Ich grab den Post mal wieder aus. Hab das Buch mittlerweile durch und es ist wirklich gut. Kann es nur jedem, der mit NL Turnieren anfangen will, empfehlen !!!
Im wesentlichen geht es in dem Buch um einen sehr effektive All-In Strategie, ähnlich der aus Tournament Poker for Advanced Players. Das macht den Einstieg ins Turnier Geschäft sehr einfach, ohne dabei "schlechten", planlosen Poker zu spielen. Didaktisch gehört das Buch zu dem Besten, was ich bis jetzt an Poker Literatur genossen habe: Schritt für Schritt und leicht verständlich von den absoluten Grundlagen zum ausgefeilteren Spiel.
Wer wegen des etwas "speziellen" Titels immer noch mi�?trauisch ist, soll sich mal folgende Threads aus dem 2+2 zu Gemüte führen, bzw. den Quote des Autors (Blair Rodman) unten lesen:
This is a post I wrote for another forum after I had posted my tournament reports there and some were confused about how the things I wrote about in my reports related to Kill Phil. One reader there had assumed that the book would be similar to my reports. Hopefully this will clear up some things about what Kill Phil is and what it’s not. Sorry that it’s a bit lengthy:
Much of what is interesting in my tournament reports deals with what we call ‘small ball’ in the book. Small ball is the infighting part of poker---the intricate ploys, tactics and strategies that are used to extract chips from less-skilled opponents without putting the practitioners’ whole stack at risk, unless he has much the best of it. It’s a complex area that requires talent and experience to excel in. It’s also fun and is what makes tournaments interesting to me. Unfortunately, however, while it’s a vital skill in no-limit cash games, it’s generally not what wins tournaments. I’ve long been of the opinion that no-limit hold’em is not the best tournament game. This is because, regardless of the small-ball skills of a player, the winner is usually the player who wins the big pots at the late stages. Small-ball skills can give a good player extra chips with which to survive lost races, or more importantly, can help him trap an inexperienced player who stumbles into his web, usually at the early stages. But, once the blinds and antes escalate to the point that most players don’t have the luxury of waiting for the big hand, the trapper is often as likely to be the trapee.
When Lee and I were discussing writing a book, our first inclination was to write about all the small ball intricacies of the game. We felt that we had a lot to offer, but that it would get overlooked in the flood of poker books hitting the market. I wasn’t willing to spend the immense amounts of time and effort writing a book that wouldn’t get read. At the time, which was in mid-2004, the books and DVD’s that were out and the ones we knew of that were in the pipeline were primarily dealing with small ball. I call that teaching from the bottom up. I put to Lee the idea that if we were going to follow through on a book project I wanted to start by teaching players the things that are not only easier to learn, but can help them compete and be successful in the shortest period of time. I like to think of Kill Phil as a learning platform, but one that teaches from the top down.
When we were outlining the concepts of the book, the first thing we had to determine was our target audience. Will it be just for beginners, or have something for everybody? We decided to focus on the long ball approach, but make it as complete as possible without getting into the small- ball area, which was simply too complicated to deal with in one volume.
The book starts out for the rawest beginner, giving him background, basics, and an ultra-simple strategy, modeled on Sklansky’s ‘System’, that could help him if he knew nothing and had to play a tournament tomorrow. From there we go to a more complex strategy that deals with more parameters and is much more effective. Then we get into some high-level poker concepts that, when learned and understood, can not only make the strategy much more powerful, but will be of use in all forms of poker. Finally, we offer some expert tournament tactics and strategies that are being used by the top players, yet aren’t known by many players.
In the book we advise players to stick to the all in move until they are ready to compete in the small-ball arena. We did this with full knowledge that few players would actually stick to that advice. We also knew that we risked the inevitable criticism that “all they do is tell people to move in.” However, we feel that almost all players overestimate their skills, and that most will be net losers in small ball trying to compete in that area against better players. We figured that by recommending abstention we could at least slow them down a little, so that they would learn at the correct pace and maintain the best chance of success for their level of ability. A good poker book helps players improve their results, and we felt that by doing our best to keep players out of harms’ way, their results would show it.
