Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 20: Talking Ante-Only Strategy with Greg ��FossilMan�� Raymer
Back in 2012, the World Series of Poker debuted an ��Ante Only�� no-limit hold��em bracelet event, the first major of its kind* for a variant that originated online. The game was similar to traditional no-limit hold��em with one major exception �� instead of players taking turns posting blinds every orbit, they all would post an ante every single hand.
*The WSOP actually tested it on the Circuit at their Caesars Palace Las Vegas stop.
The only other catch was that after the flop, the first player still active in the hand was required to bet the smallest denomination chip in play. Since every player was invested in every single hand, the variant inspired action. Pros and amateurs alike seemed to love it, with Greg Hobson ultimately topping a field of 939 players to win a $256,691 first-place prize in that inaugural $1,500 buy-in event.
The following year, Ben Volpe took down the 2013 version of the $1,500 Ante Only NLHE event, besting a 678-entrant field to win $201,399. Then in 2014 Jesse McEuen outlasted 713 other players to win the title in the same event for $212,093. It seemed the format had been a success, but after three straight years on the schedule, the WSOP opted to do away with it for 2015.
The removal of the Ante Only event from this year��s schedule was a disappointment to many players, including 2004 WSOP Main Event champ Greg ��FossilMan�� Raymer.
��I just thought it was a great event. It was a different way to play hold��em,�� Raymer told me. ��Everywhere you go it��s no-limit hold��em. One of the things I love about the WSOP is that I finally get a chance, almost [the only time] for the entire year long, to play a significant tournament that is something other than hold��em. Dealer��s Choice was the best, and the other mixed-game tournaments are great, [as are] the draw games, the stud games.��
��With the Ante Only you had a unique format of hold��em. I felt there were some clear, undeniable mathematical strategy choices in order to play optimal. A lot of otherwise good players weren��t getting these, and so I felt it gave me a much bigger edge than the other no-limit events. It was also fun and different, something we weren��t used to.��
Personally, I��m familiar with the ��Ante Only�� concept, but I must admit I��ve never played such a tournament, neither live nor online. Still, I couldn��t help but wonder how it alters traditional no-limit hold��em strategy. That was something Raymer was willing to expand upon, in part by proposing changes to future Ante Only events.
��I didn��t like the WSOP event starting like it had been with 4,500 chips with a 25 ante,�� Raymer explained. ��The first orbit was 225, whereas other events with the same price, you��re playing 25/25 blinds, so we were starting 4.5x bigger. You could only bet two ordinary hands before half your chips were gone, so I thought that event was starting way too fast.��
Raymer felt the increased starting stacks planned for the 2015 WSOP may have solved the problem, but he also thought it was a good idea for the WSOP to use their red T5 chips, which traditionally have only been used as rebuy/add-on markers in pot-limit Omaha events.
��Last year I thought they should put T5 chips in play and start with an ante of T10 or something instead of an ante of 25. If we had T5 chips, people could limp in cheap, and I think that��s a big part of that game,�� Raymer said.
��Let��s say the antes are 30 and there is 270 in the pot. If you can limp for 5, then you��d limp in early position every time with 100% of your hands knowing that if someone raises you��re folding your crappy hands, and limp-reraising with your best hands.��
Raymer expounded upon the idea of limping in cheaply and what it means to the game.
��Because of that dynamic no one wants to raise with nothing to try to steal the pot, because they know you also limp with your strongest hands from early position. Unless someone in front of me has already raised, I��m going to limp 100%, even knowing I��m often going to fold, but also knowing that threat means I��m going to get to see a flop with all those hands like 10x3x-offsuit.��
Limping with 100% of hands seems like a crazy concept, but given both pot and implied odds, I was beginning to see what Raymer was talking about.
��Surprisingly people will fold... [but] there��s so much in the pot,�� Raymer noted. ��It��s amazing how far you can get just with the math, and I think the same was true in that Ante Only event. People would make some pretty big mistakes because they were still thinking their normal no-limit hold��em game to some extent.��
Raymer then used the worst hand in poker �� 7x2x-offsuit �� as an example with which to demonstrate his point.
Let��s say you limp with that hand, which Raymer says a lot of players don��t do figuring someone will raise. Early on it��d only cost you T5 to see the flop. If someone does raise, you can simply fold and only be out a measly T5 in chips. If you get to see a flop and it comes 7x7x2x, you��re primed to stack someone. Of course it doesn��t always work out like that, but the point Raymer was making is that for T5 in chips it pays to take a shot.
