Covering live poker tournaments for a living affords me the opportunity to see countless thousands of hands played out, many of which offer interesting and potentially valuable insights into how players — both amateurs and professionals — play the game. In this ongoing series, I’ll highlight hands I’ve seen at the tournaments I’ve covered and see if we can glean anything useful from them.
The Scene
We’re at Mid-States Poker Tour Canterbury Park. It’s deep in the $1,100 buy-in tournament, with 15 players remaining. There’s more than $106,000 up top, with the next elimination receiving $4,156.