1) INTRODUCTION / PURPOSE
This guide is a basic FAQ/Walkthrough for the game World Championship Poker,
intended to aid the player in opening the games many tournaments, and achievingthe highest return for the player in playing the various forms of pokeravailable in the game.
Enclosed is a description of the various types of games and tournamentsavailable, with their types, buy-ins, payout structure, and some basicstrategies.
2) GENERAL NOTICES ABOUT THE GUIDE
Note 1:
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I based this guide on the North American Playstation 2 version of the game, sosome particular strategies given here may not necessarily work for otherversions.
Note 2:
A basic strategy for how to play hands is enclosed, however, it should be notedthat this is mainly designed to defeat the computer opponents in the game.Therefore, the strategies may not work as well on human opponents (such as inonline play, other poker games, or in real life).
This strategy is not minealone, rather it is an amalgamation of strategies from several source books(given in the Acknowledgement section) modified to this particular game.Players interested in these strategies are highly encouraged to get the booksstated there.
Note 3:
There is also some information (such as pot odds) that requires a basicunderstanding in algebra and statistics. I have tried to keep such mathematicalterminology to a minimum, however, it is necessary to truly understand thematerial.
3) VOCABULARY
Poker Terms:
Board: The community cards placed face up on the table that all players can use.
Quads: 4 of a kind
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Trips: 3 of a kind
Boat/Full Boat: Full house
Kicker(s): The highest unpaired card(s). Often used to break ties, they are quite important in a lot of hands.
Wheel: Lowest possible straight (5,4,3,2,A, with the ace low).
Card Symbolism: Ranks:
A : Ace
K : King
Q : Queen
J : Jack
T : Ten (10)
Mathematical Terms:
Operational Symbols:
+ : Addition
- : Subtraction
* : Multiplication
/ : Division
^ : Exponents
Numerical shortcuts:
K : (kilo-) Thousand
M : (mega-) Million
4) BASIC INFORMATION
Here is some basic information on poker.
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4.1 - Rank of Hands
In descending order, the ranks of hands are as follows:
Royal Flush : A,K,Q,J,T all of the same suit.
Straight Flush : 5 cards in order, all of the same suit.
4 of a Kind (Quads) : 4 cards of the same rank.
Full House (Full Boat): 3 cards of one rank, and 2 of another rank.
Flush : 5 cards of the same suit.
Straight : 5 cards in order.
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3 of a Kind (Trips) : 3 cards of the same rank.
Two Pair : 2 cards of one rank, and 2 of another rank.
Pair : 2 cards of the same rank.
High Card : None of the above hands
Ties are broken by the rank of the cards used in the hand, with A counting ashighest (except in a straight or straight flush, where A can count as highestor lowest, so 5,4,3,2,A is a straight (the "wheel")). For a full house, the 3of a kind is compared first, then the pair.
For identical quads, trips, twopair, and pairs, extra cards (kickers) are then compared, up to the maximum offive cards per hand. If all five cards in a hand are identical in rank, thehands are considered tied, so...
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9,9,9,K,Q,8,2 is tied with 9,9,9,K,Q,7,4 (last 2 cards not counted)
These ranks are used for all varieties of poker in the game.
4.2 - Types of Games
World Championship Poker contains several varieties of poker, listed below.
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Texas Hold'Em: The most popular form in the tournaments, it involves eachplayer receiving two hole cards, with five community cards distributed 3-1-1(flop, turn, and river).
Small and big blinds are posted, and players may bet 4times, before the flop, and after the flop, turn, and river. Players can thenuse any or all of their hole cards with the community cards (the "board") tomake the best hand.
Tahoe: A variation of Texas Hold'Em with 3 hole cards to each player and thesame 3-1-1 board. Betting is as in Hold'Em, but players may only use up to 2 oftheir hole cards with the board.
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Super Hold'Em: Another variation with 3 hole cards to each player, but theplayer can use all 3 hole cards with the board.
Pineapple: Another variation with 3 hole cards, but the players are forced todiscard one card after the first round of betting, but before the flop. Actionthen proceeds as in Texas Hold'Em.
Crazy Pineapple: As in Pineapple, but the discarding takes place after thesecond round of betting (between the flop and turn).
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Double Flop Hold'Em: As in Texas Hold'Em, with 2 hole cards, however, twoboards (complete with flop, turn, and river) are dealt. The players cards arecompared on each board separately, and the winner on each board wins half thepot.
Omaha: 4 hole cards are dealt, with the board distributed 3-1-1 as in Hold'Em.Players are required to use exactly 2 of their hole cards with the board tomake their best hand.
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Shanghai: 3 hole cards are dealt as in Tahoe, but the board distribution ischanged to 2-2-1. Again, as in Tahoe, players can only use up to 2 hole cardswith the board.
Billabong: Players are dealt 4 hole cards, with the last face up on the table.Board is distributed 3-1-1 as in Hold'Em. Players must use either 3 or all 4hole cards to make their hand.
7 Card Stud: Players are dealt 3 cards to begin, 2 face down and 1 face up.After the first round of betting, players are dealt one card each round untilthey have seven cards, with all cards but the last face up. A round of bettingoccurs after each round of cards is dealt.
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Draw Poker: Players are dealt 5 cards. After a round of betting, players candiscard up to 4 cards (4 card discards are only allowed if the kept card is anAce), or can choose not to discard. A second round of betting then ensues, andthen the hands are compared.
Triple Draw (2-7): As in draw poker, but 3 separate drawings are allowed, whichcan be from none to all 5 cards for each drawing. The object here is to get thelowest possible hand (2-7, no flush).
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4.3 - Limits
Each of the varieties of poker can be played with the following betting limits.
Limit: Betting is limited to specific amounts, depending on whether it is pre-flop, on the flop, turn, or river. These limits are listed as #/#, where thefirst number is usually half of the second (i.e. 5/10, 25/50, etc.). The firstis the size of bets on pre-flop and flop, and the second for turn and river.
(Note: In most games, raises are capped at 4 bets). The blinds are usually setby these limits, with the big blind betting the minimum amount and the smallblind usually half of the big blind. These usually increase each time thedealer button goes around the table.
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Half-Pot Limit: The betting minimums are as in limit poker, but players mayraise up to half the size of the pot (on top of their bet).
Pot Limit: Players can raise up to the size of the pot.
No Limit: Players can raise up to their entire chip stack.
4.4 - Format (Sit and Go vs. Tournament)
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A Sit and Go game is played with the player and up to 5 opponents (making 6possible players total) all at one table with identical stacks of $1000. Theobject is to eliminate all of your opponents.
