If you're planning to play the Colossus or any of the opposite low buy-in hold'em events on the 2016 World Series of Poker this year, you have to be able to take an aggressive stance early on.
Last year, the starting stacks for many of the events with buy-ins of $1,000 or less were increased to 5,000 chips, with $1,500 events getting stacks of 7,500. That ended in some longer pre-bubble play, as structures hadn't been adjusted to the similar degree because the stacks.
For 2016, the WSOP has stayed with the 5,000-chip starting stack for the $565 Colossus (Event #2), the $565 Pot-Limit Omaha (Event #12), and the $888 Crazy Eights (Event #54), in addition to for the different $1,000 events and the $565 Casino Employees (Event #1).
Also, the entire events under $1,000 have 30-minute blind levels for Day 1 (last year's Colossus had 40-minute levels at the first day). In a large change, antes come into play in Level 3 within the NL tournaments this year, where last year they did not manifest until Level 5.
Here, side-by-side, are the structures for the early levels of the 2015 Colossus and this year's "Colossus II":
If the blinds remain the same, the introduction of an ante one-sixth the scale of the massive blind doubles the price of a round on a nine-handed table. Unlike 2015, where the blinds don't go up at the level where antes begin, this year the blinds increases by 50% when the antes start, effectively tripling the price of a round between Levels 2 and 3.
Assuming a normal of 2 minutes per hand and a whole table, the price of Level 3 within the 2015 Colossus was about 500 chips (225 chips per round, 20 hands in 40 minutes or simply over two rounds). In case you didn't play a hand through the first two hours (three 40-minute levels), you'd have lost a complete of about 1,000 chips by the top of the level, or 20% of the starting stack.
By contrast, with 30-minute levels on this year's Colossus, Level 3 will cost 750 chips (450 chips/round, 15 hands in HALF-HOUR or about 1.66 rounds). And you may still only be 90 minutes in with the shorter levels. Level 4 can be more costly, although the rise in cost isn't as significant. But by the tip of 2 hours this year, you are going to lose 2,000 chips to blinds and antes — twice the price of last year's structure, or 40% of the starting stack.
Keeping in mind this big change to the early levels, listed here are three tips for those playing the Colossus and other low buy-in events this summer:
1. Do not be Late
If you're playing such a events, it's unlikely that you are planning to tug a Hellmuthian-style late arrival. That's something you are in a position to do in a $3,000 buy-in tournament, where the structure is the same on the low levels but you get 15,000 chips. Not in a single of those events, though. You're probably itching to play, anyway. The truth is, you'll want to pick up chips early on in these events with a purpose to survive the primary levels.
While it is not unusual for a tournament to have the price of a round of play double between Level 1 and Level 2, you'll rarely discover a structure where that occurs after Level 2. In most tournaments, you will see increases between levels starting from 15% to 50%, with the occasional jump of 70%, however the cost per round of most WSOP events this year goes up by 200% in Level 3.
That implies that first hour (Levels 1 and a couple of) can be crucial. Be sure that you're to your seat on time. Don't get rid of that trip to the restroom and get stuck in a line (or having to stroll back on your room). Good hands and good opportunities don't come around that often, and also you wish to be there when the magic happens.
2. When you have the Choice, Don't Late Register
This goes with the former advice, roughly. On the end of Level 4, in the event you haven't won any chips, you will be starting Level 5 with 10 big blinds or less. The Colossus allows registration through Level 6, but anyone coming in at that time goes to be shoving their 10-BB stack on the first opportunity. The price of the extent then is simply about half a starting stack.
If that is what you would like to spend your $565 on, more power to you. But otherwise, you'll desire a stack sufficiently big to outlive through that phase, in a position to absorb paying nearly 2,400 in blinds and antes unless you'll call a kind of shoves. So start building the stack early.
3. Make It Your Advantage
Not everyone on the WSOP is sensible enough to read PokerNews. Not everyone pays attention to the structure sheets or understands the consequences of a giant jump just like the one on this year's WSOP events. You need to use this information on your advantage when you see an opportunity.
Players who aren't expecting it is going to find themselves critically short on chips by the top of the third level if they have been active and haven't picked up any pots. Players who've lost chips and paid greater than 1,100 in blinds and antes are going to peer themselves as short going into Level 4 with lower than 20 BB.
Some of these players will panic. They may nut down (wherein case they're unlikely to outlive the 70% round cost increase in Level 5) or they'll "try something" and fall victim to someone prepared to grab the chance — like yourself.
One Final Comparison
At the tip of 4 hours of play within the 2015 Colossus, you can have paid about 4,300 in blinds and antes over six 40-minute levels — about 87% of the starting stack of 5,000 chips.
By the similar time this year — eight 30-minute levels, however the same collection of hands — on average you'll expect to pay greater than 10,000 in blinds and antes, or greater than double the starting stack.
It's a much more aggressive structure, and it's roughly around the board. Don't turn your back.
2015 Colossus (40-minute levels)
| 0:40 | 1 | 25/50/0 | 166 | 166 |
| 1:20 | 2 | 50/100/0 | 333 | 500 |
| 2:00 | 3 | 75/150/0 | 500 | 1,000 |
| 2:40 | 4 | 100/200/0 | 666 | 1,666 |
| 3:20 | 5 | 100/200/25 | 1,166 | 2,832 |
| 4:00 | 6 | 150/300/25 | 1,500 | 4,332 |
2016 Colossus (30-minute levels)
| 0:30 | 1 | 25/50/0 | 125 | 125 |
| 1:00 | 2 | 50/100/0 | 250 | 375 |
| 1:30 | 3 | 75/150/25 | 750 | 1,125 |
| 2:00 | 4 | 100/200/25 | 875 | 2,000 |
| 2:30 | 5 | 150/300/50 | 1,500 | 3,500 |
| 3:00 | 6 | 200/400/50 | 1,750 | 5,250 |
| 3:30 | 7 | 250/500/75 | 2,375 | 7,625 |
| 4:00 | 8 | 300/600/75 | 2,625 | 10,250 |
*Ante * minutes per level / minutes per hand + minutes per level / minutes per hand / players per table * (SB + BB)
Darrel Plant lives in Portland, Oregon. A PC programmer by profession and a game player at heart, he writes about math and poker at his blog, Mutant Poker.
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