[RR] “What was the other book you got, Iggy?” Roderick the Rock inquired.
[II] “Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time, Vol. 1 by the online pros with the handles ‘Rizen’, ‘Apestyles’, and ‘Pearljammer'”, Iggy the Improver answered. “Not as immediately useful as Poker Plays You Can Use, but a good book nonetheless.”
[RR] “What do you mean by ‘immediately useful’?” Roderick the Rock asked.
[II] “I think it’s a book that you’ll pick up a few things from every time you read it. But there are no overriding themes, lessons, or instruction. I think the closest book in my library is Gus Hansen’s ‘Every Hand Revealed’.”
[SS] “So it’s just a series of hands from one tournament?” Stan the Stat inquired.
[II] “There’s one series of hands like that leading up to the bubble bursting in one event1, but the other 75% of the book jumps around to random hands in random tournaments.”
[SS] “There must be some kind of organization!”
[II] “Yes, the main breakdown is by which player is analyzing the hand. Each of those four sections (one for each player and one for all the players together) is sorted by the blind size (which roughly corresponds to the stage of the tournament).”
[II] “These hands involve good players, so they won’t help you much against weaker opponents.”.
[II] “The biggest problem with this book is that it’s impossible to use as a reference. Except for one section on ‘Bubble Play’, there’s no way to find anything. You’d have to look through the whole book if you want to see examples of blind stealing or handling small pairs or suited connectors or whatnot.”
[RR] “Doesn’t the book have a table of contents and index?”
[II] “The table of contents just tells you that the book is broken down by which player is commenting: Jon ‘PearlJammer’ Turner does the first 50 hands, Eric ‘Rizen’ Lynch does the next 50, Jon ‘ApeStyles’ Van Fleet does the next 74, and all three of them do the last 20. There is no index, which I consider to be a major flaw for a book like this.”
[SS] “But like you said, maybe they just expect you to reread it occasionally.”
[II] “I have a couple dozen poker books in my library; I might not get around to it again for a decade. But all your lists have inspired me, and I summoned my inner-Stan to create an index!2 I added the two M columns because I thought they were much more useful than just knowing the blinds and stack sizes.”
Hand Index for Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time, Vol. 1
| Hand | Page | Buyin3 | Hero Cards |
Hero Pos4 |
Hero M |
Villain Pos |
Villain M |
Villain Style/Skill |
Board | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | $50 | T♣T♥ | D | 65.7 | MP | 81.3 | solid | 8♥6♠3♣6♦K♣ | playing safe early in tourney with medium pair |
| 2 | 20 | $150 | T♥T♦ | HJ | 96.7 | SB | 250.2 | strong | T♠6♦6♥ | flopping a monster |
| 3 | 22 | $100 | A♦K♥ | UTG1 | 71.3 | UTG | 50.0 | ? | 9♣7♦6♣K♦J♥ | folding TPTK |
| 4 | 24 | $300 | J♥J♦ | CO | 66.0 | UTG | 44.1 | strong | 8♠5♣2♦6♥Q♣ | getting milked |
