Ashley Sleeth (Vegas MTT pro)- Ask Me Anything About Playing Poker

[nasty bent gorilla]

Hi Ashley, how do you approach playing against an aggressive player when you're out of position? Do you try to play more conservatively and wait for a strong hand, or do you take an aggressive, alpha, 'how dare you' approach and fight fire with fire? Should you ever unleash your inner ape at the poker table?

I find my emotions can get the better of me, and treat it as a battle of the wills.

Thanks, nbg

 

[Ashley Sleeth]

Hello, Ashley.🙂
As always, I'm glad to see you here and I really like your Youtube videos.💞🌺🌺🌺
I really consider poker as a hobby and play only for fun, not caring about my bankroll: if the account is empty, I play in a freeroll, if I have a couple of dollars, I immediately spend them on some tournament.
But, recently, I decided to try to start increasing my winnings and noticed that the more I try to play correctly, the worse my results are. It's like the goal of winning adds some stress to me.
Could you give some recommendations on what steps I need to take to overcome some stress while playing in tournaments?

Thanks for always being so supportive

Without looking at your hand histories, it sounds like your saying that your play style changes when you are only worried about winning. For some people, that means they tighten up too much OR they get a little too splashy. Try to identify how your play style is changing before you enter your next real money tournament. Then, make it a goal to take it one hand at a time, one decision at a time. Instead of worrying about winning the whole tournament, concern yourself with the one decision in front of you. People win tournaments by making the best decisions possible even if it means they could bust out of the tournament. If you are avoiding risks, remember that risk aversion costs you money in the long run so you might as well go for it

Hi Ashley, nice to have you here to answer some of our questions. Since you live in Las Vegas, are you planning to play any WSOP events this year? if so how many?

Hey zorro,

Yes! I'll probably play 15-20 tournaments this summer. In the past, I've played around 30, but I think it's easier for me to get through the summer without burning out if I play less.

Do you mostly win to sponsor yourself and your life?


Aren’t online games rng is programmed to loose to bigger stacks? Yes, I know variance is higher due to high number of hands but I still believe there are bots and coolers designed to help certain players. What percentage of stake do you sell for your games? Is there is min or max limit to that?

Hey amit,

1) Yes!
2) I'm confident that most- if not all- poker sites are not programmed to help certain players. It's tempting to blame the software when you take a lot of bad beats in a row. We all do it I wouldn't play online if I believed that.
3) To sell for events, I start by looking at my poker bankroll. Based on how high of stakes my roll can support, I will sell enough so that each buy in is an appropriate risk. Example: If I'm rolled to play $500 tournaments, but the one I want to play is $1,000, I'll sell half. That way I'm never at risk of busting my bankroll. For large field live tournaments, I like to have 50-75 buy-ins worth. Example: If I'm playing live $500 tournaments, I'd like to have a bankroll between $25,000-$38,000 to avoid busting the roll

hello, tell me how to deal with those who go all-in constantly in free tournaments and it is not possible to wait for a card because the stack melts from the ante

Hey werty,

Playing with players like this can be frustrating. But if you think they are truly going all in with any two cards and your stack seems to always dwindle, it might mean that you're calling with too tight of hands. Try loosening up your preflop calls to those all ins. Yes, you risk your stack, but you give yourself the best chance of building one by putting it in the middle with decent hands. If you have access to preflop charts or free software like Equilab, you can see just how wide you can profitably call the all ins if you think your opponent is shoving everything. Good luck!

Hi Ashley, I want to ask you what does it take for an online poker player to become profitable on live Vegas MTT stage? I mean how big of a difference it is, if he is a crushing mid and high stakes online and he wants to make the transition to live, is Vegas the place to be?