A Tournament is played with many more players (from 40 to 200+), all startingwith identical stacks. The player is put at the table with 5 other opponents,and as players are eliminated, new players are put at the table.
There is no"splitting the table" as is the case in real life tournaments, which can be tothe player's disadvantage. The players at the other tables are simulated by thegame (somewhat poorly), and a count of how many players remain is provided ateach blind increase. The object is, again, to eliminate all of your opponents.
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5) EARNING MONEY
A newly created character is given $1000 in off-line money and $1000 in on-linemoney. Obviously, the goal is to earn as much money as possible. To understandhow to accomplish this, you need to look at the reward structure (how muchmoney you earn for placing in which position) of the various games.
5.1 - Buy-ins
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Each game has a cost for playing that is deducted from the player's bankroll.This is composed of two parts, the part "in the pot" that goes to the prizesgiven in the game, and the "entry fee", which simulates the house's percentage.For Sit and Go games, this is explicitly stated (such as a $30+$3 game, where$30 goes to the pot and $3 to the house).
For the tournaments, it is hidden inthe buy-in (a $22 buy-in is actually $20+$2, a $2700 buy-in is actually$2500+$200, and so on). This affects the amount awarded for each place (thetournament structure), and so we have to take this into account in calculatinghow much we can win in each tournament.
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As the cost of Sit and Gos and Tournaments increase, the entry fee percentagegets smaller, starting at 10% and decreasing to around 7% for the highest buy-ins. Therefore, as the player earns more money, they should go for the higherbuy-ins. A smaller percentage going to the house is more that is in the pot andavailable to win.
5.2 - Sit and Go Structures
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The structure of a game is the amount of the buy-in, the type of game, numberof players, and the rewards given for placing. Sit and Go games can have 2,4,or 6 players, all varieties of poker listed above, and all limits (all of theseare the player's choice).
The buy-ins are as follows (listed as pot+fee, with fee percentage):
$20+$2 (fee=10%)
$30+$3 (fee=10%)
$50+$5 (fee=10%)
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$100+$9 (fee=9%)
$200+$15 (fee=8.5%)
$500+$40 (fee=8%)
$1000+$80 (fee=8%)
$1500+$120 (fee=8%)
$2000+$160 (fee=8%)
$2500+$200 (fee=8%)
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$5000+$400 (fee=8%)
$10K+$700 (fee=7%)
$15K+$1050 (fee=7%)
$20K+$1400 (fee=7%)
$25K+$1750 (fee=7%)
$30K+$2100 (fee=7%)
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$35K+$2450 (fee=7%)
$40K+$2800 (fee=7%)
$50K+$3500 (fee=7%)
$100K+$7000 (fee=7%)
Based on the number of players, placing in a certain position pays according tothe following tables, given as percentages of the pot. Also included in thetable is the break-even point (BEP), which is the point where the player willhave earned an amount at least equal to the buy-in (i.e. they will at least"break even").
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For 2 players:
1st: 100% (BEP)
2nd: 0
For 4 players:
1st: 70%
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2nd: 30% (BEP)
3rd+: 0
For 6 players:
1st: 50%
2nd: 30%
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3rd: 20% (BEP)
4th+: 0
5.3 - Tournament Structures
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Tournament structure is a little different. The name, type, buy-in and possibleprize (for winning) are listed, and the number of players are randomly selectedwithin a certain range. Limit is also fixed, and is given on the scroll bar atthe bottom of the screen.
The payout table is determined based on the number ofplayers. Placing and/or winning certain tournaments opens up new tournaments tocompete in, generally with higher buy-ins and prizes. At the highest level,free invitationals are opened, which have no buy-in at all.
Some important things to note:
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The fee is hidden in the buy-in, but again, generally falls between 7-10% as inSit and Go, with higher buy-ins having lower percentages. This information isgiven in the charts below.
The prizes given for winning are not correct. They vary based on the number ofplayers, and are usually (but not always) higher than listed. This is alsolisted in the charts, as a range of values.
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Some tournaments can have a range of number of players that allows it twopossible structures (say, a 60-120 player tournament, which has one structurefor 60-100 and another for 100-120 players). Usually, you can tell by how manyremain in the tournament after the first hand.
5.4 - Tournament Listing
Here is a list of all the available tournaments, with type, buy-in, number ofplayers, a range of first place prizes, starting chip count, and tournamentopening information (which tournaments open and are opened by this tournament):
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(Note: In a lot of instances, the game's information on the tournament entryscreen is incomplete, if not completely wrong. Thus, I have listed all of thecorrect information below.)
