Joe Hachem followed up his 2005 main event bracelet with an outstanding performance in the 2006 WSOP. Joe came oh-so-close to that second bracelet when he was heads-up with Dutch Boyd in the first $2,500 Six-Handed event. I planned on playing the second six-handed tournament, and I was able to sit down with Joe to get some advice on how to adjust my play to the smaller tables (I might’ve asked Dutch, but he was busy having a drink).
I was able to put the advice Joe gave me to good use as I made a nice run through my event. I'll be posting his strategy mixed with how I applied it (and didn't apply it). I'll follow that up by keeping you updated on how it all looks one year removed during Wednesday's $1,500 Shorthanded tournament.
Here's the first four points from Joe:
1. Open Things Up Without Overdoing It
I play a lot faster in short-handed events. I’m seeing many more flops; I’m raising with many more hands even from the early stages. I’m calling raises with hands I would normally fold. There is a fine line though because people think they have to become super-aggressive. You don’t. You can still play a tight-solid game, but you have to be able to open it up a little bit.
2. Don’t Undervalue Your Starting Hands
Many people undervalue their hands like KQ; they’re afraid to play it because it could be dominated. Others think because it is short-handed they have to play super-fast. You have to find a balance. If I have A8 and there’s a raise in front of me, I might repop to take it down there. Because there’s so many less hand possibilities, there’s a chance I have the best hand.
3. Play Small Pots Early
If I can just pick up a pot here or a pot there without risking my chip stack, that work’s the best for me. I’m not having huge confrontations early in a tournament. The 25-25 and 25-50 level you don’t want to be involved in big pots there without a big hand. Contrary to popular belief, a big hand is not top pair. To play a big pot in the first two levels, two pair is the minimum.
4. Don’t Get Cute With Aces
If you are at an active table with a raiser and a few callers, don’t get cute. If the blinds are 25-50, there’s 500 in pot if someone raises and two people call. If you have AA in the small blind, you want to take it down right there. Make it 1500. You just picked up 20% of your chip stack. Other people might want to gamble and try to double up early. There’s no reason too.
If it’s a very active table and I’m under the gun, as long as my image is not too tight at the table, I’ll just limp in with them and wait for the raise. But if you’re gonna limp in with aces, you have to be prepared to drop them after the flop...but people just get married to them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve folded aces after the flop.
