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WSOP ME Prep

OkieNGa

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May 4, 2015 - 10:23 pm

I am not looking for personalized coaching per say, I am looking for a 2 month brush up preparing for the ME. I am a long term poker player but only get to play once a month or so and do go to WSOPC events when I can which amounts to twice a year. I have been a member of this site off and on for several years now. I can grasp concepts and can apply them but I would not classify myself as a top level poker player by any stretch of the imagination. I am a good recreational player, have gone deep in many live tournaments (within an hour of cashing at a 1500 WSOP event and with 5 people of cashing 2 WSOPC events) but have never cashed. What I am looking for is training recommendations from a pro on this site that would best prepare me for the WSOP ME. I will not be able to play more than 3 live events before the main this year and they are all small field and relatively small stake games, so I am relying on TPE to sharpen my skills between now and then. Do you as a pro have any recommendations?

madpenguin12

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May 6, 2015 - 9:38 am

I’m not a pro but here are a few things that helped me prepare for live events as I have been playing quite a bit this year:

1) Practice. Practice. Practice. Evaluate, analyze, practice. Even though Online MTTs are not live, it puts you into a position to practice situations that arise online and in live games. Repetition should allow you to be more comfortable with these spots as they come up in live play. I’ve been playing as many online MTTs as i can to accelerate my progression and because I enjoy the hell out of them.

2) During live play, even during your card dead times, its really really important to pay attention to as many hands as you can (all if possible). That means, what does a person look like when they are waiting to play their hands, what do they look like when they call, what do they look like when they raise, and do they tell you when they are going to fold preflop? If so, and they are one of the people behind you, you can get a feel for if that person will fold when deciding if you’re going to raise in MP, Hijack, CO etc. Little things like this make a difference over time.

3) 3 betting range should be established. You can’t just 3 bet with the top of your range, you need to be able to 3 bet without the goods so it increases the likelihood of being paid off when you do have it. Easier said than done but requires you to get to know your opponents habits to take advantage of this.

4) Put opponents to the test and make sure you’re not easy to read/predict.

5) Remember, you will lose most of the MTTs you play just based on #variance. That being the case, just remember it’s a tournament. No matter the buy in, it’s still the same 52 cards. Even though its the ME….there will still be plenty of weaker players at the beginning (I’m guessing). Play well but enjoy the moment and have fun too.

Some of the stuff above is pretty basic but sometimes, executing the basics will get you deep enough and with some luck and premiums can set you up to make a deep run.

Happy to hear any additional tips people have.

madpenguin12

Home Game Champ

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May 6, 2015 - 9:40 am

One last thing I forgot and is probably overlooked, is the importance of diet and rest. If you’re not eating well, you may not have optimal energy to perform. If you’re short on rest, it will increase the likelihood of making mistakes. People often have less self control later on in the day when they are tired and end up eating that pint of ice cream after work instead of going to the gym. It applies to poker too.

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