Tonight's Strategy

This will be a tricky beast to conquer tonight. Dustin and I are tied for first place in the regular season standings, with only tonight's tournament remaining as an opportunity to earn points. What that means is this:

• If we both make it to the showdown (not impossible but not likely either), the winner of the tournament wins the regular season title.
• If either of us makes it to the showdown (last two seats) and the other does not, that person automatically wins the regular season title.
• If neither of us makes it to the showdown, we remain tied, and the regular season title will be decided in a tiebreaker match to be scheduled seperately.

It makes for a fascinating strategy question. My biggest concern is that I will be over-conservative, viewing the game purely defensively at first as an exercize in outlasting Dustin, and then opening up to take a safe stab at any points for a regular season title. That could prove dangerous by keeping me from staying in to see the flop on questionable hands, perhaps the one I will need to bolster my chipstrength. The danger is further exacerbated by the competitor list, likely to include some I have the most trouble with, including Michelle (who plays a loose, large-calling game that my strategy doesn't match well against) and, more recently, Greg (who played exceedingly well for awhile at our last tournament, also in a style I found difficult to read and to play against). To do well, I'll need to balance my normal playstyle with a willingness to bet higher and call higher than normal with medium-strong hands, based on a read of opponents.

I've also got a little alterior hope for this evening, specifically that Greg gets a win or a second-place in tonight's game. He remains one of the only regulars who hasn't earned a qualifying slot in any of this year's tournaments yet, and I'd really like him to qualify for the annual grand championship at the end of the month... so I'll be secretly rooting for him, too.