Dara O'Kearney (Satellite Specialist) - Ask Me Anything about satellites/knockouts

[JT Olson]

Hey Dara,
In a strategy segment hosted by The Chip Race (OMG STRAIGHT FLUSH VS QUADS), Jungleman explains to David that a raise is a viable move against the 3-better after a call. JM goes on to explain that he has “more nuts than the 3-better…I have more A3 and A4 combinations than the BU does…I have all the pocket 33 and 44”. Since JM is on the BU I was confused? Is this just theoretical in terms of a typical BTN range he’s using as a baseline? I constructed two generic ranges for both positions, and ran the numbers in PokerCruncher, ultimately both ranges had the same number of A3, A4 combinations. So clearly, I’m going about this all wrong.
Can you please elaborate a little on these ranges?
Thank you.

 

[jokeriii]

Specific Satty Spot

Hi Dara, I went out and bought your PKO book and it was so good I went and got the Satellite book too. I have been studying them both as if they were college textbooks.

I have a specific question about a spot I was in at a recent satellite.

$30 buyin to a $300 tournament. 15 seats awarded; #16 gets $5. There are 16 players left. We are in 15th place with 1.5bb. The short stack has two antes and is at the other table on the button. We are hand for hand.

We are the big blind this hand and have Ah5h. Action folds to the SB who shoves (as he should with any two cards here I suppose). What do I do? Call off? If I fold here, I am all-in next hand in the SB.

 

[Dara OKearney]

Hi Dara
A hand thats been bugging me for a while, would like your opinion on if its a call or fold
In a $22 pko on party, we are in the money but only just so little payouts at the time, I'm 16th of 28 left with just above average.
I min raise from CO with JJ, SB calls then BB goes all in who covers me, I have played against this player before and have notes on him, he is very ABC player who i have never seen get out of line so him bluffing in this spot is almost zero, at the same time him having AA/KK maybe even QQ is very small is my read due to not wanting to scare me away from his premium holding, I'm putting him on 66+ AQ+ but without KK+
I started the hand with 36BB he had 47BB

I felt i had a slight edge on the table, he had a fairly decent bounty

After using a fair bit of timebank I called in game, he had AKo hit his A and I was out, I would of been 1st or 2nd if I held
With some ICM implications and his range here still not sure if I need to fold with being covered or its just call and GG
Thanks

Interesting spot. Tking dead money into account from a pure ChipEV situation, you need roughly 45% equity here to call (assuming the small blind folds). The range you assign villain looks reasonable and what I'd expect from a decent player in that spot. Against 66-QQ AQ+ jacks has 63% so it's a call for sure. ICM won't be much of a factor at this point: it's really only big on the bubble or last two tables usually. It might add a few % to what you need but no matter how you cut it 63% is going to be well clear of what you need.

Unlucky, and thanks for the question!

 

[Dara OKearney]

Hey Dara,
In a strategy segment hosted by The Chip Race (OMG STRAIGHT FLUSH VS QUADS), Jungleman explains to David that a raise is a viable move against the 3-better after a call. JM goes on to explain that he has “more nuts than the 3-better…I have more A3 and A4 combinations than the BU does…I have all the pocket 33 and 44”. Since JM is on the BU I was confused? Is this just theoretical in terms of a typical BTN range he’s using as a baseline? I constructed two generic ranges for both positions, and ran the numbers in PokerCruncher, ultimately both ranges had the same number of A3, A4 combinations. So clearly, I’m going about this all wrong.
Can you please elaborate a little on these ranges?
Thank you.

Hi,

I'll preface this by saying 150 bbs cash game spots are not my specialty, but I believe in this specific spot the big blind is is supposed to call suited wheel aces and fold the unsuited ones, and never squeeze with them. The suited wheel aces really don't want to get 4 bet in this spot, but play very well as calls in a single raised pot. The button (Jungleman) is in a similar spot when he gets squeezed and is holding a suited wheel ace: it's plenty strong enough to call, not strong enough to 4 bet call, and it sucks to 4 bet fold it. so it plays best as a pure call. Therefore after the preflop action of button raise, sb call, BB squeeze, button call, button should have all the suited aces and bb rarely if ever has them,

 

[JT Olson]

Hi,

I'll preface this by saying 150 bbs cash game spots are not my specialty, but I believe in this specific spot the big blind is is supposed to call suited wheel aces and fold the unsuited ones, and never squeeze with them. The suited wheel aces really don't want to get 4 bet in this spot, but play very well as calls in a single raised pot. The button (Jungleman) is in a similar spot when he gets squeezed and is holding a suited wheel ace: it's plenty strong enough to call, not strong enough to 4 bet call, and it sucks to 4 bet fold it. so it plays best as a pure call. Therefore after the preflop action of button raise, sb call, BB squeeze, button call, button should have all the suited aces and bb rarely if ever has them,

Thank you for the reply.