| 5 | 26 | $300 | T♥9♥ | BB | 73.3 | SB | 76.6 | tough | 7♥5♥2♥A♣4♣ | keeping the pot small |
| 6 | 29 | $150 | J♥J♠ | BB | 51.9 | SB | 46.8 | solid | playing safe | |
| 7 | 31 | $100 | J♦J♥ | SB | 35.2 | BB | 25.1 | ? | 9♦9♣2♣ | pocket pair with paired board |
| 8 | 33 | $150 | K♦Q♦ | HJ | 81.7 | D | 29.7 | ? | K♠3♦2♠A♥5♥ | top pair vs. short-stacked opponent |
| 9 | 36 | $100 | 9♣8♣ | MP | 57.5 | BB | 77.6 | solid | A♠9♥3♦8♠7♠ | suited connectors |
| 10 | 39 | $300 | T♣T♠ | HJ | 35.3 | UTG1 | 41.0 | tight | 8♦7♦3♥6♦2♣ | overpair |
| 11 | 41 | $120 | 3♥3♣ | UTG | 48.5 | multi | N/A | ? | K♥5♣3♠6♦9♣ | bottom set with lots of action |
| 12 | 44 | $150 | K♦K♥ | BB | 20.5 | HJ | 49.4 | ? | 9♦5♠3♠Q♥8♦ | squeeze play with real hand |
| 13 | 46 | $240 | A♣K♣ | D | 22.1 | HJ | 39.8 | solid, tight | J♠J♣T♣9♥A♦ | top two pairs on dangerous board |
| 14 | 49 | $150 | Q♦5♣ | BB | 49.9 | UTG | 66.2 | ? | Q♥6♠3♥J♠2♣ | top pair, no kicker |
| 15 | 51 | $10 | A♥9♣ | SB | 38.8 | HJ | 40.3 | inexperienced | Q♠T♠9♠9♦7♦ | trips vs. possible flush |
| 16 | 53 | $150 | A♦Q♠ | D | 20.0 | MP | 28.5 | tight | A♠4♠3♠J♣5♥ | top pair plus flush draw |
| 17 | 56 | $50 | 8♣8♥ | MP | 10.3 | BB | 5.9 | weak | K♠J♠4♥2♣6♥ | medium pair vs. short stack shove |
| 18 | 58 | $500 | T♥7♥ | CO | 16.4 | multi | N/A | ? | J♥T♦3♠4♥T♠ | second pair then flush draw then trips |
| 19 | 60 | $100 | Q♠Q♣ | SB | 14.3 | HJ | 20.3 | ? | all-in with Queens | |
| 20 | 62 | $100 | A♦A♥ | CO | 16.2 | UTG1 | 25.7 | ? | 6♥2♣2♦T♦8♥ | extracting value with Aces |
| 21 | 64 | $500 | 5♠2♦ | BB | 12.8 | SB | 18.2 | aggressive | 9♥4♠3♣6♦T♣ | blind vs. blind |
| 22 | 66 | $50 | A♥J♦ | CO | 9.7 | UTG | 26.0 | ? | J♣T♠3♥2♥7♦ | good hand vs. aggressive limper |
| 23 | 68 | $100 | Q♣Q♠ | UTG | 11.4 | multi | N/A | aggressive | folding Queens to too much action | |
| 24 | 70 | $200 | K♣T♥ | CO | 30.6 | SB | 32.7 | ? | T♣4♠2♥3♥8♣ | top pair to the river |
| 25 | 72 | $200 | A♠A♥ | HJ | 19.9 | UTG | 37.2 | ? | 8♣7♠6♦A♣2♦ | not slowplaying Aces |
| 26 | 74 | $50 | K♦9♥ | D | 18.6 | BB | 31.4 | ? | A♦K♣8♠2♦Q♣ | BSB second pair |
| 27 | 76 | $300 | A♦6♠ | SB | 14.2 | BB | 14.3 | ? | A♠9♦7♦ | blind vs. blind: weak Ace |
| 28 | 78 | $150 | A♦J♦ | D | 17.0 | SB | 22.1 | ? | J♥5♥2♥J♣K♥ | BSB top pair vs. flush draw |
| 29 | 81 | $100 | A♠K♣ | HJ | 9.7 | D | 19.0 | ? | A♥8♦5♠6♦2♦ | TPTK extracting full value |
| 30 | 83 | $50 | T♥2♣ | BB | 5.9 | MP | 28.0 | ? | T♦9♣6♠ | top pair, no kicker and short-stacked |
| 31 | 85 | $100 | T♣9♣ | UTG | 10.9 | CO | 13.1 | aggressive | K♣7♥3♣ | suited connectors: raising from early position |
| 32 | 87 | $150 | A♥Q♦ | UTG | 32.8 | CO | 26.2 | ? | Q♥T♦3♥7♣2♣ | TPTK check on turn |
| 33 | 89 | $1,000 | 2♥2♠ | UTG | 18.6 | BB | 20.5 | very strong | A♣Q♣J♦T♦ | small pair: raising from early position |
| 34 | 92 | $50 | K♦J♣ | MP | 17.2 | SB | 17.4 | ? | K♥8♠3♠K♣2♠ | bubble: widening opening range |
| 35 | 94 | $100 | 5♥3♠ | SB | 1.5 | BB | 9.8 | ? | K♣Q♥7♥ | short stack: limp and go bluff |
| 36 | 96 | $10 | T♠T♦ | CO | 19.0 | multi | N/A | weak | K♠Q♣9♥6♠7♣ | medium pair fold vs. all-ins from short stacks |