-> Daily Limit Tournament: Limit Texas Hold'Em
$20+$2 buy-in, 40-100 players
$200 starting chips, $320-$800 first place
Available: At start
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Opens: None
-> Daily Limit Omaha: Limit Omaha
$20+$2 buy-in, 40-100 players
$200 starting chips, $320-$800 first place
Available: At start
Opens: None
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-> Daily Limit Pineapple: Limit Pineapple
$20+$2 buy-in, 40-100 players
$200 starting chips, $320-$800 first place
Available: At start
Opens: Pineapple Cavalcade (place)
-> Daily Limit Tahoe: Limit Tahoe
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$20+$2 buy-in, 40-100 players
$200 starting chips, $320-$800 first place
Available: At start
Opens: Tahoe Pot (place)
-> Daily 7-card Stud: No Limit 7-card Stud
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$20+$2 buy-in, 40-100 players
$200 starting chips, $320-$800 first place
Available: At start
Opens: King of the Cards (place)
-> Weekly Tournament: No Limit Texas Hold'Em
$100+$9 buy-in, 60-120 players
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$500 starting chips, $2400-$4200 first place
Available: At start
Opens: Weekly Super Hold'Em (place)
-> Weekly Omaha: No Limit Omaha
$100+$9 buy-in, 60-120 players
$500 starting chips, $2400-$4200 first place
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Available: At start
Opens: Kings of the Felt (place)
-> Weekly Super Hold'Em: No Limit Super Hold'Em
$100+$9 buy-in, 60-120 players
$500 starting chips, $2400-$4200 first place
Available: Weekly Tournament (place)
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Opens: None
-> Crazy Weekly: No Limit Crazy Pineapple
$100+$9 buy-in, 60-120 players
$500 starting chips, $2400-$4200 first place
Available: At start
Opens: Crazy for the Felt (place)
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-> Poker Cavalcade: Limit Texas Hold'Em
$500+$40 buy-in, 40-80 players
$500 starting chips, $8K-$16K first place
Available: At start
Opens: Aces High Showdown (place)
-> Pineapple Cavalcade: Limit Pineapple
$500+$40 buy-in, 40-80 players
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$500 starting chips, $8K-$16K first place
Available: Daily Limit Pineapple (place)
Opens: None
-> Shanghai Cavalcade: Limit Shanghai
$500+$40 buy-in, 40-80 players
$500 starting chips, $8K-$16K first place
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Available: At start
Opens: None
-> Kings of the Felt: No Limit Omaha
$1000+$80 buy-in, 40-100 players
$200 starting chips, $16K-$40K first place
Available: Weekly Omaha (place)
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Opens: Aces High Omaha (place)
-> Crazy for the Felt: No Limit Crazy Pineapple
$1000+$80 buy-in, 40-100 players
$200 starting chips, $16K-$40K first place
Available: Crazy Weekly (place)
Opens: Crazy Aces High (place)
-> King of the Cards: No Limit 7-card Stud
$1000+$80 buy-in, 40-100 players
$200 starting chips, $16K-$40K first place
Available: Daily 7-card Stud (place)
Opens: Aces High Stud (place)
-> Pot O'Gold: Pot Limit Texas Hold'Em
$1500+$120 buy-in, 50-150 players
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$1000 starting chips, $30K-$78.75K first place
Available: At start
Opens: Best of the West 1 (place)
-> Double Pot: Pot Limit Double Flop Hold'Em
$1500+$120 buy-in, 50-150 players
$1000 starting chips, $30K-$78.75K first place
Available: At start
Opens: None
-> Tahoe Pot: Pot Limit Tahoe
$1500+$120 buy-in, 50-150 players
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$1000 starting chips, $30K-$78.75K first place
Available: Daily Limit Tahoe (place)
Opens: Best of the West 2 (place)
-> Aces High Showdown: Half-Pot Limit Texas Hold'Em
$2500+$200 buy-in, 50-150 players
$400 starting chips, $50K-$131.25K first place
Available: Kings of the Felt (place)
Opens: WCP Mini Championship (place)
-> Crazy Aces High: Half-Pot Limit Crazy Pineapple
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$2500+$200 buy-in, 50-150 players
$400 starting chips, $50K-$131.25K first place
Available: Crazy for the Felt (place)
Opens: Crazy 8 Open (place)
-> Aces High Omaha: Half-Pot Limit Omaha
$2500+$200 buy-in, 50-150 players
$400 starting chips, $50K-$131.25K first place
Available: Kings of the Felt (place)
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Opens: Omaha Open (place)
-> Aces High Stud: Half-Pot Limit 7-card Stud
$2500+$200 buy-in, 50-150 players
$400 starting chips, $50K-$131.25K first place
Available: King of the Cards (place)
Opens: WCP Showdown 4 (win)
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-> Best of the West 1: No Limit Texas Hold'Em
$5000+$400 buy-in, 100-200 players
$500 starting chips, $175K-$350K first place
Available: Aces High Showdown (place)
Opens: None
-> Best of the West 2: No Limit Tahoe
$5000+$400 buy-in, 100-200 players
$500 starting chips, $175K-$350K first place
Available: Tahoe Pot (place)
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Opens: Tahoe Regional Finals (win)
-> Best of the West 3: No Limit Billabong
$5000+$400 buy-in, 100-200 players
$500 starting chips, $175K-$350K first place
Available: At start
Opens: None
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-> Best of the West 4: No Limit Super Hold'Em
$5000+$400 buy-in, 100-200 players
$500 starting chips, $175K-$350K first place
Available: At start
Opens: WCP Best of the West 2 (place)
-> Omaha Open: Pot Limit Omaha
$5000+$400 buy-in, 120-250 players
$1000 starting chips, $210K-$375K first place
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Available: Aces High Omaha (place)
Opens: Omaha Open Invitational (win)
-> Crazy 8 Open: No Limit Crazy Pineapple
$5000+$400 buy-in, 80-160 players
$1000 starting chips, $160K-$280K first place
Available: Crazy Aces High (place)
Opens: WCP Showdown 3 (win)
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-> Omaha Island Finale: No Limit Omaha
$10K+$700 buy-in, 40-80 players
$1000 starting chips, $160K-$320K first place
Available: At start
Opens: WCP Showdown 2 (place)
-> Pineapple Champs: No Limit Pineapple
$10K+$700 buy-in, 60-120 players
$1000 starting chips, $240K-$420K first place
Available: At start
Opens: WCP Invitational 2 (win)
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-> Limit Hold'Em Heroes: Limit Texas Hold'Em
$10K-$700 buy-in, 120-250 players
$1000 starting chips, $420K-$750K first place
Available: At start
Opens: WCP Best of the West 1 (place)
-> WCP Mini Championship: No Limit Texas Hold'Em
$15K+$1050 buy-in, 60-120 players
$1000 starting chips, $360K-$630K first place
Available: Aces High Showdown (place)
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opens: WCP Showdown 1 (place)
-> Crazy Pineapple Finals: No Limit Crazy Pineapple
$15K+$1050 buy-in, 80-160 players
$1000 starting chips, $480K-$840K first place
Available: At start
Opens: Crazy Pineapple Invitational (win)
-> Tahoe Regional Finals: No Limit Tahoe
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$15K+$1050 buy-in, 120-250 players
$1000 starting chips, $630K-$1.125M first place
Available: Best of the West 2 (place)
Opens: WCP Invitational 1 (win)
-> State Poker Finals (Hold'Em): No Limit Texas Hold'Em
$25K+$1750 buy-in, 120-250 players
$2000 starting chips, $1.05M-$1.875M first place
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Available: At start
Opens: WCP World Championship (place)
