminary, with the button rotating around the table as to who would first receive their cards. I think that in this type of tournament bets are supposed to be placed in order starting from the button, however the dealer just waited for everyone to place a bet and then dealt the cards. I used this to my advantage, always waiting until others placed their bets fiddling around trying to see how much they were putting up. I think this annoyed the dealer a bit, but I didn't care, especially since I had paid the optional toke which 6 of the 7 players at my table did. Other players were betting more aggressively, putting a couple green on the ante and pair plus. The rule was your pairplus bet could not exceed your ante and your ante could not exceed 5 times your pair plus. It was a 10 dollar minimum table, so I had to put at least 10 on the pair plus.
Unfortunately for me, this table was hot right from the first hand. I was winning, but so was everyone else and they were betting more. The dealer did not qualify for the first 6 hands in a row. One lady was betting black and she had hit a straight and a flush in the first six hands, making her the chip leader with close to 2000 by that point. I had a little over 1000 and probably was in 4th or 5th at that point. The 7th hand was a nice one for me as I hit a straight flush (actually a mini-royal too) in diamonds. As the table was so hot and I was playing catchup, I had a quarter on the pair plus, which paid two purples. Suddenly I was the chip leader with over 2500 in chips. The dealer had a straight on that hand so it cleared the heavy bets of my opponents as well, making it an even larger net win for me. I would estimate I had an 800 chip lead at that time. From that point on I bet table minimum and hoped that the positive variance at the table would end. Fortunately and unfortunately it did not. On hand 12 I hit another straight flush, this time 4,5,6 of hearts. With my minimum bet it only paid 440, but it added to my lead. On the last two hands everyone at the table besides me was betting the table maximum of 200 ante and 100 pair plus hoping for a premium hand to catch me. Luckily nobody caught one and I ended the winner of Round 1. I ended with 3865 in chips, defeating the woman with the early lead by 900 or so. All 7 players finished above their starting chips, and we joked that we wish we had been playing at the 3 card table and not in the tournament.
There were 30 semi-finalists out of the crowd of about 200 tournament players, and I considered myself fortunate to have advanced with the positive variance in hitting two straight flushes in 15 hands. I do believe my tournament strategy was superior to that of the other players though. My semi-final round was nowhere near exciting. There were 5 players, with the winner advancing to the final table (money round) along with the winner from the 5 other tables and 1 other player who's name would be drawn from a raffle. This time I was sitting at a table of all men. Four were older and there was another young guy who looked about my age. His father was standing behind him watching him play and looking on proudly as he had not made the semi-finals. Maybe he was even younger than I thought as Turning Stone is 18+.
If my first round was good, this round was atrocious. We all started with 500 in chips and everyone was betting low. These people seemed to know what they were doing more so than my first round opponents. Through 5 rounds the best player hand was a pair, yet the dealer qualified every time, often with strong hands. Finally there were a few player flushes, but none on my end. The young player was down to 150 in chips and decided to go all in on hand 8, going 50 50 50 and playing the hand blind. Naturally, he got a flush, paying out 300 and making him the new chip leader with 450. The awful variance continued for the rest of the game, and when it came to hand 15 I was down to about 150 in chips. One player had busted out, but there were still 4 of us remaining. The young guy had about 400 in chips and bet the table minimum while one of the other players had only 75 dollars and went 25 25 25 blind and the other had about 200 in chips and went 65 65 65 blind. I went blind with my 150 in chips for 50 50 50. The minimum bet chip leader was the only one to look at his cards, and he played them despite only having jack high. The dealer turned out to not qualify, though nobody had a strong enough hand to catch the boy. The 25 dollar player caught a pair, but that paid only 50 dollars and he ended with 125 in chips. The 65 player didn't have anything, and ended with 130. I ended with 200 for a disappointing 2nd place finish. It stinks that the boy caught that flush on his all in hand as that really changed the dynamic of the table, forcing others to try to chase him. I can see how the casino makes so much money off of this game given how lousy everyone at our table did.
My name was not drawn for the 2nd chance entry, and when I went to try to watch the finals it was so crowded with people that I decided to go play blackjack. Sadly my negative variance continued at the blackjack table as I lost $500 in short order between two 25 dollar blackjack tables.
Overall: The tournament experience was a lot of fun for me. It was a different rush competing against players as well as the dealer on each hand. I love Texas Hold'em but I don't feel my skills are sufficient enough to enter a tournament at a casino. I've played some 1/2 no limit cash games and the regulars read me like a book consistently. This was a lot of fun as the 45 dollars covered 3 hours of entertainment, and I came very close to making the money round. I would play again if I were in the area and there were a tournament going on. Unfortunately the trip was -$745, but I had my room comped from a mailer offer and I got a buffet for 2 (I was by myself, ordered a steak to take home with the 2nd coupon) comped by a sympathetic supervisor after she watched my horrendous variance at the BJ table after the tournament. She knows me by name from when I used to play a lot more so that probably helped too. I'd like to try a blackjack tournament at some point in time.