| 37 | 98 | $150 | K♣7♣ | BB | 4.9 | D | 2.8 | ? | 8♣6♣4♠A♣3♠ | weak King vs. short stack shove from button |
| 38 | 100 | $69 | A♥K♣ | MP | 16.1 | HJ | 21.4 | ? | loose image gets raise; reraise gets pot | |
| 39 | 102 | $500 | A♠A♣ | CO | 11.2 | MP | 20.5 | very strong | T♣6♠4♥ | slowplaying Aces vs. aggressive opponent |
| 40 | 104 | $100 | J♣9♣ | BB | 10.0 | UTG | 36.4 | LAG | Q♠J♥4♥6♦4♣ | second pair vs. aggressive opponent |
| 41 | 106 | $200 | T♥T♦ | BB | 9.9 | UTG | 10.1 | ? | 9♦7♥4♣9♠3♠ | overpair |
| 42 | 109 | $200 | A♣Q♣ | D | 5.2 | SB | 7.6 | strong, aggr. | J♥7♠6♣5♠8♥ | short stack BSB with good hand |
| 43 | 111 | $10 | 5♥4♠ | BB | 8.0 | UTG1 | 17.0 | weak | 4♣4♥3♥J♦3♣ | short stack big blind special |
| 44 | 113 | $10 | J♣T♦ | HJ | 28.7 | D | 26.8 | weak? | K♠9♣7♣2♠ | double belly buster check raise on turn |
| 45 | 116 | $50 | K♥K♦ | SB | 13.4 | HJ | 17.5 | ? | K♣Q♦T♠A♦Q♠ | bubble: not slowplaying Kings |
| 46 | 118 | $30 | A♥6♣ | D | 27.1 | multi | N/A | ? | bubble: preflop resteal | |
| 47 | 120 | $100 | A♠3♣ | CO | 34.4 | BB | 9.7 | strong, LAG | Q♦6♦2♦8♦9♥ | bubble: turn float with 4-flush on board |
| 48 | 123 | $200 | 6♠3♣ | UTG1 | 20.0 | multi | N/A | ? | bubble: big stack steal | |
| 49 | 124 | $10 | 8♥5♦ | CO | 16.0 | HJ | 11.8 | ? | bubble: preflop resteal | |
| 50 | 126 | $10 | J♣8♣ | CO | 19.3 | BB | 7.5 | tight | A♥Q♣7♣ | bubble: semi-bluff flush draw on flop |
| 51 | 128 | $200 | T♦T♥ | UTG | 166.7 | BB | 166.7 | good, tight | A♠J♣T♠2♠ | set on dangerous board |
| 52 | 130 | $300 | 9♣9♥ | UTG | 101.0 | MP | 99.0 | mixed | 8♣5♠2♣ | playing safe early in tourney despite overpair |
| 53 | 132 | $1,000 | K♦J♣ | HJ | 99.7 | D | 100.0 | tight | J♠T♠6♦ | playing safe early in tourney despite top pair, 2nd kicker |
| 54 | 134 | $150 | 3♦3♥ | BB | 102.7 | D | 104.7 | weak | A♠3♣2♥Q♣T♦ | bottom set |
| 55 | 136 | $150 | A♦K♣ | D | 99.0 | MP | 100.0 | ? | T♥9♥3♠ | playing safe with 2 overs only |
| 56 | 138 | $216 | J♥J♠ | BB | 97.7 | multi | N/A | very strong | T♥6♣4♠ | playing safe early in tourney with overpair to two all-ins |
| 57 | 140 | $1,000 | A♦2♣ | CO | 72.1 | D | 65.9 | ? | Q♣6♥6♦3♦K♦ | 3-barrel bluff |
| 58 | 142 | $200 | 9♦6♠ | BB | 73.8 | UTG1 | 23.9 | very strong | T♦9♠6♣A♦T♠ | hero call with counterfeited 2 pairs |
| 59 | 144 | $200 | A♦K♥ | D | 56.9 | BB | 134.0 | ? | Q♦T♠7♦K♦7♠ | losing the minimum with TPTK on dangerous board |
| 60 | 146 | $200 | K♥Q♥ | HJ | 88.9 | UTG | 70.0 | aggressive | Q♣8♠5♣3♠T♣ | inducing river bluff with top pair, 2nd kicker |
| 61 | 148 | $150 | A♦9♥ | HJ | 74.6 | BB | 39.0 | solid, tight | A♣5♦4♥T♥8♥ | top pair, weak kicker vs. weak flop lead |
| 62 | 150 | $150 | 5♣4♣ | MP | 59.6 | HJ | 39.9 | ? | Q♦8♠6♣A♣ | turn semibluff |
| 63 | 152 | $200 | K♣Q♥ | HJ | 53.4 | BB | 28.6 | strong, loose | K♥J♣3♠5♦8♣ | calling pot bet with top pair, second kicker |
| 64 | 154 | $150 | 9♣6♣ | D | 51.4 | CO | 65.6 | ? | A♥5♣4♦ | 2-barrel bluff |
| 65 | 156 | $50 | A♣K♦ | HJ | 35.7 | UTG1 | 43.5 | ? | A♦T♠6♠7♣T♦ | winning with TPTK after opponent bets weak twice |