Thank you

hey Mariussica,

Yes, Vegas is a great place for tournament players to transition to live mtts. If you're crushing mid-high stakes online mtts, the live mtts in Vegas will feel like a breeze to you. There's a lot of recreational players all year long. There is always a tournament series running, especially at the Wynn and Venetian. Then you get the major tours that all usually have at least one stop in Vegas per year. Best to way to find out is to try it out! You can stay for a month, play as many tournaments as possible and see for yourself

Hi Ashley, Do you swap action with other players in tournaments to help with variance? If so, how much action do you swap vs keep for yourself?

Hey mattie,

Yep! I always swap and/or sell so that the buy in level of the tournament is supported by my bankroll. (You can see the above answer that I wrote to Amit for more details

Hi Ashley

My question is, based on your experience, do you have more chances to win in live poker or online? So if you were to compare it to the algorithmic hands of online MTT, how much difference is there between hands dealt in live poker?

Hey Gdefender,

I'm a little confused by your question, so I'll answer it in the two ways I think it could be interpreted:

In live poker you get way less hands per hour and the fields are usually large. So your chances of winning are lower. Whenever you play a smaller field tournament (which tends to be online or daily live mtts) you have a better chance of winning.

If you're asking about the algorithm of online software vs a live shuffler, everything is set up to be as random as possible in both arenas.

 

[Ashley Sleeth]

Hi Ashley, how do you approach playing against an aggressive player when you're out of position? Do you try to play more conservatively and wait for a strong hand, or do you take an aggressive, alpha, 'how dare you' approach and fight fire with fire? Should you ever unleash your inner ape at the poker table?

I find my emotions can get the better of me, and treat it as a battle of the wills.

Thanks, nbg

Hey nbg,

Thanks for the question! You know you're at a really good table if there are multiple players shoveling a ton of money with bad hands. I try to view the aggressive play style of my opponents as simply one more piece of information during the hand. That way, I can build a counterstrategy rather than have emotional reactions, which often hinder logical reasoning. You can't 'fight fire with fire' if your hand is also bad for bluffing multiple streets

I would adjust by calling them more with middle-strength hands that you might fold to tighter players. I would trap with value hands more often since I know they're less likely to take a conservative check-back line. I would also check-raise some hands that can continue bluffing on turn and river. Example: JTdd on 9c3d2s would be a fun check-raise out of position, because they will bet all kinds of hands that currently beat you (Q-A high, low pocket pairs) but would fold to your raise. And if they DO call flop, you know that your plan going forward is to continue bluffing on any diamond or backdoor straight card- 7,8,Q,K. So you have lots of turns you can bet. If they call again on the turn, you can either get there on the river with a disguised flush or straight and go for value or hit a J or T and hope it's good You can use instincts to tell you whether or not you should go for a triple barrel bluff depending on the river.

Hope that helps!

 

[stan1250]

What's your opinion of hellmuths tantrums at the table, do you feel that maybe unlike other players he escapes any sanctions

 

[Ashley Sleeth]

What's your opinion of hellmuths tantrums at the table, do you feel that maybe unlike other players he escapes any sanctions

I think he's a controversial figure that has made a name for himself by putting on this role. Some people find it highly entertaining and witnessing a Hellmuth tantrum is the highlight of their trip. Personally, I think it's mostly an act so I don't mind it as long as he keeps the play moving and the table social. I wouldn't enjoy it if he made the whole table clam up and stop having fun. And yes, I do think he is a player who gets special treatment and escapes consequences/punishment at a MUCH higher frequency than the average Joe would.

 

[Gdefender]

Hi Ashley!

I would like to ask you that if you reach the final table in a tournament, what are the specific hands (range) you will enter the pot with? Say against 6 or 8 players, regardless of your position? Of course, only if my question is not too indiscreet...

 

[skaterick]

do casinos in Europe and Asia charge rake and tourney fees as high as they do in the USA ? in my opinion low stakes ring games are almost unbeatable in California due to the excessive house drop.

 

[stan1250]

I think he's a controversial figure that has made a name for himself by putting on this role. Some people find it highly entertaining and witnessing a Hellmuth tantrum is the highlight of their trip. Personally, I think it's mostly an act so I don't mind it as long as he keeps the play moving and the table social. I wouldn't enjoy it if he made the whole table clam up and stop having fun. And yes, I do think he is a player who gets special treatment and escapes consequences/punishment at a MUCH higher frequency than the average Joe would.

