New micro stakes tournament

I noticed PokerStars has started running an interesting new micro stakes sit n' go. It's a $2.20 4 table satellite to the Sunday Hundred. The top 6 finishers get an $11 entry into the huge $100,000 guaranteed Sunday tournament and seventh gets $6.

I want to play in the big Sunday hundred but I typically don't have time for multi hour tournaments, plus it starts at 5:30 PM local time which is not a great time to be playing. The thing about a satellite is that if you win an entry to the tournament you can just unregister and the $11 is credited to your account as tournament dollars T$. The T$ can then be used to enter any tournament. So the way to efficiently convert T$ to regular bankroll is to use the T$ to enter tournaments where you have a break even or positive expectation.

This looks like a more profitable tournament than the $1.75 2 table sng I've played before. In the $2.20 The registration fee is only 1/10 the buyin. In the $1.75 it's 1/6 the buyin.

In a previous post, I determined that I need to finish in the top two 18.5% of the time to break even on top finishes in the $1.75.

In the $2.20 satellite the payout for the top six is level and 7th gets a healthy $6. So the average cash is 6/7($11) + 1/7($6) = $10.29. So I'd need to finish in the money 21.4% of the time to break even in the $2.20. It's easier to finish in the top 7 of a 4 table tournament than the top 2 of a 2 table tournament so the lower registration fee makes the break even point lower.

For ROI, I've run at around 80% in the $1.75, an average profit of $1.40 for every one I enter. To average $1.40 profit at the $2.20 level I only need to achieve 64% ROI. From what I've seen it looks pretty beatable, no tougher than the $1.75.


So I gave it a try and managed to win a seat in the first one I played in. I was helped along with some key hands.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t150 (8 handed)

UTG (t2730)
UTG+1 (t4270)
MP1 (t1545)
MP2 (t2090)
CO (t2270)
Button (t4270)
SB (t1275)
Hero (t1640)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 4c, 4h.
1 fold, UTG+1 calls t150, 1 fold, MP2 calls t150, CO calls t150, 2 folds, Hero checks.

Flop: (t675) 2d, 4s, 8c (4 players)
Hero checks, UTG+1 checks, MP2 checks, CO checks.

Turn: (t675) Ah (4 players)
Hero bets t300, UTG+1 folds, MP2 calls t300, CO folds.

River: (t1275) 9d (2 players)
Hero bets t500, MP2 raises to t1640, Hero calls t690 (All-In).

Final Pot: t3655

Results:
Hero has 4c 4h (three of a kind, fours).
MP2 has 4d Ad (two pair, aces and fours).
Outcome: Hero wins t3655.

In this hand villain limps in early position with A4s, not a good play. Then he overplays a weak two pair hand and doubles my flopped set, losing half his stack. Playing for stacks in a limped pot with 2 pair is bad. When the money goes in on the turn or river two pair is rarely good.


PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (6 handed)

UTG (t4315)
MP (t1565)
CO (t2310)
Button (t5220)
SB (t2875)
Hero (t3805)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 9s, Tc.
1 fold, MP calls t200, 1 fold, Button calls t200, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: (t800) 9d, 9c, Qc (4 players)
SB checks, Hero bets t800, MP raises to t1365, Button folds, SB folds, Hero calls t565.

Turn: (t3530) 2h (2 players)
River: (t3530) 2c (2 players)
Final Pot: t3530

Results :
MP has Jd Qs (two pair, queens and nines).
Hero has 9s Tc (full house, nines full of twos).
Outcome: Hero wins t3530.


In this hand a bad player limps in early position with QJ a mistake. She'd had a big stack earlier but managed to lose most of it on bad plays. Then she raises all in on the flop with top pair and a weak kicker on a paired board. I have T9 in the BB and my trips are good to bust a bad player.


PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t400 ante 25 (6 handed)

SB (t5489)
BB (t9510)
UTG (t4817)
Hero (t6145)
CO (t4849)
Button (t2535)

Preflop: Hero is MP with 8h, 8d.
1 fold, Hero raises to t6120, 3 folds, BB calls t5720.

Flop: (t11965) Ts, Jh, 9d (2 players)
Turn: (t11965) 7s (2 players)
River: (t11965) 4c (2 players)
Final Pot: t11965

Results:
BB has Ac Ad (one pair, aces).
Hero has 8h 8d (straight, jack high).
Outcome: Hero wins t11965.

I've never won or gone deep in a tournament without getting lucky along the way. I have 88 in early position 6 handed with an effective M of around 6, so I pushed. Luckily I picked up an OESD on the flop and hit on the turn to suck out on AA.

After this lucky break I had enough stack to qualify so I just coasted in, not really playing any more hands.