| 66 | 158 | $150 | J♦J♠ | UTG | 36.6 | MP | 50.5 | ? | Q♦T♦4♣7♠3♦ | overplaying 2nd pair and losing badly |
| 67 | 161 | $200 | K♠2♠ | BB | 57.2 | SB | 45.7 | strong | Q♠T♠2♣5♠J♣ | lucky flush vs. 2 pair from big blind limp |
| 68 | 163 | $150 | A♦K♥ | MP | 47.9 | BB | 18.6 | ? | Q♠J♠7♦A♥4♠ | strange, just above min raise from big blind |
| 69 | 166 | $150 | K♠J♠ | MP | 38.3 | UTG | 28.6 | mixed | J♦8♥3♦ | fold to flop reraise with top pair, second kicker |
| 70 | 168 | $150 | 3♣3♥ | MP | 14.5 | SB | 15.9 | mixed | J♣5♦2♥Q♠3♠ | 2-outer on river for set |
| 71 | 170 | $100 | 7♣5♣ | HJ | 63.3 | CO | 160.2 | very strong | A♣T♠9♣ | semibluff with flush draw |
| 72 | 172 | $150 | 6♠2♥ | BB | 31.0 | D | 56.6 | mixed | 8♥6♥2♣3♠3♦ | big blind special 2 pair counterfeited |
| 73 | 174 | $120 | K♥Q♥ | HJ | 33.7 | BB | 50.0 | ? | A♠9♠7♦Q♠A♦ | caution with 2nd pair |
| 74 | 176 | $2,600 | 9♦9♠ | HJ | 95.3 | MP | 311.3 | mixed | 9♥7♠4♥5♥5♦ | set vs. possible flush but fills up |
| 75 | 178 | $500 | J♦J♠ | CO | 11.5 | BB | 14.9 | weak | K♠8♣5♣7♥5♦ | 2nd pair vs. weak turn bet and medium river bet |
| 76 | 180 | $150 | J♠J♥ | UTG1 | 29.0 | SB | 81.7 | ? | K♦Q♣8♥9♠5♥ | 3rd pair vs. min turn and river bets |
| 77 | 182 | $150 | K♣J♥ | HJ | 74.5 | MP | 51.0 | mixed | A♥K♦7♥9♣ | 2nd pair vs. min check-raise on flop then half pot on turn |
| 78 | 184 | $30 | Q♦T♦ | CO | 37.9 | SB | 30.4 | ? | K♥9♠5♦J♣J♥ | straight on turn but river paired |
| 79 | 186 | $1,000 | 5♠4♠ | MP | 43.2 | D | 37.9 | very strong | K♦T♦5♥K♣T♥ | all-in bluff after 3rd pair counterfeited on river |
| 80 | 188 | $30 | A♣7♣ | SB | 35.0 | BB | 48.1 | weak | 9♣8♥6♣T♥3♠ | check-raise all-in with straight and flush draws |
| 81 | 190 | $100 | K♥J♣ | CO | 44.6 | BB | 30.4 | ? | K♠8♠3♠K♣8♥ | top pair on suited flop |
| 82 | 192 | $100 | J♠T♠ | HJ | 51.1 | D | 12.8 | solid, tough | T♥9♣9♦8♣3♣ | top pair on dangerous board |
| 83 | 194 | $2,600 | 8♦8♣ | UTG1 | 67.5 | BB | 107.9 | mixed | Q♣J♠J♣7♠6♠ | underpair on dangerous board |
| 84 | 196 | $200 | A♠J♥ | UTG1 | 12.4 | D | 10.4 | strong | J♦9♥3♦J♠8♠ | cracking opponents Kings after two min-raises gave his hand away |
| 85 | 198 | $150 | A♣Q♣ | HJ | 15.2 | UTG | 19.6 | mixed | 8♣6♣2♣2♦9♣ | flopping the nut flush and playing it fast |
| 86 | 200 | $150 | T♣6♥ | CO | 22.6 | HJ | 13.5 | mixed | folding to all-in rereraise despite good odds | |
| 87 | 202 | $100 | 9♥9♦ | SB | 13.7 | CO | 29.4 | ? | A♠K♣4♥ | all-in cbet bluff |
| 88 | 204 | $200 | K♠J♣ | CO | 9.4 | BB | 23.6 | mixed | A♥7♣4♦ | all-in bluff raise of small flop bet |
| 89 | 206 | $150 | K♥Q♦ | D | 24.7 | BB | 10.4 | aggressive | 5♥3♣2♦Q♠6♥ | top pair against LAG |
| 90 | 208 | $120 | A♠J♣ | D | 13.6 | CO | 25.8 | LAG bully | K♣8♠7♣ | bluff-raise cbet from LAG |
| 91 | 210 | $100 | 6♥2♣ | BB | 20.0 | CO | 10.8 | ? | bubble: preflop resteal | |
| 92 | 212 | $200 | K♣K♦ | UTG1 | 29.7 | MP | 49.6 | very strong | A♥J♠7♦A♠T♦ | 2nd pair vs. big stack |
| 93 | 215 | $200 | A♥Q♣ | SB | 15.7 | BB | 14.1 | very strong | K♥T♠4♣6♣ | 2-barrel bluff |
