Studying poker with ICMizer

icmizer-pokerWhen I first started playing poker, I would spend 6 hours per day grinding sit n’ go’s and 4 hours reviewing my hands using a now-defunct program called Sit N’ Go Power Tools. Eventually I moved to multi-table tournaments and stopped studying push-fold situations because I thought I knew them perfectly.

While watching the 2015 WSOP Main Event  (I review 31 hands from the final table here),  I saw someone call an all-in in a situation where I thought it could easily be bad. I knew ICMizer was the go-to final table push-fold authority, so I downloaded the program and saw that the player in question should call or fold based almost entirely on the payout structure. Since the WSOP had effectively no payout jumps from 9th to 6th place, the player should call. If the tournament had “standard” payout jumps, he should fold. Understanding these nuances are mandatory if you want to succeed at tournament poker.

Here is a video of me analyzing this situation (Be sure to click the “full screen” option at the bottom right of the video so you can see all the numbers):

I eventually figured out that ICMizer had an amazing “sng coach” feature. The program quizzes you to determine your push-fold strengths and weaknesses. From there, you can practice numerous tricky spots until you fully understand each and every situation you are likely to encounter. You can make the quizzes as detailed as you want ot as broad as you want. Here is a video of me playing 6-handed push/fold situations from the cutoff using a standard multi-table payout structure. While I thought I was embarrassing myself with my answers, I actually did quite well compared to the other users of the program! Be sure to click the “full screen option at the bottom right of the video so you can see all the numbers.

If you play tournaments, I strongly suggest you spend some time studying with ICMizer. Even if you only plug one or two leaks, you will see your win-rate rise significantly. I am interested to hear how you do. Let me know in the comments section below. Good luck!

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