Strategy in Bounty tournaments

[BillHicks]

It seems a lot of sites are doing bounty tournaments around christmas- any one have any thoughts about playing strategy. My thought was that in one way one wants to keep an eye on the bounties and keep a stack covering them , while in another it maybe important just to stay alive in case the bounty becomes crippled giving you a chace to take them out. I saw one amazing tournment last year when the bounty was huge - a 4000 dollar tourney package - and got to the last 3, the firstprize was only a relatively small 1000 or so . The one player in this pushed most hands so if the bounty was playing he was definitelyall in. I am not sure ifthis strategy was correct as he risked losing a lot of chipsto the other non bounty competiitor. any thoughts on the strategy in that situation where the main aim is to take out the bounty when the bounty's size is huge in comparison with the tourney prize?

[happyhornet]

Re: Strategy in Bounty tournaments I'm not fanatical about these types of events as the dynamics are so totally changed from a normal MTT and people tend to move all-in vs the bounty knowing they have at worst a 19% shot at winning. You have to be very situationally aware.

[Samba_SamPa]

Re: Strategy in Bounty tournaments It's about value in my opinion. For example, the BTB on 32Red. Say there's 70 runners, and it pays $300 for first, while the top bounty is $150. 55 left, blinds 75/150, you're an average stack of 2500, and just have the Top Bounty covered. If you pick up 84o in the BB, it folds round to the Top Bounty on the Button, who raises to 450. The SB folds. I will shove every single time here - I am an average stack with 55 left in chasing the top prize of $300, so my equity in the top MTT prize will be ~$5.50. If I shove I either: a) Take the pot here, or; b) my 84o takes on whatever the Top Bounty is holding (being realistic to call for his tourney life: QQ+, AQs+, AKo) My equity in a hand against that calling range would be is 24.1%. So my Equity in the $150 bounty at that moment is $36.15 Therefore it is much more +EV to shove than to play properly with the aim of winning the 1st prize. Not sure if I have explained myself very well though :unsure

[ubermonkey1]

Re: Strategy in Bounty tournaments yeah its all in the value really and the situation:ok games like the mardle 501 on stans or btb give about an equal bounty to the top prize,so if i have the bounty covered i try to stay in every pot if poss no matter what i've got. playing quite loose in this situation can be a bit dangerous but it can also get you a nice stack if you hit a few hands. in fact i quite like bounty games as quite a few players will loosen up and the strategy completely changes from a normal tourney.

[billy the punter]

Re: Strategy in Bounty tournaments Two forms of tournaments I hate are bounty tournaments and shoot-outs. Is it me or do these just no work? Tactics regarding bounty tourns rely solely on the monies involved. I've only every played one, years ago, it was a £25 F/O if memory serves with a £20 bounty on every player. That is no incentive at all, the bounty is tiny in comparison to the actual prize money. Although I know that most sites now offer tempting bountys for their "star" players. Like I say, if they incentives are high (like the one spoke about by Bill Hicks) then tactics can be looked at. If lucky enough to be on his table you can apply plenty of pressure to other players when said player is OUT of the hand - some will want to stay in at any costs to get their chance of a scalp. Just another way of looking at things. That said, it will never suit my MTT game as I try to avoid all-ins as much as I can. That's probably why I'm so against bounty/shoot-out tourns.

[Samba_SamPa]

Re: Strategy in Bounty tournaments

If lucky enough to be on his table you can apply plenty of pressure to other players when said player is OUT of the hand - some will want to stay in at any costs to get their chance of a scalp. Just another way of looking at things.

This ^^ is exactly why I like the Strategy forum, despite seemingly a lot of people not doing so. I'm obviously a bit slow, and had never considered the change in dynamic from a normal tourney when the big bount(y/ies) are not in the hand, but that makes perfect sense :ok

[BillHicks]

Re: Strategy in Bounty tournaments

This ^^ is exactly why I like the Strategy forum, despite seemingly a lot of people not doing so. I'm obviously a bit slow, and had never considered the change in dynamic from a normal tourney when the big bount(y/ies) are not in the hand, but that makes perfect sense :ok

yeah thats thinking an extra level by billy the punter.:clap- But do the other players think on that level? also you have to try to get a read on the bounty- like in hendon mob bounties it seems to me that "joe beevers" plays quite soundly, whille " barney boatman" is just waiting for a chance to give his chips away aand get on with his usual stuff. I put the names in quotation marks as I am not convincd these celebrity bounties are really who they claim to be., though others have told me they are.

[McG]

Re: Strategy in Bounty tournaments

If lucky enough to be on his table you can apply plenty of pressure to other players when said player is OUT of the hand - some will want to stay in at any costs to get their chance of a scalp.

Good point, well made. You sense that most people (including me :unsure) want to have the bounty covered at all times, and this can interfere with their normal game. Many will lay down hands, just because they want to retain a nominal advantage over the bounty. But when they or the bounty gets moved to another table, ..... they then realise that the chance has gone and that their stack size has depleted more than they expected. On the plus side, if you can get lucky, they can be disproportionately rewarding. My biggest win this year was in the Laddies Little LEOCOP bounty tournament ($20+$2buy-in) when I won $2,000 for knocking out the penultimate bounty. I remember GaF? posting that he felt that BEING a bounty gave him a distinct advantage in that he was nearly always going to get action if he caught a hand, just because of the attraction of catching his bounty.

[BillHicks]

Re: Strategy in Bounty tournaments yeah i a m sure it is an advantage to be the bounty- eg if you got aa you could just shove and get loads of callers- that is what happened with the bounyt that was in the final 3 i mentioned in my 1st posty