| 94 | 217 | $100 | K♦T♦ | D | 10.3 | BB | 8.7 | good | A♣A♦Q♣9♠ | turn bluff-raise with just inside straight draw after 2 weak opponent bets |
| 95 | 219 | $500 | 8♠8♦ | UTG1 | 7.8 | UTG | 15.7 | loose, passive | Q♠3♣2♠K♦T♣ | calling weak river bet with only 4th pair |
| 96 | 222 | $500 | 6♥6♣ | BB | 29.9 | D | 42.7 | mixed | 3-bet overly loose button | |
| 97 | 224 | $500 | Q♥3♠ | BB | 25.1 | UTG | 2.4 | mixed | odds-based all-in call with bad hand | |
| 98 | 226 | $200 | T♥8♥ | BB | 22.3 | UTG1 | 3.2 | very strong | A♠J♣3♠9♠3♣ | odds-based all-in call with bad hand |
| 99 | 228 | $200 | A♦T♥ | MP | 12.7 | BB | 23.0 | very strong | Q♠7♦7♣ | bubble: flop raise of big stack’s donk bet |
| 100 | 230 | $50 | Q♣J♥ | UTG | 11.8 | BB | 26.7 | aggressive | T♥9♠5♥ | cbet with straight draw, sized for 3-bet all-in |
| 101 | 232 | $215 | T♠9♠ | D | 165.3 | SB | 168.7 | ? | A♥9♦5♦ | early: reraising with suited connectors |
| 102 | 234 | $1,060 | 3♠3♦ | D | 86.9 | BB | 102.7 | ? | A♥8♥2♠K♠5♠ | giving up on the bluff |
| 103 | 236 | $109 | A♠A♥ | D | 52.7 | BB | 60.7 | weak | J♦9♥8♥T♥Q♠ | overbet with straight on board |
| 104 | 238 | $320 | 3♣3♦ | MP | 126.8 | HJ | 96.0 | aggressive | K♣9♣3♥6♠K♥ | flopped set called down to river |
| 105 | 241 | $320 | J♣J♠ | SB | 134.2 | UTG1 | 76.7 | tight, passive | A♣A♠J♥Q♦ | folding a full house |
| 106 | 244 | $162 | K♠J♦ | CO | 82.3 | HJ | 54.2 | weak | K♦9♠6♣6♥A♦ | 3-outed with top pair |
| 107 | 246 | $320 | A♦K♣ | MP | 70.1 | CO | 63.1 | LAG | K♥9♦7♣ | folding TPTK to massive overbet and raise |
| 108 | 249 | $320 | J♥T♥ | HJ | 65.1 | BB | 65.9 | regulars | 6♦6♠4♦A♣ | turn bluff representing an Ace |
| 109 | 252 | $1,060 | T♥T♣ | D | 95.5 | multi | N/A | ? | 4♠4♥2♥5♦5♥ | folding overpair to too much action |
| 110 | 254 | $55 | A♦Q♥ | UTG1 | 40.5 | SB | 68.7 | tight | folding AQo to tight player’s 3-bet | |
| 111 | 256 | $320 | J♠J♣ | HJ | 56.5 | UTG1 | 36.1 | tight | 8♣5♣2♣J♦ | overpair plus medium flush draw |
| 112 | 258 | $215 | A♥K♦ | HJ | 13.8 | D | 204.5 | LAG | Q♣Q♠8♠ | all-in check-raise with overcards |
| 113 | 260 | $530 | J♣J♠ | BB | 87.7 | UTG1 | 23.7 | aggressive | K♥T♦4♥7♣K♦ | putting opponent on second pair |
| 114 | 263 | $55 | A♠J♦ | BB | 20.1 | D | 22.7 | LAG | T♣8♦4♥ | planned flop all-in check-raise |
| 115 | 266 | $530 | A♦K♥ | MP | 74.3 | CO | 58.7 | tight | K♠Q♣J♣9♦2♦ | TPTK on dangerous board |
| 116 | 268 | $55 | T♣T♠ | UTG | 38.4 | HJ | 26.4 | tight | folding Tens to tight player’s 3-bet | |
| 117 | 270 | $215 | Q♥4♠ | BB | 17.2 | SB | 17.0 | ? | K♦9♥6♥K♣Q♦ | BVB: thin value raise with 2 pair on river |
| 118 | 273 | $162 | A♦Q♠ | HJ | 25.7 | MP | 33.4 | ? | K♥T♣5♦T♦ | floating with inside straight draw |
| 119 | 276 | $1,050 | J♦J♥ | MP | 15.8 | SB | 33.9 | loose, passive | 9♥6♣4♦K♠3♠ | putting opponent on weak pair |
| 120 | 279 | $530 | A♦J♣ | SB | 25.7 | UTG1 | 31.7 | weak, loose, passive | J♥7♥3♦9♦2♥ | check-raise with TPTK to set up river shove |