Cheers for that,but I do think certain tournament directors need to grow a pair

 

[ms_attack]

Hi Ashley, how did you get into poker? How did you build up your bankroll and when did you decide to turn pro? How long did you play before you turned pro? At what limit did you start with cash game and what tournament buy ins?

 

[Luvepoker]

Hi Ashley,

1st I want to say thank you for the advice you game me several months back on studying on my game. I took your advice and it's really paying off. Using GTO wizard has been eye opening experience. Thank you for that great advice.

I have a question. I hope to do more in poker. I don't plan to be a professional but really want to win a live tournament series event someday and be that guy with their picture taken with their trophy, Bracelet or ring. Personally, I want a circuit ring. As I get better in my game, I will need to start playing more live games again. I am playing local tournaments and some daily's in Vegas when I am there. I don't have tons of cash but willing to invest into myself and play several tournaments a year. What level of buy in events would be best for me to really play to become better prepared for the day I hopefully get to a final table and to maybe win the whole thing?

Actually, can I ask a 2nd related question, what events if any would you suggest to a player like me to realistically look into to attempt to achieve my poker goal?

Sadly, I won't be there to play with team Cardschat in the Colossus again this year but will be there a week after. Hopefully I will get to meet you someday. Thank you for your advice.

Ken AKA Luvepoker

 

[GARCIA PABLO DANIEL]

Hi Ashley, nice to ask you a question... What do you attribute your professionalism in poker to?

 

[Ashley Sleeth]

Hi Ashley!

I would like to ask you that if you reach the final table in a tournament, what are the specific hands (range) you will enter the pot with? Say against 6 or 8 players, regardless of your position? Of course, only if my question is not too indiscreet...

Hey gdefender,
The range of hands I'll play at a final table depends on so many things: 1) the stack sizes of my opponents 2) what the payout structure is 3) what position i'm in 4) play style of the players left to act after me

do casinos in Europe and Asia charge rake and tourney fees as high as they do in the USA ? in my opinion low stakes ring games are almost unbeatable in California due to the excessive house drop.

it depends on the casino. you'll find some that are membership-only and some that are very similar to the US with excessive fees. but in general, the higher the buy in tourney or higher stakes cash games you play, the lower the rake.
(i agree with you about low stakes California cash games being pretty high at most places. Vegas is generally pretty good about low rake for cash games if you go somewhere with no high hand or bad beat jackpot.)

Hi Ashley, how did you get into poker? How did you build up your bankroll and when did you decide to turn pro? How long did you play before you turned pro? At what limit did you start with cash game and what tournament buy ins?

Hey msattack,
I got into poker in 2012 when my fiance taught me how to play. I decided to turn pro in 2017 (so I played on and off for about 5 years before taking it more seriously). I got lucky to bink a few online and live tournament scores to boost the bankroll and help me take shots at bigger buy ins. My first live tournament was a $230 buy in ladies event at MGM after that, i felt comfortable enough to try cash games. i played at a Bellagio $1/$3 table for 16 hours straight. haha. I didn't cash that ladies event and I have no memory of how that first cash game went, but I remember having a lot of fun at Bellagio After lots of cash game play, I decided that I loved tournaments more and have focused on them since 2017.

Hi Ashley,

1st I want to say thank you for the advice you game me several months back on studying on my game. I took your advice and it's really paying off. Using GTO wizard has been eye opening experience. Thank you for that great advice.

I have a question. I hope to do more in poker. I don't plan to be a professional but really want to win a live tournament series event someday and be that guy with their picture taken with their trophy, Bracelet or ring. Personally, I want a circuit ring. As I get better in my game, I will need to start playing more live games again. I am playing local tournaments and some daily's in Vegas when I am there. I don't have tons of cash but willing to invest into myself and play several tournaments a year. What level of buy in events would be best for me to really play to become better prepared for the day I hopefully get to a final table and to maybe win the whole thing?

