The eye on the prize, not on the game...

Yesterday I had the pleasure of playing in a multi-day invitational tournament. 750 of the best players from New South Wales (Australia) - out of about 6000 - playing for a $20,000 prize pool over two days.

What I found was that even the best players sometimes sacrifice their game and tighten up because they are so bent on making it to the final day. While I played my usual game, I was able to steal even more pots then usual just because my felt mates had a vision in their heads of being there on the second day and would not risk their stacks even when they were 3 to 1 favorites. Apparently, it was more important to them to reach day two with even a minimal stack rather then play their A-game and either reach it with enough chips to really contend or bust out.

I found this insightful, since we sometimes overlook the importance of what the other players want (beside winning obviously) and its effect on their game. Once we figure out the order of their priorities, one can try and use that in order to induce mistakes.

Next time you're on the felt, talk to the other players, get them to tell you what they want out of the tournament, even how hard or expensive they find the entry was. Once you know, compare those findings to how they play and take advantage of how tight and loose those aspirations make them.

Just another tool for your poker tool-box.

- Random -

For those interested: I ended up with 11k in chips, chip leader at 38k.

Edit note: I edited this post as I found some information was not correct (now that I'm in personal contact with the top tournament director) - Starting field was 750 people (not 300 as I reported last week).