8 games away from end
of the Summer Season
At the top of the table with 910 points is Joe Lipscomb who has been in front since winning the first game on April 10. For his last top 3 finish you have to go all the way back to May, but having only missed the top table 3 times means he still has the best average out of the top 8 players with 56.88, and is one of only 3 players to have achieved 2 wins this season.
Just 60 points behind Joe is Andy Williams, who has shot up the table recently thanks to a second place finish followed by back to back wins, which seems to have compensated for missing the top table 8 times.
in 3rd place with 754 points is Clive Teulon with 9 finishes in the top 4 including 1 win. Having played just 14 of the 17 games so far Clive's average is 53.86.
I'm currently listed in 4th place with 726, but really it should be Steve Symonds who also has 726 points but has a better average of 45.38 after 16 games, as opposed to my 42.71 after 17, which is something that will definitely change this evening. His top table hit rate of 56.3% also beats my 44.4%.
In 6th place with 717 points is Rob Whitmore who is the highest placed player without a win but has hit the final table 7 times and finished 2nd on 4 of those occasions.
Collin Baldwin is currently 7th with 684 points after 14 tournament entries. He is the only player, apart from the 2 leaders, to have won twice, but finishing 7th three times has cost points.
In 8th place is Bee 109 who, like Rob and I, has played all 17 games. With 1 win, Bee needs to hit the top table soon to help boost his averages.
252 points between 1st and 8th place seem like a bit of a mountain to climb at first, but the current 8th position score of 658 is only 1 win away from the current 2nd position score of 850, which suggest that there are plenty of players in a position to challenge for the top spot over the next few weeks, if they get lucky!
It should be obvious to most players that it is against the rules for 2 or more players to decide before a hand how they're going to bet, but it is important to remember to avoid inadvertently colluding during the banter that often arises between rivals, particularly those with similarly aggressive styles. For example, telling a particular adversary that you're going to go all in next hand, and potentially provoking another player to state that they might call is a form of collusion and can strongly effect the way other players in the hand might play their hand.
Also, stating "all in next hand" should be avoided, particularly if you have more than a big blind left. Ideally, all-in raises, including blind bets, should be placed in turn.
Cheers,
Mat.