-> State Poker Finals (Omaha): No Limit Omaha
$25K+$1750 buy-in, 100-200 players
$2000 starting chips, $875K-$1.75M first place
Available: At start
Opens: Omaha World Championship (place)
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-> WCP Best of the West 1: No Limit Texas Hold'Em
$50K+$3500 buy-in, 100-200 players
$2000 starting chips, $1.75M-$3.5M first place
Available: Limit Hold'Em Heroes (place)
Opens: Big Slick Invitational (win)
-> WCP Best of the West 2: No Limit Super Hold'Em
$50K+$3500 buy-in, 100-200 players
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$2000 starting chips, $1.75M-$3.5M first place
Available: Best of the West 4 (place)
Opens: No Limit Invitational (win)
-> WCP Showdown 1: No Limit Texas Hold'Em
$100K+$7K buy-in, 30 players
$5000 starting chips, $1.2M first place
Available: WCP Mini Championship (place)
Opens: WCP World Invitational (win)
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-> WCP Showdown 2: No Limit Omaha
$100K+$7K buy-in, 30 players
$5000 starting chips, $1.2M first place
Available: Omaha Island Finale (place)
Opens: WCP Aces Invitational (win)
-> WCP Showdown 3: No Limit Crazy Pineapple
$100K+$7K buy-in, 30 players
$5000 starting chips, $1.2M first place
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Available: Crazy 8 Open (win)
Opens: WCP National Invitational (win)
-> WCP Showdown 4: No Limit 7-card Stud
$100K+$7K buy-in, 30 players
$5000 starting chips, $1.2M first place
Available: Aces High Stud (win)
Opens: WCP Invitational 3 (win)
-> Omaha Champs Invitational: No Limit Omaha
$0 buy-in, 6 players
$5000 starting chips, $25K first place
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Available: Omaha Open (win)
Opens: None (closes one tournament)
-> Crazy Pineapple Invitational: No Limit Crazy Pineapple
$0 buy-in, 6 players
$5000 starting chips, $25K first place
Available: Crazy Pineapple Finals (win)
Opens: None (closes one tournament)
-> WCP Invitational 1: No Limit Tahoe
$0 buy-in, 6 players
$5000 starting chips, $25K first place
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Available: Tahoe Regional Finals (win)
Opens: None (closes one tournament)
-> WCP Invitational 2: No Limit Pineapple
$0 buy-in, 6 players
$5000 starting chips, $25K first place
Available: Pineapple Champs (win)
Opens: None (closes one tournament)
-> WCP Invitational 3: No Limit 7-card Stud
$0 buy-in, 6 players
$5000 starting chips, $50K first place
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Available: WCP Showdown (win)
Opens: None (closes one tournament)
-> Big Slick Invitational: No Limit Texas Hold'Em
$0 buy-in, 6 players
$5000 starting chips, $50K first place
Available: WCP Best of the West 1 (win)
Opens: None (closes one tournament)
-> No Limit Invitational: No Limit Super Hold'Em
$0 buy-in, 6 players
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$5000 starting chips, $100K first place
Available: WCP Best of the West 2 (win)
Opens: None (closes one tournament)
-> WCP National Invitational: No Limit Crazy Pineapple
$0 buy-in, 6 players
$5000 starting chips, $250K first place
Available: WCP Showdown 3 (win)
Opens: None (closes one tournament)
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-> WCP Aces Invitational: No Limit Omaha
$0 buy-in, 6 players
$5000 starting chips, $500K first place
Available: WCP Showdown 2 (win)
Opens: None (closes one tournament)
-> WCP World Invitational: No Limit Texas Hold'Em
$0 buy-in, 6 players
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$5000 starting chips, $500K first place
Available: WCP Showdown 1 (win)
Opens: None (closes one tournament)
-> Omaha World Championship: No Limit Omaha
$40K+$2800 buy-in, 60-120 players
$4000 starting chips, $960K-$1.68M first place
Available: State Poker Finals (Omaha) (place)
Opens: None
-> WCP World Championship: No Limit Texas Hold'Em
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$50K+$3500 buy-in, 150-300 players
$5000 starting chips, $2.625M-$4.5M first place
Available: State Poker Finals (Hold'Em) (place)
Opens: None
Note: Invitationals open by winning the appropriate tournament, and close oncethey are participated in. Entering an invitational also closes one othertournament, starting at Poker Cavalcade and working downward in the listing.
These tournaments, and the invitationals themselves, can be reopened byfulfilling the requirements again, with the exception of tournaments availableat the start (such as Shanghai Cavalcade, or Double Pot). These are permanentlyclosed and cannot be reopened.
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5.5 - Tournament Payout Table
There are 4 payouts for tournaments, based on the number of players, given hereas percentages of the pot with BEP listed.
-> For 30-60 players:
1st : 40%
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2nd : 22%
3rd : 10%
4th : 7%
5th : 6%
6th : 5%
7th : 4%
8th : 3% (BEP)
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9th : 2%
10th : 1%
11th+ : 0
-> For 60-100 players:
1st : 40%
2nd : 20%
3rd : 10%
4th : 5%
5th : 4%
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6th-9th : 3%
10th-12th : 2% (BEP)
13th-15th : 1%
16th+ : 0
-> For 100-200 players:
1st : 35%
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2nd : 20%
3rd : 10%
4th : 7%
5th : 5%
6th-10th : 2%
11th-14th : 1.6%
15th-20th : 1.1% (BEP)
21st+ : 0
-> For 200+ players (* places are estimated):
1st : 30%
2nd : 17.5%
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3rd : 12%
4th : 6.5%
5th : 5%
6th : 4%
7th : 3%
8th : 2%
9th-12th : 1%
13th-16th : 0.9%
17th-23rd : 0.7% (*)
24th-31st : 0.5% (*) (BEP)
32nd-45th : 0.25% (*)
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46th+ : 0
The last couple of places in the 200+ tournament are estimates. In that large atournament, players drop out so quickly (see Section 3.4) in those places thatensuring that an accurate payout amount for any particular place is difficult,especially since other players not at the current table (and thus invisible tothe player) may have gone out at the same time, leading to split payouts.
However, in a strategic sense, those values are of little importance. Youshould have little trouble finishing 16th or better a majority of the time inthose tournaments.
6) STRATEGY FOR PLAYING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POKER
In these sections, we'll look at a basic strategy for playing WorldChampionship Poker.
First, note that while Sit and Gos are quick, generally a better return can begained through the tournaments, especially since the player can take advantageof several tendencies in the game more easily in the tournament structure thanin Sit and Gos.
Also, the tournaments are more lucrative given the amount ofmoney invested (a $20+$2 Sit and Go earns $50 for first place, but a $20+$2tournament can earn from $320-$800, given the number or players involved).
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However, in the early going, Sit and Gos are a reliable way to earn money forthe tournament buy-ins.
6.1 - Break Even Points and Earning Money
Whether you are playing Sit and Go or Tournament, take note of the payoutstructure, especially the break even points (noted as BEP). This is where youhave to place to earn your money back. For Sit and Gos with 6 players (which isprobably the best structure for Sit and Go), it's third place. For tournaments,it varies based on the number of players, as listed in the tables above.