The tournament took place last week at Turning Stone Casino in NY. Interestingly enough, Turning Stone is one of the few casinos in the country that still offers the full pay table with the relatively low house edge. This played into my strategy as it drops the HE from 7.xx% to 2.xx% on the pair plus.
The tournament had 5k in cash prizes, going to the 7 players that made the final table. Buy-in was 40 dollars for 500 in chips with a bonus 200 in chips if you chipped in 5 dollars for the dealers. The winner took 3k, 2nd took 1k, and the other 5 won small prizes. There were 3 qualifying rounds with 10 tables of 7 at each. The winner of each table would move onto the second round. I made a huge mistake in determining which round to play. I decided to sign up for the 2nd round so that I could observe action in the first round to see how people bet. This turned out to be a major fault in strategy. Only about 50 people played in the first round, so each table had only 5 players, and I believe one or two tables may have only had 4. After people busted out or lost in the first round, they sprinted over to the cashier and re-bought for the 2nd round. This resulted in all tables selling out with 7 players for the 2nd and 3rd qualifying round.
I sat down at my assigned table and was by far the youngest there (I'm 22, don't think any of the other players were under 50). With my 700 in chips I bet conservatively early, going 25 on the ante and 10 on the pair plus. There were 15 rounds to be dealt in this preliminary, with the button rotating around the table as to who would first receive their cards. I think that in this type of tournament bets are supposed to be placed in order starting from the button, however the dealer just waited for everyone to place a bet and then dealt the cards. I used this to my advantage, always waiting until others placed their bets fiddling around trying to see how much they were putting up. I think this annoyed the dealer a bit, but I didn't care, especially since I had paid the optional toke which 6 of the 7 players at my table did. Other players were betting more aggressively, putting a couple green on the ante and pair plus. The rule was your pairplus bet could not exceed your ante and your ante could not exceed 5 times your pair plus. It was a 10 dollar minimum table, so I had to put at least 10 on the pair plus.
Unfortunately for me, this table was hot right from the first hand. I was winning, but so was everyone else and they were betting more. The dealer did not qualify for the first 6 hands in a row. One lady was betting black and she had hit a straight and a flush in the first six hands, making her the chip leader with close to 2000 by that point. I had a little over 1000 and probably was in 4th or 5th at that point. The 7th hand was a nice one for me as I hit a straight flush (actually a mini-royal too) in diamonds. As the table was so hot and I was playing catchup, I had a quarter on the pair plus, which paid two purples. Suddenly I was the chip leader with over 2500 in chips. The dealer had a straight on that hand so it cleared the heavy bets of my opponents as well, making it an even larger net win for me. I would estimate I had an 800 chip lead at that time. From that point on I bet table minimum and hoped that the positive variance at the table would end. Fortunately and unfortunately it did not. On hand 12 I hit another straight flush, this time 4,5,6 of hearts. With my minimum bet it only paid 440, but it added to my lead. On the last two hands everyone at the table besides me was betting the table maximum of 200 ante and 100 pair plus hoping for a premium hand to catch me. Luckily nobody caught one and I ended the winner of Round 1. I ended with 3865 in chips, defeating the woman with the early lead by 900 or so. All 7 players finished above their starting chips, and we joked that we wish we had been playing at the 3 card table and not in the tournament.
There were 30 semi-finalists out of the crowd of about 200 tournament players, and I considered myself fortunate to have advanced with the positive variance in hitting two straight flushes in 15 hands. I do believe my tournament strategy was superior to that of the other players though. My semi-final round was nowhere near exciting. There were 5 players, with the winner advancing to the final table (money round) along with the winner from the 5 other tables and 1 other player who's name would be drawn from a raffle. This time I was sitting at a table of all men. Four were older and there was another young guy who looked about my age. His father was standing behind him watching him play and looking on proudly as he had not made the semi-finals. Maybe he was even younger than I thought as Turning Stone is 18+.
