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Two of the players I most strongly identify with the Preservation Strategy are Phil Hellmuth and Mike Matusow. Both players – friends and confidant’s on Poker Strategy – pride themselves on being able to make “big lay downs.”

Phil Hellmuth, in particular, claims he can defend the extreme position of throwing away pocket aces pre-flop. When I interviewed him during the 2007 World Series of Poker for a magazine profile, he explained that he had the discipline to throw away pocket aces before the flop during the early stages of a No Limit Hold ‘Em tournament. “I thought I could for a month or two or three or a whole year – I thought I was good enough where I could throw aces away before the flop. No one understood the concept. It’s simple. I don’t want to be 83% favorite to win a pot. I’d rather get my chips up 100% risk free. But you can’t do that in these fields anymore. You’re going to have to play a coin flip or two … or be four and a half to one favorite.”

You have to take that quote with a grain of salt. First, Phil seems to use coin flips and situations wjhere he is an 83% favorite almost interchangeably. Second, to some degree I’m sure he was just trying to be provocative. Third, he made it clear that he DOESN’T believe that anymore. But even with those qualifiers, the fact that he ever held or seriously considered this position makes it clear that he places a large premium on his tournament survival.

An ironic thing about that Hellmuth quote is that it came from a question I asked Phil about Mike Matusow. I had asked Phil with whom he discussed tournament strategy or looked to for advice. He and Mike are good friends and have a sufficiently similar approach to the game that either can “fine tune” his game by talking with the other. In fact, Phil was describing how Mike talked him out of his extreme position. But Matusow, like Hellmuth, places a relatively large premium on his tournament survival.

Mike Matusow has frequently commented on the importance of making big laydowns. I remember from when he played Andy Bloch in the NBC Heads-Up Championship a couple of years ago, discussing the hands with Andy after the match and realizing that Matusow was laying down a lot more hands than were mathematically correct. (More important, Bloch recognized it an d took advantage.) I had discussed with both Mike and Phil Hellmuth this common strategic element in their play: their belief that they could succeed where others couldn’t because they were willing to lay down hands other players wouldn’t.

One of the difficulties of figuring out the correct value to place on preservation is that laying down a big hand always looks impressive. It looks like it involves careful thought and restraint. Just looking at a particular laydown, this strategy rarely looks bad, and sometimes seems like a stroke of genius. For instance when Roberto Romanello laid down a full house at the featured table in the 2008 Main Event (coincidently with Mike Matusow at the table) it was a brilliant move. Even when the laydown is pre-flop and its correctness is not so clear, it still looks like a “pro move.” When you watch a Matusow or a Hellmuth lay down a big hand pre-flop you think, “I couldn’t do that. These guys are playing at a much higher level.” Of course Mike and Phil are great tournament players and I am sure that is partly attributable to their ability to make these laydowns. But just because it always LOOKS great doesn’t mean it’s always smart. At the Million Dollar Cash Game in 2008, Mike made a ridiculous laydown to Phil Ivey misusing this kind of thinking.

This was a cash game and not a tournament, so the concept of preservation (and making big laydowns) should have much less relevance. But Mike, in trying to be prudent and smart, over-thought this situation with disastrous results. Mike started the hand with pocket kings, and after a board of 4c-6c-Jh-Jc-7c, had a king-high flush, so the only hands that could beat him were an ace-high flush or a full house.  Phil checked to Mike, who bet $10,000, making the pot about $50,000. Ivey raised to $47,000. Getting 2-to-1 to call with the king-high flush, Matusow took five minutes before folding to Phil Ivey’s As-4s bluff: no clubs, bottom pair.

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2 Responses to “#934 – Tournament Preservation Strategy, Part III – Phil Hellmuth and Mike Matusow”

1. James L Brooks Says:
   December 18th, 2009 at 2:37 am

   Thank you very much Michael Craig.

   This has been on my mind, and I thought only my mind, for months now. You are completely right.. We need more literature on this topic.

   In a previous post, I told you I cant mix it up between making good laydowns, easy calls, and stealing anymore. It is a skill.

   You need a good combo of these to be a champ. Slow playing, stealing, good calls and laydowns as well as tournament preservation. I need help. Squeaking in the money doesn’t cut it for me anymore, I PLAY TO WIN!!!!

2. Poker - Millionaire Says:
   December 18th, 2009 at 8:18 am

   Phil Hellmuth is a very crazy poker player, but i like his stile to play poker: crazy but successful. ;o)

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