If you believe having an ante is a detriment to a good tournament structure and increases the luck factor in tournaments, I have some bad news for you. You are wrong and I’d like to play with you on my left at my next tournament.
I’ve read several posts on poker forums lately. Each said basically the same thing. “I don’t like antes in poker tournaments. It increases the amount of chips I have to put into the pot each circuit. I’d rather increase the skill factor by getting to play more hands.” Well, I’m sorry to disappoint those of you who share that opinion, but I believe antes serve the exact opposite purpose. Antes are an asset to the players who know how to change gears and adapt their games to the blind structures they are playing. I would argue that antes enable the more skilled players to be more successful.
First, let’s get the basic fallacies out of the way. Having an ante in a tournament does not necessarily increase the amount of chips you put into a pot each circuit, at least not by a significant amount. By ensuring the Big Blind only increases by 25%-33% instead of 33%-50% as it does in many tournaments, and/or by increasing the length of blind rounds, tournament directors can pretty much dictate the amount of chips each player is forced to bet in each round.
Second, when antes are involved, several skills are very useful in taking down pots – skills that are the trademark of great poker players. Let’s examine a few of the skills needed and discuss why having antes makes these skills more important.
Reading Players: Players who can sense weakness in their opponents are better prepared to take advantage of situations in which a pot warrants “taking a shot”. Reading weakness is a skill set that many players do not possess. Taking advantage of the perceived weakness is something even fewer players have the heart to do. When antes are in the pot, this skill set can pay huge dividends.
Post-Flop Play: With more in the pot pre-flop, players often get better odds to call a raise and should do so with a wider range of starting hands. This forces a player to play better post-flop. Good post-flop play is often the difference between a good player and great player.
Bet-Sizing: Players who are better at sizing their pre-flop bets tend to fair better in games with antes since there is more to win. These players understand that position may dictate different “standard” raises and are willing to size their bet in accordance with the style of players who follow them.
Aggression: Phil Gordon said it best. There are five poker truths qualities that the great poker players all possess. Number one on the list: aggression. Aggressive poker is winning poker. Antes encourage aggression and reward those who are good at knowing when to be aggressive and how to pick their spots.
So, the next time you see a blind structure that includes antes, don’t shy away from it. Embrace it. Those antes may just be your ticket to a big payday.
[thanks to iloverhinestones and kc via cc]
I’ve read several posts on poker forums lately. Each said basically the same thing. “I don’t like antes in poker tournaments. It increases the amount of chips I have to put into the pot each circuit. I’d rather increase the skill factor by getting to play more hands.” Well, I’m sorry to disappoint those of you who share that opinion, but I believe antes serve the exact opposite purpose. Antes are an asset to the players who know how to change gears and adapt their games to the blind structures they are playing. I would argue that antes enable the more skilled players to be more successful.
First, let’s get the basic fallacies out of the way. Having an ante in a tournament does not necessarily increase the amount of chips you put into a pot each circuit, at least not by a significant amount. By ensuring the Big Blind only increases by 25%-33% instead of 33%-50% as it does in many tournaments, and/or by increasing the length of blind rounds, tournament directors can pretty much dictate the amount of chips each player is forced to bet in each round.
Second, when antes are involved, several skills are very useful in taking down pots – skills that are the trademark of great poker players. Let’s examine a few of the skills needed and discuss why having antes makes these skills more important.
Reading Players: Players who can sense weakness in their opponents are better prepared to take advantage of situations in which a pot warrants “taking a shot”. Reading weakness is a skill set that many players do not possess. Taking advantage of the perceived weakness is something even fewer players have the heart to do. When antes are in the pot, this skill set can pay huge dividends.
Post-Flop Play: With more in the pot pre-flop, players often get better odds to call a raise and should do so with a wider range of starting hands. This forces a player to play better post-flop. Good post-flop play is often the difference between a good player and great player.
Bet-Sizing: Players who are better at sizing their pre-flop bets tend to fair better in games with antes since there is more to win. These players understand that position may dictate different “standard” raises and are willing to size their bet in accordance with the style of players who follow them.
Aggression: Phil Gordon said it best. There are five poker truths qualities that the great poker players all possess. Number one on the list: aggression. Aggressive poker is winning poker. Antes encourage aggression and reward those who are good at knowing when to be aggressive and how to pick their spots.
So, the next time you see a blind structure that includes antes, don’t shy away from it. Embrace it. Those antes may just be your ticket to a big payday.
[thanks to iloverhinestones and kc via cc]