As we’ve followed the progress of some of the players who are posting their experiences on our forum, we’ve been delighted to see how they are incorporating KP into their existing game. This is the key. Be realistic about your small-ball skilsl, and use the KP concepts to make your overall game more powerful.
By following the Kill Phil strategy, new players not only have a realistic chance of success, but they get to spend time at the tables watching truly good small-ball players in action—often more time than they would have had they been trapped and eliminated in the early stages. But that’s not the best part. By implementing KP strategies, players will know what it feels like to play the way winning players play---with aggression and fearlessness.
To me, the most important trait of a winning tournament player is the willingness to get broke if the situation calls for taking that risk. Writing the book and having in-depth discussions about poker with Lee helped me over the hump as far as my game goes. It used to be that I’d see the play, but I’d be hesitant to pull the trigger. Now I understand situations more fully, and do what I need to do without hesitation or fear.
The first thing I look for when I sit at a table is the players, be they newbies or supposed world-class players, who aren’t willing to risk their whole stack without the nuts. Ever wonder how Phil Ivey or John Phan get all those chips early? They bully weak players right from the opening hand. (Of course, it’s also why they often get ko’d early, but one thing they don’t do is linger). I remember in a John Wayne movie, I think it was The Shootist, someone asked him what made a great gunfighter. “You’ve got to be willing,” he replied. What he meant was that you’ve got to be willing to pull the trigger when it’s time, or you’ll be the one on the ground. When other players fear you, lots of good things happen. Players who are effective at implementing Kill Phil concepts are feared by even the best players.
What many players don’t understand is that poker tournaments are far different from cash games, at least at the late stages when it really counts. I’ve played extensively in all kinds of casino tournaments, and the one thing I know is that the correct way to play a tournament is usually far removed from the playing of the game itself. In blackjack tournaments, correct blackjack play is far less important than betting strategy. Likewise in craps, baccarat, roulette, even keno. I think even some successful poker tournament players don’t understand why they’re successful, and it’s why they are such live ones in cash games.
If you’re an experienced player, you may well have an edge playing small ball against the competition you’re facing. Then you’re the Phil! If that’s the case, use your small--all skills to your advantage, but don’t think that’s all there is to being successful. I see many good players, especially cash game players trying their hand at tournaments, who are lacking in their long ball game and make key mistakes. And those are the mistakes that cost players tournaments. This is where Kill Phil can be worth much more than the cover price.
Here’s the key—think of how much your edge would be reduced if the live ones were playing Kill Phil! It’s hard to play against. If it’s popular, Kill Phil is going to liven up a lot of ‘dead money’. Someday you might find yourself at a table full of world champions. It would be nice to have a strategy to fall back on that would level the field. In the Plaza event, Luke Neeloy was very unsure in small-ball play, but he used the all in move very effectively, and did very well, finishing 5th.
For readers here, I think the best description of what benefits Kill Phil can provide comes from a couple of posters on our forum:
Last night I played in a 3K guaranteed $25 + $2.5 NL holdem and used Kill Phil for the first time.
Now let me say I didn't follow the strategy exactly how the book says but I implemented certain aspects of it into my normal game and had very good results.
It helped me to be more aggressive and to take several pots through intimidation using the all in strategy. I picked up several pots I wouldn't have normally taken by being aggressive later in the tournament. My opponents were unwilling to follow me all in after seeing some of the earlier hands that I would go all in with. This obviously helped me to at the very least semi bluff quite a bit.
I ended up in 14th out of a field of 284. I got busted out by the chip leader. I went all in with ak clubs and he called with a 8 off and caught an 8 on the river. If I would have won that hand I would have been in the top 5 and in good shape to win.
On a side note no one ever gave me crap about my style of play. I think this is due to the fact I played a lot of "normal" poker along with Kill Phil. No one ever called when I went in with a "marginal" hand therefore it seemed to all of them I was just playing good poker and catching cards.
