“Let Others Go Nuts”: Matt Jarvis Offers 6-Max No-Limit Hold'em Tourney Advice
Back in 2010 many of us first got to know Vancouver-based poker pro Matt Jarvis when he made that year’s World Series of Poker Main Event final table, being one of the ”November Nine” and ultimately finishing eighth for a $1 million-plus cash.
The next year Jarvis again tasted success at the WSOP, earning his first career bracelet by topping a tough field of 732 players to win the $5,000 six-handed no-limit hold’em title and another big $800,000-plus cash.
Short-handed NLHE has always been a favorite game for Jarvis as he’s gathered a great deal of six-max experience in cash games, sit-n-gos, and multi-table tournaments both live and online. His comfort with the format was demonstrated again at last summer's WSOP where he had relatively deep runs in both the $3K six-max NLHE event (finishing 37th) and the $5K 6-max NLHE (finishing ninth).
During the latter event Jarvis spoke with PokerNews’ Remko Rinkema about short-handed NLHE strategy, explaining how even though short-handed poker demands that you play more hands and not be overly tight, players can still be selective and avoid unnecessary risks.
“You’re not just sitting there waiting for aces and kings... [but] that being said, I feel like too many people plays these tournaments way too aggressively,” explained Jarvis. “I feel like you just want to sit and let others go nuts,” he added, noting how it can often be preferable to be patient, try to make hands, and even stick with “ABC poker” during certain stretches of a six-max event.
Jarvis had more to say about the challenges presented by short-handed poker, the differences between live and online play, and the importance of learning from your mistakes. Take a look:
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