Last week’s cooler. $22 tournament I ran a pair of tens from the small blind into the big blind’s Aces on the bubble. I came 6th and remaining five players each won a $109 ticket. Rule 4 – Sometimes they have aces. You must remember that in no limit Texas holdem when you play a hand it may be your last. Enter pots with the appropriate level of caution that is required and from an ICM perspective be aware that sometimes it is mathematically correct play to even fold Aces.
ICM, also known as the Independent Chip Model, is a mathematical formula used by poker players to calculate the equity of their chip stack in a tournament. Players often use these calculations to make better decisions in subsequent hands or even to determine a fair and equitable deal when chopping up remaining prize money. Tournament chips hold a non-linear value, meaning one big blind is worth more to a short stack than one big blind for the chip leader.