Actually, can I ask a 2nd related question, what events if any would you suggest to a player like me to realistically look into to attempt to achieve my poker goal?

Sadly, I won't be there to play with team Cardschat in the Colossus again this year but will be there a week after. Hopefully I will get to meet you someday. Thank you for your advice.

Ken AKA Luvepoker

Hey Ken,

So happy to hear that you're enjoying GTO Wizard! If you're looking to win a big live event, the BEST practice is to play small field tournaments online (no more than 150 people). It will help you reach the final table more often, which will teach you how to navigate the drastically different dynamics that happen once the payout jumps are significant. Of course, if you want to practice playing live too, I'd recommend trying to find daily events that are low rake. Since you said that you come to Vegas for daily's, I'd suggest the Wynn on Friday-Sundays. The rake is lower on the weekends (and these events have a decent prizepool). I'm emphasizing rake because lots of daily tournaments are unbeatable when the rake gets too high (20-25% sometimes!!).
Overall:
1) To stretch your investment, play mostly online tournaments with no more than 150 people on avg. 2) Read fellow CardsChat pro, Dara O'Kearney's book Endgame poker strategy to help you understand ICM concepts at final tables 3) Study a replay of your final tables and ask questions about spots you're unsure about (can send to me on CardsChat or attend my live stream study hours on YouTube) 4) If playing live, stick to low buy in tournaments with low rake and no more than 150 people on avg.

Hi Ashley, nice to ask you a question... What do you attribute your professionalism in poker to?

Hey Garcia,
I think I've started taking poker more seriously in the past few years. Once you get frustrated enough with bad results or mistakes you made, you have to make a decision to change things going forward. So I attribute my professionalism to downswings! They forced me to make a better game plan for myself

 

[Luvepoker]

Hey Ken,

So happy to hear that you're enjoying GTO Wizard! If you're looking to win a big live event, the BEST practice is to play small field tournaments online (no more than 150 people). It will help you reach the final table more often, which will teach you how to navigate the drastically different dynamics that happen once the payout jumps are significant. Of course, if you want to practice playing live too, I'd recommend trying to find daily events that are low rake. Since you said that you come to Vegas for daily's, I'd suggest the Wynn on Friday-Sundays. The rake is lower on the weekends (and these events have a decent prizepool). I'm emphasizing rake because lots of daily tournaments are unbeatable when the rake gets too high (20-25% sometimes!!).
Overall:
1) To stretch your investment, play mostly online tournaments with no more than 150 people on avg. 2) Read fellow CardsChat pro, Dara O'Kearney's book Endgame Poker Strategy to help you understand ICM concepts at final tables 3) Study a replay of your final tables and ask questions about spots you're unsure about (can send to me on CardsChat or attend my live stream study hours on YouTube) 4) If playing live, stick to low buy in tournaments with low rake and no more than 150 people on avg.

This makes a lot of sense Ashley. I do like a mix of size of events but playing the smaller fiends is a smart move. I will do that more from now on. It will also make variance smaller to so that's good as well.
Live rake is a bit much for sure. Our local casino has 1 event a week but 30% rake so I have not played that one at all. I will have to play at the Wynn next trip to Vegas. Always wanted to but haven't. Thank you again.

 

[Luvart]

Hi,

my question:

When getting down to 20-25bb stack is it correct to open-shove hands like small pairs (44, 22), offsuit Aces like A10o, AJo, or connectors like 108s, 97s, J9s, etc?

Thank you.

 

[zorro222_zorro222]

Hey Ashley, what are your thoughts about the man who entered and won the women's tournament recently? I've heard some interesting opinions and am curious on your thoughts...

Thanks

 

[mattiebumpo]

Hi Ashley, For the wsop Main Event, would you late register or show up on time? If late, how late?

