I recently was thinking to myself "I wonder if the 1st tournament I sit down and play shows any better or worse results?" I thought I might play tighter, possibly more distracted due to getting things setup, as well as being busy checking emails and working on other work. However, I also thought my mind is fresh and less prone to tilting. So I decided to give it more looking into. Since I actually have a daily running tally on every game I play, I basically went back to last January 2008 and copied my data onto another spreadsheet and deleted out every game except for the 1st sit in go I played each day. Here were my results:

Each SNG not being my 1st game: $10 per hour, per game

Each SNG as my 1st of the day: $7.60 per hour, per game

It actually is much worse as I separated out the standard sng's from the "double-up" sng's. at $1.60 per hour, per game

(I figure the reason for this might just be because the double ups have no end game and are a bit less complicated to play.)

I will say the data used reflecting 1st sng's is 314 games taking 168 hours of play, which might seem like alot of data, but is still susceptable to random variance swings. I do believe when using common sense, it seems to make sense. In anything we do the 1st time, we are probably not at our best. As any sporting event you have ever been to might show, they all warm up prior to the big game. Why would it be any different for poker?

So how will this information guide my future play? I would probably like to delve deeper into the data and see if I am just playing too cautious or busting out earlier more often. This information, again, is based on how I play, and might not be as useful for somebody else who might be able to sit down with good energy and give 100% of their attention to every game. In my personal case, if I am playing winning sng's, I will keep playing into the night until I lose one or two. So if you look at the last 1 or 2 sng's I play each day it will probably show pretty bad results even though I am playing quite well.

My recommendation for other players out there: In my particular case I am still somewhat profitable my 1st game, however, most players with less experience and skill are probably fighting to keep their heads above water as it is, and starting off the day on a downswing is probably much more damaging and could cause an earlier bout of tilting. I would recommend trying to play smaller than your normal average buyin and if things work out well, than you can move up to a higher level of play feeling confident in your game, and if things do start off poorly you have already minimized your losses and can continue to play small until things work out better. This would be a much better strategy than what I typically hear when I talk with amateur players who get tilted and lose and then try and play bigger to make their money back, which leads to an inevitable crash to their bankrolls.

Lately I've been getting a lot of questions on where to find a good book devoted strictly to sit'n'go's? Most of the poker books out there have maybe one chapter or a few pages devoted to these tournaments (Typically 6 or 10 player tournaments which pay 2-3 players based on finish.) In general, they will all basically tell you to play tight early and more aggressive late, with a few examples. In most cases I think it's ok advice for smaller buyins $1-30 buyins, but there are so many variables that can make or break you, it would be a good idea to study a little deeper. Check out "Sit 'in Go Strategy", by Collin Moshman.



It was first printed in 2007, so I'm sure at the higher limits, there are some strategies that might be debated, however, the book runs through a number of tough scenarios and specific ways to look at and play a hand based on strictly sit 'n go style tournaments. If you have read any of Dan Harrington's books, it is from the same publisher (2+2 publishing) and it has a very similar style of teaching. It runs for $24.95, which in my mind is probably the cost of what most people to play 1 single sit'n go, and you will probably make that money back hand over fist if you can retain some of it or plug a few leaks.

I tried to find an applicable quote from the David Apostolico's book based off Sun-Tzu war strategies "Tournament Poker and the Art of War": <span>"We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country - its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and percipices, its marshes and swamps."</span>
Good luck at the tables. Please keep the feedback coming (email, comments, and questions). Donkeyherder- http://donkeyherder.livejournal.com

Congrats out to Peter Eastgate, the newest, and youngest ever WSOP Main Event Champion!! He broke Phil Hellmuth's (self-proclaimed unbeatable) record being only 22 years old and won over $9 million along with the bracelet and probably numerous sponsorship deals to come. I just finished watching the final table show tonight and it was a very exciting final table. Plenty of suckouts and suprises. In the end, it seemed like the 2 most introspective players seemed to rise above the rest. Ivan Demidov and Peter Eastgate were left to battle it out after fan favorite and chip leader coming in Dennis Phillips, who previously seemed to play pretty solid and straight forward, was KO'd 3rd making a huge bluff with only Ace hi after a jack hi junk flop.

After seeing the show 1 time I haven't fully been able to collect my thoughts on the plays shown, however, it was clear that ESPN was determined only to show the biggest most exciting pots, so I had a hard time figuring out were everyone stood, what the blinds were, etc. In the end I really did like the final table being filmed at a later date in a theatre that was filled with the fans of each player and numerous big name pros looking on. It gave you a feeling like you were watching 9 different teams fighting it out, each with there own cheering section. It seemed more exciting than the random collection of fans who don't have much of a personal interest in the competitors and are just there for the spectacle or it all.

On the bad side, when it got to heads-up, which sould be the most exciting point of the tourney, apparently ESPN cut 103 out of the 105 hands played and on TV it plays out in only 2 big hands. the final of which both players make big hands and are pretty much committed to get all the chips all-in. I didn't know this after watching it, and figured they must have just happened that way, but after looking into it online, I am now dissapointed to know they just cut out all the heads-up hands I guess due to time constraints. I really felt a bit ripped off after learning this. I feel like they could have at least showed 10-15 hands to show a little back and forth warfare. I do know they claim this was the longest final table ever, but if I was them add an extra half an hour or cut out something less critical. I also wish Peter Eastgate would show the least bit excitement about winning. He reminds me of a you Barry Greenstein. Can you say Parrrrrtttyyy!!! Maybe not. lol. At least I feel he won't do anything too stupid to bring a bad rep to poker, but he is only 22, so I guess you never know?

Overall, I like the direction the WSOP went this year. Ratings are up and many exciting events took place. Here is a link to "Cardplayer's" final table time-line of how it played out.
http://www.cardplayer.com/tournament...es/14422/20824
I'd like to get some feedback on what others think. Did you like the delayed Final table?, the way it was aired?, was it interesting and exciting? What changes would you like to see?
Here's this weeks dose of Chinese war master "Sun-Tzu"<SPAN _fckxhtmljob="3"></SPAN><SPAN _fckxhtmljob="3"> : "If he is taking ease, give no rest. If his forces are united, separate them."</SPAN>

Better luck next year for the rest of us common folk. Donkeyherder.

If you'd like to contact me feel free at my website: http://donkeyherder.livejournal.com

If you are interested in how much (or against) your representaive is on "Poker Rights", the PPA has each representative rated by state. Please click the PPA Congressional Ratings link on my blog: http://donkeyherder.livejournal.com/2008/11/02/