| 121 | 282 | $215 | Q♠Q♣ | MP | 20.7 | SB | 58.5 | aggressive | K♠4♥3♣5♥8♦ | value betting Queens despite King on board |
| 122 | 284 | $109 | K♣T♠ | HJ | 39.2 | BB | 30.9 | loose | A♥8♦8♣K♦3♦ | giving up after c-bet fails |
| 123 | 287 | $55 | T♦T♠ | UTG1 | 21.3 | SB | 18.2 | regular | Q♦6♠3♥6♦K♣ | putting opponent on weak pair |
| 124 | 289 | $215 | A♠T♣ | CO | 34.7 | D | 33.1 | aggr. regular | A♥J♦2♠7♦8♦ | checking to induce a bluff with top pair |
| 125 | 291 | $77 | Q♥J♠ | BB | 34.0 | HJ | 25.8 | aggressive | K♣5♦3♠ | check-raise bluffing a c-bet on King-high flop |
| 126 | 293 | $109 | A♠9♦ | BB | 6.1 | D | 8.2 | weak, tight | raising late limper all-in to steal | |
| 127 | 295 | $109 | Q♦J♦ | UTG1 | 17.0 | multi | N/A | passive, tight | all-in preflop against short stack to drive out deeper stack | |
| 128 | 298 | $215 | K♠J♠ | CO | 39.5 | BB | 14.7 | solid | raising a limper but folding to 3-bet | |
| 129 | 300 | $109 | J♣T♣ | HJ | 27.7 | BB | 24.5 | weak | A♦8♥6♣Q♣9♥ | taking a free card on the turn and hitting the river |
| 130 | 303 | $109 | 7♥7♦ | D | 4.6 | multi | N/A | loose | short stack: all-in after three limpers | |
| 131 | 306 | $1,060 | 7♦6♦ | HJ | 29.1 | MP | 11.0 | ? | bubble: 3-bet small raise to steal | |
| 132 | 309 | $1,060 | T♦3♠ | MP | 31.1 | MP | 11.8 | aggr. regular | bubble: fold bad hand with bad image against good player | |
| 133 | 310 | $1,060 | K♦Q♥ | MP | 31.1 | HJ | 27.5 | ? | bubble: raise but fold to 3-bet | |
| 134 | 311 | $1,060 | 9♦2♠ | UTG1 | 29.7 | multi | N/A | n/a | bubble: easy fold with bad hand in early position | |
| 135 | 312 | $1,060 | 7♣6♠ | UTG | 29.7 | multi | N/A | n/a | bubble: easy fold with bad hand in early position | |
| 136 | 313 | $1,060 | 7♦3♠ | BB | 29.7 | D | 12.0 | aggr. regular | bubble: fold bad hand to raise | |
| 137 | 314 | $1,060 | Q♠7♣ | SB | 29.1 | BB | 22.6 | ? | bubble: BVB steal | |
| 138 | 315 | $1,060 | A♦7♠ | D | 29.8 | multi | N/A | ? | bubble: BSB steal against decent stacks, not short ones | |
| 139 | 316 | $1,060 | K♥9♥ | CO | 30.8 | multi | N/A | ? | bubble: steal from CO as bubble is very close | |
| 140 | 318 | $1,060 | 3♣3♥ | HJ | 31.8 | multi | N/A | ? | bubble: 4th steal in a row with low pair | |
| 141 | 319 | $1,060 | 6♦5♥ | MP | 32.8 | multi | N/A | ? | bubble: time out from stealing | |
| 142 | 320 | $1,060 | K♣5♥ | MP | 32.7 | MP | 8.9 | ? | bubble: fold to raise with bad hand | |
| 143 | 321 | $1,060 | Q♠T♥ | UTG1 | 32.7 | UTG | 14.0 | ? | bubble: fold to larger raise | |
| 144 | 322 | $1,060 | T♥3♦ | UTG | 32.7 | multi | N/A | ? | bubble: easy fold with bad hand in early position | |
| 145 | 323 | $1,060 | Q♦T♠ | BB | 32.7 | multi | N/A | aggr. regular | bubble: all-in resteal vs. presumed button blind steal attempt | |
| 146 | 325 | $1,060 | K♦7♥ | SB | 46.3 | BB | 21.6 | ? | bubble: 4-bet all-in steal after sucking out on last hand | |
| 147 | 327 | $1,060 | T♥7♦ | D | 51.1 | CO | 15.4 | ? | bubble: fold to 4xBB raise | |
| 148 | 328 | $1,060 | Q♦2♦ | CO | 51.1 | HJ | 16.3 | ? | bubble: fold to min-raise with bad image | |