If my first round was good, this round was atrocious. We all started with 500 in chips and everyone was betting low. These people seemed to know what they were doing more so than my first round opponents. Through 5 rounds the best player hand was a pair, yet the dealer qualified every time, often with strong hands. Finally there were a few player flushes, but none on my end. The young player was down to 150 in chips and decided to go all in on hand 8, going 50 50 50 and playing the hand blind. Naturally, he got a flush, paying out 300 and making him the new chip leader with 450. The awful variance continued for the rest of the game, and when it came to hand 15 I was down to about 150 in chips. One player had busted out, but there were still 4 of us remaining. The young guy had about 400 in chips and bet the table minimum while one of the other players had only 75 dollars and went 25 25 25 blind and the other had about 200 in chips and went 65 65 65 blind. I went blind with my 150 in chips for 50 50 50. The minimum bet chip leader was the only one to look at his cards, and he played them despite only having jack high. The dealer turned out to not qualify, though nobody had a strong enough hand to catch the boy. The 25 dollar player caught a pair, but that paid only 50 dollars and he ended with 125 in chips. The 65 player didn't have anything, and ended with 130. I ended with 200 for a disappointing 2nd place finish. It stinks that the boy caught that flush on his all in hand as that really changed the dynamic of the table, forcing others to try to chase him. I can see how the casino makes so much money off of this game given how lousy everyone at our table did.
My name was not drawn for the 2nd chance entry, and when I went to try to watch the finals it was so crowded with people that I decided to go play blackjack. Sadly my negative variance continued at the blackjack table as I lost $500 in short order between two 25 dollar blackjack tables.
Overall: The tournament experience was a lot of fun for me. It was a different rush competing against players as well as the dealer on each hand. I love Texas Hold'em but I don't feel my skills are sufficient enough to enter a tournament at a casino. I've played some 1/2 no limit cash games and the regulars read me like a book consistently. This was a lot of fun as the 45 dollars covered 3 hours of entertainment, and I came very close to making the money round. I would play again if I were in the area and there were a tournament going on. Unfortunately the trip was -$745, but I had my room comped from a mailer offer and I got a buffet for 2 (I was by myself, ordered a steak to take home with the 2nd coupon) comped by a sympathetic supervisor after she watched my horrendous variance at the BJ table after the tournament. She knows me by name from when I used to play a lot more so that probably helped too. I'd like to try a blackjack tournament at some point in time.
December 27th, 2012 at 9:40:35 AM
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WinM, nice summary. I haven't ever entered a 3CP tournament, but if I see one the next time I am near a casino I may give it a try.
I would definitely encourage you to find a low buy in daily/weekly NL tournament at a poker room near you and go for it. You can ususally find one for less than $50 and that is your max loss. It allows you to sit at the table and play NL and learn very economically.
I play low limit Hold'em cash games 3-6/4-8 normally with Kill Pots for some added excitement (the limits double if one player wins two pots in a row) and haven't stepped up to $1/$2 NL cash games. I just know I wouldn't play my game if I needed to push my $100 buy in on one hand.
I would definitely encourage you to find a low buy in daily/weekly NL tournament at a poker room near you and go for it. You can ususally find one for less than $50 and that is your max loss. It allows you to sit at the table and play NL and learn very economically.
I play low limit Hold'em cash games 3-6/4-8 normally with Kill Pots for some added excitement (the limits double if one player wins two pots in a row) and haven't stepped up to $1/$2 NL cash games. I just know I wouldn't play my game if I needed to push my $100 buy in on one hand.
December 27th, 2012 at 10:35:12 AM
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"" This was a lot of fun as the 45 dollars covered 3 hours of entertainment, and I came very close to making the money round. "
That can not be underestimated. Most of the illegal places in Colorado in the 80's had $20 entry tournament that would draw 100+ players. The structure was slow enough that you could last 2-3 hours. Of course, as players got eliminated, live action ensued.
Saturday nite before XMAS was always bring a toy for free shot $2,000 total payoffs. Most guys brought presents that cost more than $20 for Toys for Tots or some charity. One cheap ass did bring a used stuffed animal from Goodwill. It went in the dumpster followed by him. I actually missed the first few hands as I sat on the dumpster lid.
That can not be underestimated. Most of the illegal places in Colorado in the 80's had $20 entry tournament that would draw 100+ players. The structure was slow enough that you could last 2-3 hours. Of course, as players got eliminated, live action ensued.
Saturday nite before XMAS was always bring a toy for free shot $2,000 total payoffs. Most guys brought presents that cost more than $20 for Toys for Tots or some charity. One cheap ass did bring a used stuffed animal from Goodwill. It went in the dumpster followed by him. I actually missed the first few hands as I sat on the dumpster lid.
Shed not for her
the bitter tear
Nor give the heart
to vain regret
Tis but the casket
that lies here,
The gem that filled it
Sparkles yet
December 28th, 2012 at 7:11:15 AM
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Nice read.
I wonder what the odds are of hitting 2 straight flushes in the first 12 hands?
I wonder what the odds are of hitting 2 straight flushes in the first 12 hands?
