Rio Challenge Strategy 1: I'm A Believer

An important aspect of strategy for the Rio Jackpot Sit N Gos is whether you give credit to your opponent for the hand strength they are representing. Here I am thinking about the early and mid game prior to the push-fold late game phase. For the most part I'm a believer. If someone three bets pre-flop more often than not they have a monster. A raise in a multi-way pot, especially a small raise on the flop usually means a very big hand. My default position in these games is to be a believer until proven otherwise. Erratic, tilting play or an unexpected hand shown down are the only things that change this assumption. The main reason for this approach is the lack of manoeuvrability in these games. The structure of blinds and chips makes it difficult to call a big pre-flop three-bet and still get value without a premium hand. Only in the first level or two can you effectively set mine for example. Not giving someone credit for a big hand on the flop or turn can be very expensive by the river unless you are getting reasonable odds for some kind of significant draw. Chips saved are very much just as important as chips lost. Occasionally I will call a river bet, believing it to be a bluff if I can't see the logic in it over the various streets of play. Overall though, be a believer in these games or say goodbye to your chips. The early sessions of my challenge have proved interesting and overall I feel I have played well, making only a few significant mistakes. Importantly around forty games in I made some important strategic tweaks which have helped. Too often I was cashing in third without giving me much chance of winning. In addition I listed the main mistakes I need to avoid. I also must to remember how tough it is to beat the rake in these games. Over the 250 games I will pay $875 in fees to the network which is a massive amount to overcome. At the same time I am hoping to generate $150 in direct profit. It is clear to me that some of the regulars in these games who are say operating at -10% are pretty reasonable players. My results so far are:   Username Games Played Av. Profit Av. Stake Av. ROI Total Profit Form Ability /100 Network Filter Kartajana   76 $0.03   $20   0% $2   - N/A iPoker 5/1/2012 5/15/2012 SNG Only To Date Target Direct Profit 2 150 Rakeback 63 200 Freeroll Wins 0 150 Consolation 300 300 Total 365 800 I have failed to cash in around six freerolls that I have played this month. There is a good opportunity for me on both Saturday and Sunday night at present. In a couple of weeks my reward level based on this Rio activity will increase and I will have a very good Friday night freeroll to play as well which has less than a hundred players competing for a £1000 prize pool. Time to stop Monkeying around and make some more dollars!