| 149 | 329 | $1,060 | Q♠T♠ | HJ | 51.1 | D | 26.3 | ? | A♣7♥3♥ | bubble: c-bet with air |
| 150 | 330 | $1,060 | K♣6♣ | MP | 40.0 | multi | N/A | ? | bubble: fold still trying to restore image | |
| 151 | 331 | $1,060 | Q♣4♣ | MP | 39.9 | UTG | 24.4 | pro | bubble: fold to UTG raise | |
| 152 | 332 | $1,060 | 9♦3♦ | UTG1 | 39.9 | multi | N/A | ? | bubble: early position steal attempt fails | |
| 153 | 333 | $1,060 | A♣T♥ | UTG | 38.7 | multi | N/A | ? | bubble: early position steal attempt succeeds | |
| 154 | 334 | $1,060 | Q♦8♣ | BB | 39.7 | UTG | 13.3 | ? | bubble: fold to UTG raise | |
| 155 | 335 | $1,060 | Q♣Q♠ | SB | 39.1 | MP | 5.9 | tight | bubble: 4-bet after min-raise and 3.5x reraise | |
| 156 | 336 | $1,060 | Q♥2♥ | D | 44.5 | CO | 8.8 | ? | bubble: fold to raise | |
| 157 | 337 | $1,060 | T♠2♣ | CO | 44.4 | MP | 21.9 | pro | bubble: fold bad hand to raise | |
| 158 | 338 | $1,060 | A♥2♥ | HJ | 44.4 | SB | 10.5 | ? | bubble: c-bet King-high flop | |
| 159 | 339 | $1,060 | 7♥2♥ | MP | 46.4 | multi | N/A | ? | bubble: fold with bad hand | |
| 160 | 340 | $1,060 | Q♠5♦ | MP | 46.4 | multi | N/A | ? | bubble: fold with bad hand | |
| 161 | 341 | $1,060 | J♥3♥ | UTG1 | 46.4 | multi | N/A | ? | bubble: fold with bad hand | |
| 162 | 342 | $1,060 | J♦5♥ | UTG | 46.4 | multi | N/A | ? | bubble: fold with bad hand | |
| 163 | 343 | $1,060 | J♥T♥ | BB | 46.3 | none | N/A | ? | bubble: walk | |
| 164 | 344 | $1,060 | A♦8♥ | SB | 46.8 | CO | 26.5 | pro | bubble: fold with decent hand but OOP vs. tough opponent | |
| 165 | 345 | $1,060 | K♣7♣ | D | 46.5 | multi | N/A | ? | bubble: BSB steal | |
| 166 | 346 | $1,060 | 7♣3♠ | CO | 47.5 | HJ | 9.3 | ? | bubble: fold to min-raise | |
| 167 | 347 | $1,060 | Q♦T♦ | HJ | 47.4 | MP | 2.7 | pro | bubble: 3-bet in position | |
| 168 | 348 | $1,060 | 8♣3♦ | MP | 49.4 | UTG1 | 26.4 | pro | bubble: fold to raise with bad hand | |
| 169 | 349 | $1,060 | Q♦7♠ | MP | 49.4 | UTG | 27.3 | pro | bubble: fold to raise with bad hand | |
| 170 | 350 | $1,060 | 8♦8♠ | UTG1 | 49.4 | BB | 28.3 | pro | bubble: fold medium pair on flop with 3 connected overs | |
| 171 | 351 | $1,060 | 3♣3♥ | UTG | 48.3 | SB | 30.8 | pro | bubble: c-bet with underpair | |
| 172 | 352 | $1,060 | J♠5♣ | BB | 50.4 | SB | 8.6 | ? | bubble: big blind steal vs. limped small blind | |
| 173 | 353 | $1,060 | 6♥4♦ | SB | 40.9 | CO | 23.6 | pro | bubble: fold to raise with bad hand | |
| 174 | 354 | $1,060 | J♦8♦ | D | 40.6 | multi | N/A | weak, tight | bubble: BSB steal as bubble bursts | |
| 175 | 356 | $320 | J♦J♠ | CO | 100.0 | multi | N/A | ? | 7♥3♣2♥T♠ | early: Jacks vs. UTG1 raise |
| 176 | 361 | $215 | Q♥Q♣ | MP | 87.7 | UTG | 100.0 | ? | early: Queens vs. UTG 4-bet | |
| 177 | 363 | $25 | A♦K♥ | MP | 62.3 | UTG | 70.6 | ? | 7♦6♣3♣A♠8♦ | early: big slick vs. UTG raise |
| 178 | 368 | $150 | A♥K♦ | BB | 39.6 | CO | 74.8 | ? | K♠9♣6♥J♣ | early: big slick vs. UTG limp and CO raise |
| 179 | 371 | $50 | A♦T♥ | BB | 54.7 | SB | 30.7 | ? | Q♠J♣8♥K♥9♥ | BVB with SB limp |