��It��s like when I learned Badugi and 2-7 triple draw back in 2004. The quality of play was lower. I��d never played those games, but I spent some time doing the math and simulations at home,�� Raymer explained.
��I came up with some thoughts and ideas, and when I played the games live for the first time I saw players making decisions that mathematically had to be wrong. I saw a lot of what were obviously mathematical mistakes over and over again. I thought then I might have an edge in those games already. That turned out to be a correct evaluation. Players hadn��t done the math.��
��I��m not sure if there��s anywhere someone can apply the knowledge,�� Raymer concluded with a laugh. ��I��m not aware of anywhere else that offers Ante Only for a live event.��
Indeed, only time will tell if the WSOP will bring back their Ante Only event. In the meantime, I��m going to keep Raymer��s words of wisdom in the back of my mind, and even more importantly, take to heart his message of constantly thinking about new variants.
If it��s a new game to you, do the math, simulate some hands, and find a strategy that works. Do that and you��ll be well on your way to dominating your opponents.
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In this Series
- 1 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 1: Making Reads and Trusting Them
- 2 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 2: Playing in Poker Charity Events
- 3 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 3: Throttle Back Before You End Up Punting
- 4 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 4: Punish the Satellite Bubble
- 5 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 5: What is Proper Accumulator Strategy?
- 6 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 6: A Chip and a Chair Story with ��SirWatts��
- 7 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 7: 15 Things About Poker I Wish I��d Known Sooner
- 8 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 8: Examining the Largest Overlay in Poker History
- 9 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 9: Differences Between Rebuys and Reentries
- 10 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 10: Five Must-Read Poker Books of 2014
- 11 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 11: When Will You Finally Break Through?
- 12 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 12: Dealing with a Target on Your Back
- 13 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 13: Knowing When to Call It Quits
- 14 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 14: Embarking on a Year-Long Weight Loss Journey
- 15 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 15: Navigating Multiple Decision Points in a Poker Hand
- 16 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 16: Chris Moorman Tells Me How Badly I Play Poker
- 17 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 17: Richard ��nutsinho�� Lyndaker on Getting It in Marginal
- 18 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 18: Getting Inside the Head of Poker Pro Brian Rast
- 19 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 19: Stupid Calls & Lucky Draws in MSPT WI Championship
- 20 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 20: Talking Ante-Only Strategy with Greg ��FossilMan�� Raymer
- 21 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 21: Contributing to Jonathan Little��s New Book
- 22 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 22: Consequences of Acting Out of Turn & Tossing in Chips
- 23 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 23: When It Comes to Chops, Do What��s In Your Best Interest
- 24 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 24: Accepting Bad Beats & Lessons in Selling Action
- 25 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 25: Heinz�� Ace-High Call Shows Why He's a World Champ
- 26 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 26: Is Keeping the Short Stack Alive Collusion?
- 27 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 27: Great Laydown or Bad Fold on Poker Night in America?
- 28 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 28: Calling Hellmuth with Jack-Deuce Offsuit
- 29 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 29: The Philosophy of "No-Chop" Chad
- 30 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 30: Preparing to Play the World Series of Poker
- 31 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 31: Staying on Your Grind at the World Series of Poker
- 32 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 32: The Perilous Decision to Call Off with Ace-Queen
- 33 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 33: Using Poker Skills in Reality TV Competitions
- 34 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 34: Esfandiari Explains How to Recover from Bad Beats
- 35 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 35: Tilly vs. Brunson in Super High Roller Cash Game Hand
- 36 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol 36: Unconventional Play Leads to Good WSOP Main Event Start
- 37 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 37: Lessons in Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low w/ Evan Jarvis
- 38 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 38: Things to Say and Do When You Bust a Poker Tournament
- 39 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 39: How Much Did I Have to Raise to Get You to Fold?