6.2 - Sit and Go Strategy
Sit and Go playing should usually be played with the maximum 6 opponents,making the break-even point third place. This is because the computeropponents' strategies are relatively easy to exploit at novice level (less soat higher difficulty, though they are still present).
Fairly solid, tight playshould ensure a player places at least third (and thus, makes money), at least70-80% of the time (if not more), especially at a high limit (pot- or no-limit). This is a great way to earn entry fees for the tournaments.
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As for choosing an amount to buy-in, you want to take into account your currentbankroll. While you are learning, I suggest playing for close to the minimum(say $20-$50) and at a limit game so that mistakes do not cost you much in theway of chips, or money. After some experience, go for the largest amount thatyou can reasonably afford, keeping in mind your bankroll and the possibility oflosing.
There is always a possibility that you will go broke, due to luck or therandomness of the cards (unless you cheat). Mathematicians call this the"possibility of ruin" or "possibility of absorbsion" (in gambling chainanalysis, $0 is called an "absorbsion point", because once you are broke, youcan't earn any more money).
With the high possibility that you will earn money,this possibility of ruin is not likely, but it should be taken into account. Agood safeguard against ruin is to always play Sit and Go games where the buy-inis less than a quarter (1/4) of your current bankroll.
This will reduce yourchances of ruin in 4 tries at that buy-in to less than 1% (given 70+%possibility of winning money).
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As your bankroll gets higher, you should probably look to tournaments to gainmoney, and use a max buy-in Sit and Go ($100K+$7000) to replenish yourbankroll, or just as a change of pace.
These tend to be games where you will "grind" your opponents down usingsuperior tactics and pot-odds. When you are the superior player at the table(and after you learn basic strategy for these games, you will be), you shouldseek to slowly exploit the weakness of the computer players, and gain yourchips a little at a time.
This is not to say that you shouldn't take theopportunity to bust one of your opponents (which you have vastly outplayed in ahand), but you shouldn't be actively seeking an all-or-nothing proposition withthem where you feel that you have only a marginal advantage.
When in doubt,check the pot down or fold, and wait for a better hand.
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After winning a few of the lower level limit games, start experimenting withhigher limit games at low cost. The strategies there are a little different,due mainly to a higher "variance" at these games, by which I mean that therisks and rewards are higher.
Proper play earns more money, but mistakes costmore at higher limits. The play goes much faster, but the strategy is still togrind your opponents down.
6.3 - Tournament Strategy
In tournaments, the number of opponents is randomly determined within a setrange at the beginning of the tournament. You will generally not know how manyplayers there were at the start of the tournament, but will see a number ofplayers remaining after the first hand is over.
This is not the actual startingamount, as we will see in the next section, but we can estimate the startingnumber from this. If you make it to the last table (6 players left), the actualamount of players can also be estimated by the chip count, or by the payoutswhen players are eliminated.
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It is actually to the player's benefit to have as many players in thetournament as possible, both to increase the payouts and, somewhatparadoxically, to also increase the likelihood of earning money.
This is due toan easily exploitable flaw in the game in regards to off-table eliminations(detailed in the next section).
In general, the strategy for tournaments is similar to Sit and Go, with a fewexceptions. The general strategy it to grind the opponents down, but also to avoid gambling in cases where waiting a hand or two is likely to move theplayer up in "real" money (to a position with a higher payout).
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For example, it is best not to go all-in on a good, but not great, hand whenyou have an opponent extremely short stacked with 11 players left in atournament that started with 100-200 players.
The reason is 11th place pays1.6% (which is what you will earn if you go all-in and lose), whereas if youfold the hand and wait, the odds are that the short stack will be eliminatedsoon, moving you to at least 10th place (which pays 2%).
The difference of 0.4%doesn't sound like much, but for a $5000+$400 buy-in tournament, it's $2000-3000 (about half of the buy-in). The computer opponents do not alter theirbasic strategy for these cases, so you certainly should.
6.4 - Off-table Eliminations
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Easily the player's greatest advantage to the tournament structure is thegenerally passive way that the opponents play at the player's table, comparedto the hyper-aggressive algorithm for off-table play.
Computer opponentsliterally give their money away off-table, leading to an inordinate amount ofoff-table eliminations.
Here's a quick example from my own game. I bought in to the State Poker Finals(Omaha) tournament (100-200 players), and was given the usual $2000 in chips. Isaw after the first hand there were 112 players remaining.
In this particulartournament, I started watching the payouts as players were eliminated and foundthem to be a little high, so when I made it to the final table, I did a quickchip count of all the players at the table and the blinds and antes.
It totaledclose to $250K in chips (since the game uses the same K notation for thousandsas I do here, it suffers some round-off error). That means 125 players startedthe tournament ($250K/$2K per player).
Payouts (from the payout table above)confirmed my calculation that there were 125 players at the start. That meansthat 13 players (over 10% of the field) were eliminated IN ONE HAND!
I laterconfirmed that for all tournaments, around 7-12% of the field is eliminated inthat first hand, and it stays pretty high throughout the rest of thetournament.
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This means that a rather tight approach is best with the tournament structure.Since a lot of your competition is getting eliminated off-camera, there'slittle need to gamble early.
You still want to get a pot now and then, andmaybe double up once or twice, but most of the time you can quietly foldmarginal-to-poor hands, and watch the number of players remaining (given everytime the dealer button goes completely around the table) drop lower and lower.
Off-table eliminations abruptly stop at exactly 16 players remaining, everytime. That means every player from 16th position on must be eliminated at yourtable (by you or another opponent).
That's actually to the player'sdisadvantage (you can't wait players out as much), but 16th position is usuallyclose to or past the break-even point (for large tournaments), so this makestournaments quite lucrative, money wise.
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There is one other minor drawback to this. To determine the chip count for newplayers sitting at your table, the game calculates a random amount based on thechips remaining (off-table) and the number of players remaining (off-table).
With the high amount of eliminations off-table, the off-table chip count willbe quite high and the number of players off-table low. This means that playersentering your table often have very high chip counts (when compared to yours),so that you will be playing short stacked a lot of the time.
Fortunately, thestrategy algorithm is not very adept at exploiting it's large stack, whereasthere are ways to exploit your short stack, so it's not an overwhelmingdisadvantage.
7) OPPONET BETTING STRATEGIES
Here, we discuss the betting strategies of the computer opponents.
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For the most part, the strategies of the computer opponents remain the sameregardless of difficulty level. The real difference in difficulty comes fromthe change in betting style.
Novice opponents are typically callers or folders before the flop (oftenchasing with very little), raise very rarely preflop (and usually have a highpair when they do so, typically AA-JJ), and are usually content to check a handdown to the river.