 

[Balou1982]

Hi Ashley Sleeth,

what kind of tournament or sit&go you would play if your bankroll is under 300$ and the goal is to increase the bankroll up to 1000$?
buy in - Level and structure for example ;-)!?
Greets

 

[hobojim1247]

My question is about the multitude of $200 to $600 MTTS. What is the difference if an, in the field make up, ratio of pros to amateurs to tourists etc. Also what casinos would you recommend one to try out. TY for you answer.
Hobojim1247...aka Jim Wetherell
also a big TY for clueing me in about CC, it i s what I was looking for.

 

[Gh0stL]

Hi CardsChat members!

My name is Ashley and I'm so excited to join this community. I've been living in Las Vegas for 10 years now playing cash games and more recently, tournaments. I currently play $5/$10 on the Strip and higher stakes on live streams such as Live at the Bike. I'll buy in to tournaments as low as $300 and as high as $5k (with an exception for the WSOP Main Event, which everyone should try to play at least once!).

I have also traveled for poker events in many other parts of the world, including Europe, the UK, Australia, Canada, Africa and the Caribbean. I can answer a broad range of questions about playing live, traveling for poker events/series, playing on live streams or the general poker lifestyle.

My goal for joining CardsChat is to inspire new people to play poker and to encourage those of you who have a poker bucket list item to go out and do it!

Ask me anything

Hi Ashley.
Can you share with us, When was the time that you decided play poker? And what help you to improve your skills in poker at the begining?

 

[RENEY444]

On average are the live cash games softer in Los Angeles or in Las Vegas casinos ? What about London, or other major cities with legal poker rooms ?

 

[najisami]

Hello Ashley, really glad to have you in our community 😃🌹😃

**I'm curious to know in what African countries have you played.

If that question is not very relevant, sorry, and you don't have to answer it.
But I bet you'd answer this one :

**I noticed that you never play with your stack displayed in BBs ( As opposed to many pros ), any specific reasons ?

Thank you.

 

[JeffSBrito]

Hello!

I would like to ask the following:

What's the best way to deal with high variance in hyper poker tournaments, and how does it affect your game strategy?

 

[Ashley Sleeth]

Hi,

my question:

When getting down to 20-25bb stack is it correct to open-shove hands like small pairs (44, 22), offsuit Aces like A10o, AJo, or connectors like 108s, 97s, J9s, etc?

Thank you.

Yes! If you’re in late position (button/SB) at the table, these are great hands to jam on 20bb. Once you get up to 25bb though, that starts to be way too many blinds to open shove and you’d prefer to go all in after somebody else has already opened. You can check out free preflop all in spots for tournaments on Floptimal to see more exact hands you can open shove on the button and sb for that stack.

Hi Ashley, For the WSOP Main Event, would you late register or show up on time? If late, how late?

I personally like to show up on time for the Main Event. It gives you the best chance of capitalizing on getting a table with more recreational players who overplay hands at a super deep stack depth. Plus, it’s the most exciting tournament of the year! If I’m going to pay $10k for one event, I like to get the most out of the experience.

Hi Ashley Sleeth,

what kind of tournament or sit&go you would play if your bankroll is under 300$ and the goal is to increase the bankroll up to 1000$?
buy in - Level and structure for example ;-)!?
Greets

For online tournaments, I give myself a rule of having 100 buy ins in my bankroll. So with $300, I’d suggest buying into $3 mtts and lower. Stick with an average field size of less than 150 people to reduce your variance or play SNGs for even lower variance If you play a turbo structure, you will be increasing variance slightly, but if you think you’re short stack game is sharper than your opponents, they’re a great way to increase your hourly

My question is about the multitude of $200 to $600 MTTS. What is the difference if an, in the field make up, ratio of pros to amateurs to tourists etc. Also what casinos would you recommend one to try out. TY for you answer.
Hobojim1247...aka Jim Wetherell
also a big TY for clueing me in about CC, it i s what I was looking for.