 

[donpiatnik]

Congratulations on your success! Which satellite are you specializing in? What kind of satellite do you play the most? And what is your favorite structure? (number of players, speed, money) Maybe how many tables at one time?

 

[daveshoelace]

GGpoker allow you to pick your seat at a final table, what are the things you look for when you try and pick your seat?

I'm thinking tight players on your left, maniacs/chip leaders on your right. Avoid having resteal stacks to your left etc.

What else?

 

[martinlgs]

I have noticed that in the micro, bass satellites and freerolls people are very aggressive and go with any cards in the first parts of the satellites, and these cases do you recommend: play more closely or go to the lottery?

 

[Dara OKearney]

Hi Dara, I went out and bought your PKO book and it was so good I went and got the Satellite book too. I have been studying them both as if they were college textbooks.

I have a specific question about a spot I was in at a recent satellite.

$30 buyin to a $300 tournament. 15 seats awarded; #16 gets $5. There are 16 players left. We are in 15th place with 1.5bb. The short stack has two antes and is at the other table on the button. We are hand for hand.

We are the big blind this hand and have Ah5h. Action folds to the SB who shoves (as he should with any two cards here I suppose). What do I do? Call off? If I fold here, I am all-in next hand in the SB.

Very interesting spot. It's a real headscratcher. I think it really boils down to how likely it is the shortie shoves on the other table. If possible, I'd stall long enough to see what he does. What happens if you both bust same hand? You split the seat?

 

[jokeriii]

Very interesting spot. It's a real headscratcher. I think it really boils down to how likely it is the shortie shoves on the other table. If possible, I'd stall long enough to see what he does. What happens if you both bust same hand? You split the seat?

As it turns out, I shoved and lost. I figured A5s was >50% hand versus uncertain hand coming up next. Villain had King-high and flopped a King for the win.

Since we were H4H, we had to wait the action at the other table. The guy with 2 antes also shoved and lost. he picked up the 16th spot (since his stack was shorter) and I snuck in with a seat to the main.

 

[el_soma77]

I wanted to know, which is more profitable to play bounty KO, or to play guaranteed tournaments, which is more feasible and more profitable, of course the two tournaments are with the same amount of ticket value? I await your response and excuse me, thank you, I know there are many questions.

 

[FordyJase]

Question about when to enter the satellite

HI Dara

Was wondering when entering a satellite do you like to enter from the start, or is there a blind level you're happy to jump in at?

At least you can get a sense of how many people have entered and what the prizepool or seatpool is

Regards

Jason

 

[Dara OKearney]

As it turns out, I shoved and lost. I figured A5s was >50% hand versus uncertain hand coming up next. Villain had King-high and flopped a King for the win.

Since we were H4H, we had to wait the action at the other table. The guy with 2 antes also shoved and lost. he picked up the 16th spot (since his stack was shorter) and I snuck in with a seat to the main.

yeah, it's a close one but your logic is sound

 

[Monkeysystem]

WSOPC Main Event Satellites

Hi Dara,

wsop Circuit $250 satellites to $1,700 Main Events have a considerably slower structure than other satellites. It can take several hours to get to the seats. Would you recommend using a more typical (MTT style) gameplan for the early to mid stages than in a more ordinary satellite structure?

 

[G7S777D]

Satellite 1,1€to irish open///todAy

HelLo Dara!!!
i have been playing a lot of the satellites of party poker the last few days to get in the irish opEn// mAin evENt/
i have been playing with a Dara today and yesterday??!?
could that be you???
if so i would really like to talk to you...

i really want to play ghe irish main event///
thankss for your answer!
Gaspard

 

[G7S777D]

suck out// AA vs JJ allin preflop in the 11 € sat irish phase2///

jusT a few hours ago, we were only 25 left// with that shot i was second... but Derek 3 beted my 2 BB raise UTG...
i guesS i would really like to talk about it... with a prO... you knoW i started this 11€ mtt with 27 big, for in the 1,1 i got sliced with AK vs A2... so I arrived last in the phAse 2 ...
and i know there are hAndd you must loOse, but this last suck out scAred me a bit about the algorythm of probs they use in party poker...
from my experiEnce so far this algo changes from 1,1 to 11 then 109 which i also played// /
i just think that 1100 main event respects more the game, like live pokER// /
but what do you think about it???