They are rather quick to abandon a hand when confronted witha bet/raise, except for the last player, who calls quite often (so, don'texpect to win with a weak bluff all the time).
They tend to "school" togetherto defeat the player, meaning they tend to hang around in hands together,leading to a high amount of beats at the turn/river (since there's moreplayers, there's more likelihood that someone will draw out).
They tend to bettightly, only when they have something (say, a high pair, top or middle, orbetter). There is almost no bluffing (it does happen, but rarely, so don't callif all you can beat is a bluff).
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Amateur players bet a little more before the flop, so you might see a few moreraises (usually they could have pairs through 88, or AK/AQ suited or unsuited).They chase with trash hands less often. They are still content to check down ahand, release a made hand a little less often when confronted by a bet.
Bettingis more aggressive, but still fairly measured, making it a little harder to putthem on a hand. Schooling is still present, though less prevalent. Bluffs startshowing up more frequently, usually as late blind steals or on the river inchecked-down pots (but still rare).
Professional players are like amateur players, only moreso. Since this is aguide for beginning players, if you have advanced to this level of difficulty,you should be more than equipped for the challenge.
7.1 - Exploiting the Opponents
For novice players, aggressive betting works wonders at getting opponents tofold, but there will usually be one left, so don't go all-in on a cold blufftrying to run everyone out. When you're betting, have something.
This should be balanced with tight requirements for getting in a hand, sinceyou can usually wait out around 16th position in a tournament.
There is usually not a need to steal blinds (make high raises in late positionto get the blinds and antes) until very late in the tournament, and maybe noteven then if you are winning pots often. Similarly, you should usually let theblinds go when raised in late position (they usually have a high pair, and arenot stealing).
Amateur players don't always fold to aggressive betting, so be more measured inyour bets/raises. However, they do fold on occasion if they think they're beat,so bluffing is actually a little more effective, but still should be done veryrarely.
You should defend your blinds to a steal attempt with a good hand, butotherwise play relatively tight (again, you can wait out 16th place). These samethings, but more of them, apply to the professional level.
Here are a few other strategies that seem to work well on the computeropponents.
7.2 - Semi-bluffing
Semi-bluffing is betting with a hand that is generally weaker than needed towin (so, you are not the best hand), however, contains strong draws to thebest.
It is usually done after the flop when the flop did not give you a pair(or maybe a weak pair), but you have either a flush draw (4 to a flush), anopen-end straight draw (4 to a straight, all together), a high inside straightdraw (4 to a straight, with the missing card inside, with a lot of high cards),or, occasionally, two overcards (two cards in your hand higher than the board).
It attempts to take the pot immediately by forcing all opponents to fold (thebluff), but, if called, still has outs to any made hand.
Semi-bluffing usually drives out opponents fairly well (especially at novicedifficulty), but usually leaves you heads up with 1 player, rather than winningthe pot immediately.
The last player just can't seem to give up the hand, soyou will likely be drawing against a fair hand (probably top or middle pair).This is still not quite as bad as it seems, because, had you checked, you wouldbe drawing against 2 or more opponents, therefore increasing your winning chances dramatically.
For novice players, the lowest postflop bet of the big blind is generallyenough, so it can be done cheaply. You may be raised back, which then requiresa pot odds analysis to see if you should call. Higher difficulty players athigher limits require a little higher bet (say, 1/4 the size of the pot) to getit to work.
The best part about the semi-bluff is that it can be used in combination withthe "bait and reel" to give great profits if you draw out, but relativelyinexpensive losses when you do not.
7.3 - The "Bait and Reel"
The "Bait and Reel" is one of the most lucrative strategies for flop betting,and, once it is mastered, will be one of your best money winners. It is basedon a simple observation of the opponent player's reaction to a re-raise.
When an opponent player bets a pot, and the player raises back to him, healmost always calls, no matter the size of the raise or pot, and often re-raises, if possible.
This also seems to work if the player bets, and the opponent raises him back.The opponent, again, seems to call any re-raise.
An actual example from a hand played at the end of a tournament, me versus 1computer opponent, heads up:
After blinds and antes: around $1500 in potPlayer has $80K chips, dealt Q7, with small blind $500Opponent has $74K chips, dealt K2s, with big blind $1000
After a call of the big blind and a check, pot holds around $2K.
Flop: 7K7, one 7 of opponent's suit (player has trip 7's, opponent has pair+2card "backdoor" flush draw)
Player: Bets minimum $1K (pot has $3K) (the "bait")
Opponent: Raises $5K (pot has $9K)
Player: Re-raise all-in $79K (pot has $88K) (the "reel")
Opponent: Calls all-in $69K (pot has $150K: $6K back to Player)
And the trip 7's hold up to win me the tournament.
Most human opponents, faced with the all-in re-raise, would fold all but thebest hands, but the computer opponents have evidently decided that once theyraise, they are pot-committed, and call all re-raises.
This tendency gives rise to the "Bait and Reel" which works as follows:
After the flop if you have a great hand or an excellent draw (such as a flushdraw or high open-end straight draw), bet the minimum (or a quarter of thepot). This will drive out opponents, usually leaving 1 left.
That opponent mayraise immediately, in which case if your hand is made, go all-in (or themaximum allowed).
If not, or you only have a draw, see the turn and/or river.If you have at any time made a hand, bet the minimum again, look for a raise,and re-raise all-in. If your draw doesn't come, check-fold at the river.
If you are first to act, you can also check/re-raise all-in with the sameresults.
Since you generally have only one opponent, outdraws are rare, and you willusually either double up (if you were the short stack) or eliminate theopponent (if he was).
Note 1: Obviously, in limited games, you may not be able to go all-in, but evenif you re-raise the maximum, the opponent often just re-raises you again,allowing you to again re-raise the max. It can also often be repeated on theturn and river if the opponent still has a good, but second-best hand.
Note 2: Also, obviously, make sure you have the best hand or draw when you dothis. It's a bad feeling when you "bait and reel" on a straight draw, make thestraight, go all-in, then lose to a flush/full house.
8) BASIC STRATEGY : TEXAS HOLD'EM
Here is a basic, semi-aggressive betting strategy for Texas Hold'Em. Thisstrategy can be modified for the other variations of Hold'Em that the game has.Omaha and 7-card stud are somewhat different from regular Texas Hold'Em, sorequire a little different strategy, and so have separate sections.