- 40 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 40: Practicing Patience in My Deep PPC Poker Tour Run
- 41 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 41: Analyzing a Questionable SHRPO Main Event Hand
- 42 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 42: Analyzing the Play of Neymar Jr. at EPT Barcelona
- 43 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 43: The Value of a Reliable Poker Reputation
- 44 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 44: John ��KasinoKrime�� Beauprez Rips My PLO Game Apart
- 45 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 45: Satellite Dilemmas -- To Call or Not to Call
- 46 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 46: Seiver Leverages the River in Super High Roller Bowl
- 47 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 47: What Untraditional Moves in Poker Might Mean
- 48 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 48: Thinking About the Future with Sam Grizzle
- 49 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 49: WCOOP Champ ��Coenaldinho7�� Offers Up His Biggest Hands
- 50 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 50: The Peril of Shoving Weak Aces
- 51 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 51: The Importance of Not Giving Up in Poker Tournaments
- 52 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 52: Does Asking ��Check�� Actually Constitute a Check?
- 53 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 53: Thomas Cannuli Impresses Even After Main Event Bustout
- 54 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 54: Dealers Aren��t Always Right
- 55 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 55: Don��t Get Married to Pocket Aces
- 56 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 56: Bazeley��s Survival Instinct Leads to Continued Success
- 57 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 57: Playing ��Deuces Wild�� on the European Poker Tour
- 58 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 58: The Wildest Hand in European Poker Tour History
- 59 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 59: Death, Zombies & Spending Time w/Phil Hellmuth
- 60 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 60: How the Unstoppable Fedor Holz Managed to Win Again
- 61 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 61: Lessons To Be Learned When You Hit the Big Stage
- 62 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 62: Steve O��Dwyer Explains the ��Oreo Cookie Tell��
- 63 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 63: What Would Happen to a Chip Stack If a November Niner Died?
- 64 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 64: Forgetting One Chip -- Should It Still Be an All-In Bet?
- 65 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 65: Todd ��sharkslayerrr�� Breyfogle on Bankroll Management
- 66 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 66: Cash Game Pro Daniel Arfin Offers Sound Bankroll Advice
- 67 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 67: Honeyman Plays Kings to Keep in Opponent��s Bluff Range
- 68 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 68: Why Do I Even Bother Drinking at the Poker Table?
- 69 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 69: Is Your Favorite Poker Pro Left- or Right-Handed?
- 70 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 70: In Order to Live You Have to Be Willing to Die
- 71 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 71: How to Amass a Big Stack Early in a Poker Tournament
- 72 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 72: Answering User-Submitted Poker Scenarios
- 73 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 73: Saying Goodbye with a Top Five List
- 74 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 74: We're Back, Baby!
- 75 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 75: Jivkov on Exploiting Capped Ranges
- 76 Hold��em with Holloway, Vol. 76: Matt Bretzfield Gets Tricky With Aces
- 77 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 77: Joseph Cheong Gets Crazy with a Pair of Ladies
- 78 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 78: Wyoming Poker Action & Wild South Dakota Hand
- 79 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 79: Calling Controversy at WinStar
- 80 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 80: Going for Value with Matt Hunt
- 81 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 81: Bracelet Winner Ryan Leng on Bad Call
- 82 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 82: Romeopro33 Recounts XL Eclipse Victory
- 83 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 83: Men The Master Doesn't Get Paid
- 84 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 84: Harman Hits Back-to-Back Miracle Turns
- 85 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 85: Jamie Kerstetter on Dealing with Bounties
- 86 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 86: Matt Stout Develops a Limp Dynamic
- 87 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 87: Matt Alexander Caught in Between w/ Two Red Aces
- 88 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 88: John Beauprez on Why He Folded a Set of Jacks
- 89 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 89: Alex Aqel Lets Opponent Hang Himself with Aces
- 90 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 90: David Peters Makes Beastly Call Against Will Givens
- 91 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 91: Poker Lessons from a Game of Risk
- 92 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 92: My Upstuck Diagnosis by the CLC Squad
- 93 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 93: Alex Foxen Coolers Nick Petrangelo in SHRB
- 94 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 94: My $25,000 PSPC Experience at 2019 PCA
- 95 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 95: The Equity of Leveraging Time Extensions
- 96 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 96: Dan O'Brien on Developing Healthy Routines
- 97 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 97: Big Hands From the WSOP-C Potawatomi
- 98 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 98: Simon Deadman Rips Apart My NLH Tourney Play
- 99 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 99: Shoving 10-6 Smack Dab Into Pocket Aces
- 100 Hold'em with Holloway, Vol. 100: The Revived Re-Entries Debate