 

[G7S777D]

lAst question of the day//

And if you did plAy today the sat in party poker... did you get in the main event???

 

[Dara OKearney]

I wanted to know, which is more profitable to play bounty KO, or to play guaranteed tournaments, which is more feasible and more profitable, of course the two tournaments are with the same amount of ticket value? I await your response and excuse me, thank you, I know there are many questions.

Hi,

Right now in my opinion and experience PKOs are the most profitable games online, if (and this is a big if) you know the correct strategy. As a relatively new format, there are a lot of players either overadjusting or underadjusting to the bounties, which gives the rest of us an edge.

Thanks for your question!

 

[TriszPoker]

Hi,

Right now in my opinion and experience PKOs are the most profitable games online, if (and this is a big if) you know the correct strategy. As a relatively new format, there are a lot of players either overadjusting or underadjusting to the bounties, which gives the rest of us an edge.

Thanks for your question!

That is really true! I am just jumping into the PKO's as well and going to try to soon buy and read your book probably as an addition after finishing some courses.

 

[TriszPoker]

Hi Dara, my question would be mainly regarding partypoker's tournament dollar satellite format, I suppose you are familiar with it. (Although pretty similar to a normal sat I guess.) 60% of the time in the last weeks, I find myself eliminated as the stone bubble. Regardless if it is 10 players registered, 20, or 50, I am almost always one of the big stacks in the early and mid-game by taking down pots pre, and post-flop, and then when blinds start to double and it's late-stage push-fold game, I often get card dead, blinded down and can rarely push enough hands and so my position in the mtt gets downgraded to being bubble. What tips do you have in general, or in adjusting pushing and calling ranges? For example how do you adjust, open shoving and calling ranges if 5 places pay equal, and you are A, 6th out of 6th, or B, 5th out of 6 but basically equal stack to 6th, with having only 0,5-2% more , lets say 0.1bb larger stack for us? This spot just happens unbelievably often with me and I am on the losing side of a flip after pushing 80% of the time after I push on PartyPoker tournament $ sats. Any tips in general or specific? What should I analize and improve in my satellite MTT game, what to look for to do better in these sat. bubble spots? Variance is eating my roll away everytime lately with these spots, but I am sure there are also mistakes in my play to look for ! Thank you.

 

[Hunter191]

Satellites and tournaments balance

Hi Dara,

I would like to hear your advice on how i can balance my sessions/days playing satellites and tournaments, should i just have sessions lets say morning sessions playing satellite only and evenings for the tournaments, or maybe a a whole day for either, i find myself sometimes having multi tables with a couple of satellites and a couple of tournaments running at the same time, strategies mix and i struggle.

Your advice is much appreciated
Thank you

 

[DAYZER]

Limping in a PKO

Is there ever a situation where it would be advisable to limp from early position in a PKO. If say there is a very short stacked player with a juicy bounty in late position?

 

[Evan Jarvis]

Hey Dara!

Just wanted to let yo know that I picked up the satty book last weekend and I think it's fantastic!

I thought I had a good handle on satties but boy was I mistaken!

Thank you for putting it together, and also thank you for putting together this epic thread! Brilliant stuff mate!

 

[Dara OKearney]

HI Dara

Was wondering when entering a satellite do you like to enter from the start, or is there a blind level you're happy to jump in at?

At least you can get a sense of how many people have entered and what the prizepool or seatpool is

Regards

Jason

Hi Jason,

I think it's best to either go in right at the start, or at the end of late reg. The advantages of being there at the start are you can be more patient and selective in the spots you take, and you have more time to build a stack and take advantage of the weakest players while they still have chips.

The advantages of coming in right at the end are you maximise the ICM advantage of late regging, and spend less time in the tournament (higher hourly). How big a factor ICM is depends on how many people have already busted and how much the stacks have moved around. I once max late regged a satellite with only 5 players left and 2 seats. One of the player had nearly all the chips: all the other players were below starting stack! That meant when I late regged I was 2/6 and had the best chance of the second seat of the five players battling for it! My chances were roughly 35%, which meant I had an immediate 350% ROI even before any skill edge. This is way higher than any edge I could possibly have had regging from the start.

Thanks for your question!

 

[1sunchin]

Hi Dara!

I reread your satellite book right now and stumbled again on your sentence from page 14. I'm from Belarus and not clearly understand this: "The number of times your cash is much more important than your ability to crush the field, so that means reducing the number of times you bust but not taking needless risks." Can you explaine this more wide?