| 180 | 374 | $50 | J♦T♦ | UTG1 | 47.4 | CO | 172.9 | ? | K♠T♥9♦Q♥9♠ | suited connectors in early position |
| 181 | 379 | $150 | A♥K♣ | CO | 52.8 | multi | N/A | ? | big slick with raise and reraise in front | |
| 182 | 381 | $200 | A♦J♦ | UTG | 47.4 | multi | N/A | weak | A♣6♠4♦6♥T♣ | top pair, 3rd kicker vs. blind limpers |
| 183 | 385 | $200 | T♥T♣ | CO | 27.0 | HJ | 21.1 | ? | medium pair vs. possible HJ steal then D shoves | |
| 184 | 388 | $320 | K♣Q♦ | HJ | 30.9 | CO | 24.3 | loose | J♦4♦3♣K♦5♥ | TPTK vs. possible flush |
| 185 | 392 | $320 | Q♦Q♠ | MP | 19.2 | UTG | 24.3 | ? | A♣9♥7♠4♠ | Queens vs. Ace on board |
| 186 | 396 | $650 | J♦J♠ | MP | 29.8 | SB | 19.4 | ? | Jacks vs. pot-committing raise | |
| 187 | 398 | $150 | A♠Q♥ | CO | 46.4 | D | 11.5 | ? | AQo vs. all-in reraise | |
| 188 | 400 | $650 | Q♣Q♥ | D | 14.6 | multi | N/A | ? | K♠J♣7♠K♥ | Queens vs. King on board and 2 opponents |
| 189 | 404 | $500 | A♠A♣ | SB | 13.2 | CO | 22.9 | ? | Q♥T♠7♣ | Aces vs. CO raise |
| 190 | 407 | $200 | 7♥7♠ | MP | 33.6 | UTG1 | 25.3 | ? | Sevens vs. early raise | |
| 191 | 409 | $25 | A♥Q♥ | UTG | 11.1 | SB | 18.3 | ? | T♣8♠3♠J♥A♠ | top pair on river |
| 192 | 412 | $100 | J♠8♦ | SB | 11.9 | BB | 10.2 | ? | J♥T♦9♣ | top pair and straight draw |
| 193 | 415 | $50 | 2♣2♦ | BB | 2.6 | multi | N/A | ? | short stack: small pair vs. raise and call | |
| 194 | 418 | $150 | A♦6♥ | HJ | 3.1 | multi | N/A | ? | short stack: shove or fold decision |
| Title | Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time, Vol. 1 |
| Author | Eric Lynch, Jon Van Fleet, and Jon Turner |
| Year | 2008 |
| Skill Level | Advanced to Expert |
| Pros | Lots of hands (423 pages worth), each presented with the thought process (and sometimes critique) of one or all three of the pros. A wide variety of tournament situations are covered. |
| Cons | No overriding theme or continuity. It’s completely up to the reader to figure out what lessons to learn. Book isn’t nearly as long as its page count, as hand diagrams take up almost half of the space (this is just book one of a three-part series). |
| Rating | 3.5 (4.0 with the above index) |
Footnotes:
- Hands 131 to 174 were consecutively played as the table chip leader starting from 15 players away to the money bubble in a tourney with a mix of good players and satellite winners.
- If you want to sort or modify this table, make a copy of the Google Docs spreadsheet index for “Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time, Vol. 1″, which has additional columns like table size. Like a lot of the tables in this blog, the HTML above was dynamically created by a column in the spreadsheet.
- The buyins for hands 21, 64, 65, 75, 84, and 88 are my best guesses as they are not given in the book. While a larger buyin usually means higher skilled players, some of the tournaments had weaker fields from players who had satellited in from smaller events.
- Pos = Position (SB = small blind, BB = big blind, UTG = under the gun, UTG1 = under the gun plus one, MP = middle position, HJ = hijack, CO = cutoff, and D = dealer button).