8.1 - Preflop Initial Hands
For most beginners, the main error in pre-flop strategy is to play too manyhands. The computer opponents tend to be this way as well, often calling andchecking to the end with utter trash hands (especially at novice difficulty).
This, combined with high attrition off-table, suggests rather tightrequirements for staying in a hand pre-flop. This assures that once you are ina hand, the odds are that you are the favorite.
Note that this is often NOT the case in live tournaments, although a tightstrategy can sometimes be helpful there as well.
So, to call or raise a hand before the flop, the following tables can be usedto serve as a basic guideline for beginners.
Hands are rated here on an "aggression index", indicating how strong a hand isin a given position, from 0 (worst, and should almost always be folded) to 10(best, and should almost always be raised), and a suggested strategy, which can(and should) be modified for the specific situation:
10: Raise, and re-raise
9: Raise, and call if raised
8: Marginal raise/call hand, may call if re-raised
7: Call, but might raise if desperate
6: Call
5: Call
4: Call
3: Marginal call/fold
2: Call if desperate, otherwise fold
1: Fold, call only if extremely short stacked
0: Fold
After you have become accustomed to which cards are worth playing, thisaggression index can be modified for different playing conditions.
Some suggested modifications are:
Limpers: after the first limper, subtract 0.5-1 from index for each limper
Short Handed: Add 0.5-1 per each seat empty
Blind Steals: If raised by button or small blind, call on an index of 5-6 ormore (rather than 7-8)
Move toward more aggression as you are short stacked (see the M statistic in section 6.3)
8.2 - Postflop Betting
After the flop, remember that the computer players rarely bluff, so it is sameto assume that they are betting with top to middle pair or better. You need tobeat that by the river to have a chance to win.
Semi-bluffing works well immediately after the flop if you have a flush or openstraight draw (see above).
If bet into, use the pot odds tables given in section 6.1 to see if you shouldcontinue. Remember that you may be raised on a high middle pair, so adjust yourouts accordingly.
Computer players (mostly at the novice difficulty) have a tendency to sit oncertain strong hands (like a small pocket pair improving to trips). This can beextremely frustrating if you flop top pair and they meekly call all the way. Ithappens rarely, but often enough that you should make note of it.
8.3 - Modifications for Hold'Em Variations
In the Pineapple and Crazy Pineapple games, you will be dealt 3 cards andforced to discard one later.
You should play these only if you have a goodopening hand in the three cards (and it should be slightly better than normal).The computer players here tend toward having higher cards, or pairs, so yoursshould be higher as well.
In Tahoe and Super Hold'Em, you get to keep all 3 cards. Again, you need a goodopening hand in these, again slightly stronger than normal. In Tahoe, you canonly use 2 cards in your hand, so a set of trips, 3-straight or 3-flush is notas good a hand as it looks (it's actually weaker than just two and anothercard). In Super, you can use all three cards, so those hands are much morepowerful.
Billabong is a little different. You must use at least 3 cards of your 4, soyou need cards that work together (connected, suited, or paired) to keep goingwith the hand before the flop.
Shanghai is like Tahoe, only the board card distribution changes (to 2-2-1). Itcan be played with similar opening hands as Tahoe.
2-flop Hold'Em is probably the most frustrating game of the bunch. Use the sameopening requirements, but don't bet into a hand unless you are fairly sure ofwinning one flop and may win the other. Many, many hands will be split(especially if only 2 handed at the river), and the end result for much of yourhard work will be only to get back the money you started with (plus maybe halfthe blinds and antes).
8.4 - Omaha Strategy
With Omaha, you need cards that work well in pairs. The best hands are handsthat have one or more of the following:
Pairs (but not 3 or 4 of a kind)Two cards (no more) of the same suit (the higher the better) to make flushesTwo or more cards close in rank to make straightsDouble suited (two cards in each of two suits)
Omaha is more a "drawing" game (getting the best draw to a flush, straight,trips/quads or full house).
A good opening system for Omaha was developed by Edward Hutchison andtested/modified by Mike Caro and is available online at the sites listed in theAcknowledgements.
8.5 - 7-card Stud Strategy
For 7-card stud, the best opening hands have:
3 of a kind
A high 3-flush or straight
A pocket pair (in the hidden cards)
A pair with the up card
Two overcards to the board
Again, a good detailed opening system for 7-card stud can be found on the siteslisted in the Acknowledgements.
9) OTHER OBSERVATIONS
Here is some other useful information relating to the game.
9.1 - Pot Odds for Texas Hold'Em
The pot odds for Texas Hold'Em are based on the fact that of the 52 cards inthe deck, after the flop 5 are known to the player (the 2 hole cards and the 3on the flop), thus leaving 47 unknown. Probabilities can then be calculatedbased on how many cards produce a winning hand (called outs) versus the 2162possible combination of turn/river cards.
The formula for the probability of drawing an out card on the turn/river wherep is the number of out cards in the remaining deck is then:
Prob. = (93*p - p^2) / 2162
The following table gives the outs, probability, and odds calculation of thatprobability (pot odds) after the flop:
( Outs Probability Pot Odds )
0 0 Infinite
0.5 0.0213922 45.75 to 1
1 0.0425532 22.5 to 1
1.5 0.0634829 14.75 to 1
2 0.0841813 10.88 to 1
2.5 0.1046485 8.56 to 1
3 0.1248844 7.01 to 1
3.5 0.1448890 5.9 to 1
4 0.1646624 5.07 to 1
4.5 0.1842044 4.43 to 1
5 0.2035153 3.91 to 1
5.5 0.2225948 3.49 to 1
6 0.2414431 3.14 to 1
6.5 0.2600601 2.85 to 1
7 0.2784459 2.59 to 1
7.5 0.2966004 2.37 to 1
8 0.3145236 2.18 to 1
8.5 0.3322155 2.01 to 1
9 0.3496762 1.86 to 1
9.5 0.3669056 1.73 to 1
10 0.3839038 1.6 to 1
10.5 0.4006707 1.5 to 1
11 0.4172063 1.4 to 1
11.5 0.4335839 1.31 to 1
12 0.4495839 1.22 to 1
12.5 0.4654255 1.15 to 1
13 0.4810361 1.08 to 1
13.5 0.4964154 1.01 to 1
14 0.5115634 0.95 to 1 (favored)
From 14 outs on, the player is the favorite, and should call.
Half outs are used when a card may or may not give the player the best hand(such as a middle pair, or a high pair but causes straight or flushpossibilities), or when adding backdoor draws (draws which require both turnand river cards).