Maybe it was a mistake not to use more of the Kill Phil strategy I don't know. However, as I get more comfortable with it I will use more and more and hopefully win one in the next couple of weeks using Kill Phil.
To the people out there who haven't purchased the book yet......go ahead and spend the money. Even if you don't use the strategy it will help your game. It helped mine and gave me a different outlook on how to play which differs greatly from all the books I have read. It is well worth the money and a very easy read.
Tom
Hello All,
I read Kill Phil earlier this week, and have begun incorporating certain aspects of the strategy. A little background:
- I've been playing NL Hold'em on a regular basis for about 9 months; I've probably played somewhere in the neighborhood of 50K Hands (mostly low-stakes ring games; but have also played in alot of tourneys). Just about all of my experience has come from playing online.
- I'm comfortable with playing small-ball, both before & after the flop. I'm convinced I'll never stop learning the intricacies of post-flop play (a must to thrive in Ring Games)
- I post somewhat regularly on the 2+2 forums, which is where I learned about the book. All of the reviews I read were positive.
One particular leak that I had been working on was the tendency to tighten up when I should be pulling the trigger (aka "weak-tight"). I think just about everyone goes through this stage; you start to develop certain instincts (reads), but aren't confident enough to trust them & follow-through. After reading the book, I decided that I would focus solely on tournaments (for now), combining my experience (in tourneys & ring games) with the Kill Phil Strategy. Though I have a solid understanding of inflection point play in NL Tournaments, I decided I was going to take more initiative to prevent from becoming a shortstack. If I go broke trying, so be it.
After reading the book, I was motivated to begin implementing Kill Phil. I decided that I was going to be the one to push other players around. My first few tournaments were quite interesting, as I became the "Captain Insano" of the table! For example, if I raised pre-flop, and hit TPTK (top pair, top kicker) or a decent draw, all of the money was going in if I got played with! Needless to say, this isn't a very good idea when it's early in the tournament; there's no reason to go broke with top pair or a draw at this stage. I ran into a few sets, got outdrawn a couple of times, and even busted out with TPTK in the very first hand of a tournament with AKs (a first for me)! You could say I was just a tad bit overzealous w/ my execution of Kill Phil!!!
Despite the fact I busted out all of these times from playing this way, it had a positive side effect. I was no longer worried about busting out, and I learned the importance of putting constant pressure on your opponents (instead of waiting around for something to happen). I believe I got settled in late last night. During the last (4) Single-Table Sit-&-Gos I've played in, I placed 1st, 1st, 3rd, and 1st (respectively).
I attribute my recent good run to the following factors (aside from Lady Luck):
- I settled down during the beginning stages, and played my normal game. That is, I played small-ball before & after the flop, and tried raking in as many small pots as possible. I'm playing patient & observant poker at this stage.
- After the 4th or 5th round (when the size of the blinds start to matter), I start to selectively execute the Kill Phil Strategy along w/ my small-ball game. I pick my spots, and move in to pick up the blinds. I'm not too worried if I get called because I'll usually have a good chance of doubling-up. I was really mind-boggled at the number of times my opponents kept folding their hands when I used this tactic. I guess they were waiting for AA or KK so they could bust me! I believe Kill Phil really shines when you need to keep up with the blinds to prevent from becoming a "nothing stack". Having said this, I recommend treating Kill Phil with a great deal of care & judgmentl. It's very easy to turn into "Captain Insano" and overdo it (at least from my perspective)!
Another aspect of Kill Phil I really like is it's flexibility. I found I was able to incorporate it into my game without following a bunch of rigid guidelines. The book does an excellent job of acknowledging that the key to long-term success is obtaining alot of experience in a wide variety of situations.
I just wanted to say hi, and give my "two thumbs up" for Kill Phil!
Best Regards,
Ian
Sorry, I just don’t seem to be able to write short posts. Hope this explanation helps you understand what Kill Phil is about.
Blair
=)