Hey Jim! Glad you’re here and thanks for the question
The $200 daily tournaments that happen around Vegas will have the highest ratio of tourists to pros. Once you get up to the $600 level, there will be a greater amount of pros (a third to half of the table on average), but still plenty of tourists too. For small buy in tournaments, you can’t beat the Wynn. The level of service and luxurious atmosphere as well as relatively low rake make it my go-to spot If you’re here in the summer or when smaller series are happening around town, I’d check out Aria, Resorts World and Venetian too. MGM also runs tournaments but doesn’t have as great an atmosphere as the others listed. GLGL out there!

Hi Ashley.
Can you share with us, When was the time that you decided play poker? And what help you to improve your skills in poker at the begining?

Hi GHostL,
I decided to play more seriously in 2017. I loved playing tournaments and thought I could do well in them over the long run. I’m lucky enough to have a partner (Jesse) who is a very talented player and coach, so he has been the biggest reason for my improvement and motivation to keep learning. I’ve also invested in training courses on Run It Once, which have been super valuable and eye-opening. I also love watching final table replays of big events to see how the pressure of big spots affects people’s play, etc.

On average are the live cash games softer in Los Angeles or in Las Vegas casinos ? What about London, or other major cities with legal poker rooms ?

The games are much softer and action-packed in LA. Las Vegas tends to have lots of cash games pros that make the average table pretty nitty. I haven’t played cash internationally in a while, but my favorite places with good action were in Melbourne/Sydney and Johannesburg.

Hello Ashley, really glad to have you in our community 😃🌹😃

**I'm curious to know in what African countries have you played.

If that question is not very relevant, sorry, and you don't have to answer it.
But I bet you'd answer this one :

**I noticed that you never play with your stack displayed in BBs ( As opposed to many pros ), any specific reasons ?

Thank you.

Hi najisami!
Thanks for your question. I’ve played in Morocco and South Africa Those are some of my funnest memories of playing abroad.
I’m not sure where you’ve seen me play, but when I play online, I always show the opponent’s stacks in BBs if the software allows it. If you’re talking about my live vlogs, I usually show the amount of actual chips they have and will refer to how many BBs they have in the voice over That’s mostly for time’s sake. It takes a lot of time for each graphic. Much easier to have less

Hello!

I would like to ask the following:

What's the best way to deal with high variance in hyper poker tournaments, and how does it affect your game strategy?

Great question. Hypers are fun and super profitable if you can really good at two things: short stack dynamics + ICM. A lot of people still struggle with not knowing the real dollar value of how final tables or the money bubble should change the range of hands they play. If you understand those dynamics, you will be printing money off of the players who ‘punt it off’ so to speak. Dara O’Kearney’s book ‘End Game Strategy’ is a great read for brushing up on ICM awareness.

 

[Ashley Sleeth]

Hey Ashley, what are your thoughts about the man who entered and won the women's tournament recently? I've heard some interesting opinions and am curious on your thoughts...

Thanks

I can’t find the CC thread where I wrote my answer, but my summary is this: Ladies’ Events were started to facilitate the growth of poker in a demographic that consistently only made up around 3% of tournament entrants. I played my first ever live poker game in a ladies event in 2012 because I felt less intimidated by the atmosphere. (I understand that beginners of any gender can feel intimidated trying live poker for the first time so I think that events catering to all rookies would help get more beginners into the game. That’s for another response though.) In ladies’ events where the buy in is different for men, I’m fine with men entering. It keeps enough out to basically be the same thing. (I personally wouldn’t find one or two men in a field of 200 women intimidating so the purpose of the event remains in tact for me.) I think it’s poor sportsmanship for the men to buy in, but if they’re paying 10x what I pay, I appreciate their donation to the prize pool. (Good luck to them beating that mark up!)

 

[najisami]

Thanks for your question. I’ve played in Morocco and South Africa

That's exactly why I asked !
I live in Morocco now and had a feeling when you mentioned Africa. Some soft fields in Marrakech huh ...
Thank you for responding.