In general:
Backdoor Flush draw = about 1.5 outs
Backdoor Open-End Straight Draw (ex. 5,6,7) = about 1.5 outs
Backdoor 1-gap Straight Draw (ex. 5,6,8) = about 1 out
Backdoor 2-gap Straight Draw (ex. 5,7,9) = about 0.5 outs
You may also take into account the future betting if you hit your draw, usingwhat is called "implied odds". This can add more to the pot in later rounds,making it profitable to continue if the odds are close.
This addition requiressome amount of estimation based on experience, but for limit games around 1-1.5the bet size on the turn/river works well.
For higher limits, it may be muchhigher (up to a percentage of the size of the smaller stack in no-limit). Theinterested player should consult the sources in the Acknowledgement section andtheir own experiences in calculating these implied odds.
After the turn, the calculation is much simpler. For p outs, the probabilityis:
Prob. = p / 46
Giving a calculated pot odds of:
Odds = (46 - p) / p to 1
There is also no need of backdoors (and not much need of half outs, either), sothe odds are:
Outs Probability Pot Odds
0 0 Infinite
1 0.0217391 45 to 1
2 0.0434783 22 to 1
3 0.0652174 14.33 to 1
4 0.0869565 10.5 to 1
5 0.1086957 8.2 to 1
6 0.1304348 6.67 to 1
7 0.1521739 5.57 to 1
8 0.1739130 4.75 to 1
9 0.1956522 4.11 to 1
10 0.2173913 3.6 to 1
11 0.2391304 3.18 to 1
12 0.2608696 2.83 to 1
13 0.2826087 2.54 to 1
14 0.3043478 2.29 to 1
15 0.3260870 2.06 to 1
16 0.3478261 1.88 to 1
17 0.3695652 1.71 to 1
18 0.3913043 1.56 to 1
19 0.4130435 1.42 to 1
20 0.4347826 1.3 to 1
21 0.4565217 1.19 to 1
22 0.4782609 1.09 to 1
23 0.5 1 to 1 (even)
After 23 outs, the player is the favorite, and should call.
To illustrate how to use these tables, here's an example:
Say you have K8 of clubs, and you have check/called all the way to the turnwith one opponent left. The pot has $600.
The board shows:
Ac,9s,Td,4c (two clubs on board)
You believe that your opponent has at least top pair (so, pair of aces orbetter). Your opponent bets $100. Should you call?
To win over the long term, you need odds of less than 7 to 1 (the $700 now inthe pot versus your $100 to call). You cannot win the hand unless you hit yourclub flush, so you need one of the 9 clubs left (you have 4, and the deck has13 total, so 9 remain). Therefore, you have 9 outs.
The table for the river cards has 9 outs at 4.11 to 1, which is less than the 7to 1 in the pot, so you should call.
If the opponent had raised $300 instead, you would need odds less than 3 to 1($900 in pot verses $300 to call = 3 to 1), so in that case, the pot odds sayto fold.
9.2 - Cheating
The player does have a cheat, of sorts, based on the random number generationtechniques used in the game.
At the start of a hand, before the cards are dealt, the console randomlydetermines the entire deck of cards, then starts dealing to the players.Therefore, if the player saves the game at this point (at the start of thehand), the cards dealt to each player, and on the board, are fixed in sequence.
So, if you bet on a pot, but are drawn out on, you can quit the game, reload,and the cards will be dealt in exactly the same way (in the Hold'Em varieties),allowing you to fold it early.
Or, if you folded a marginal hand that wouldhave won, you can reload and stay in to win the pot. The players involved inthe hand may change slightly (some may stay in that would have folded, or viceversa), and they may bet differently, but everything regarding the cards is thesame.
This is even more useful in 7-card stud, since by manipulating the number ofplayers left (by betting a lot to remove players or checking to keep them in),you can try to force certain cards to yourself.
For example, say you are dealt3 clubs. You call the bring-in with 3 other players, and see that a lot ofclubs are dealt to them early, but not to you, so you end up losing the hand.
If you saved at the beginning of the hand, you can replay the hand, but bet outto remove players. Now, instead of dealing cards to 4 players, you may haveonly 2 or 3, which means that, since the deck order is set, you may get thoseearly clubs, winning with a flush when you otherwise would have lost.
If you wish to cheat using these save techniques, I suggest saving on marginalhands and/or after every large pot win. You will find it most useful when youare required to win a tournament to open another one. Placing is easy enough tonot really need a lot of help, provided you are being measured in youraggression.
9.3 - The M Statistic
Magriel's M statistic is a measure of how aggressive you need to be at a givenpoint in a tournament, and is calculated by dividing your current stack by thetotal of the blinds and antes put in the pot.
For example:
If you have $3000 and the blinds are $50/$100 (no ante), your M statistic is:
3000 / (50 + 100) = 20
If you have $3000 and blinds are $150/$300 with an ante of $25, your Mstatistic is (assuming you have all 6 players at the table):
3000 / (150 + 300 + 25*6) = 5
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The lower the M is, the sooner the blinds and antes will break you, andtherefore the more aggressive you have to play. In our first example, the M was20, which is quite high, so you should not feel the need to vary much from basic tight strategy.
Our second example has an M of 5, which means that youneed to double up fairly soon, so should start looking for a fairly promisinghand to push all the way.
To determine how aggressive you need to be with a given M, Dan Harrington hasdeveloped the "Zone System" for his books (listed in the Acknowledgements),which is summarized below:
Green Zone (M = 20+): No need to vary from basic strategy
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Yellow Zone (M = 10-20): Start to be a little more aggressive with some hands(particularly high cards). Be ready to make a large (or all-in) bet on a goodflop/turn.
Orange Zone (M = 5-10): Need to become really aggressive on high index hands (7or above), re-raising all-in if raised before the flop. Your basic options aresee a flop cheaply, going all-in if it hit, or go all-in before the flop tosteal the blinds and antes.
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Red Zone (M = 1-5): Probably need to look to go all-in on any calling hand(index 4 or better), especially if your M is 3 or lower. Otherwise try to stealthe blinds.
Dead Zone (M < 1): Find any hand with an index 1-2 or higher and go all-in(especially if the blind is coming up), and hope for a good board, or everyonefolds.
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For World Championship Poker, the players are often so passive, and aggressivebetting so often rewarded, it is possible to modify this down somewhat (perhapsto 12+/6-12/3-6/1-3/<1), especially in limited games (Dan Harrington waswriting specifically about no limit tournaments).
The main point here is toavoid having the blinds eat away your stack waiting for good cards. If you areextremely short stacked, the best course of action is to find a decent handand push it.
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