Police radar guns “see” a vehicle by transmitting a microwave pulse. Then they make use of the Doppler Effect: the frequency of the transmitted pulse is compared to the frequency of the reflection, and speed is calculated by using the difference between them.

• Type of detector: There are three types of radar detector: corded, cordless, and remote-mount. Corded detectors usually mount on the windshield via suction cups, and provide the best range of detection. Cordless detectors are transported easily between vehicles, and provide a cleaner installation than corded models. Remote-mount detectors are permanently mounted to your vehicle, providing a clean installation that’s virtually undetectable by thieves.
• City Modes: City mode turns down the range or sensitivity so that you get fewer false alerts; this feature is helpful for urban driving.
• Laser detection: A detector with one laser sensor can detect laser beams in front of you, but not behind you or off to the sides. 360-degree laser detection uses two sensors to look for laser pulses to the sides and behind you. Models with 360-degree laser detection tend to be more reliable, but more costly.
• VG-2 and Spectre protection: These are shielding technologies that let you know when police are using radar detector detectors (RDD). Spectre is a more advanced RDD technology that is currently being used in several states and Canada. Some detectors offer Stealth protection, which warns you and then shuts down the detector, while more expensive detectors offer Invisible protection — they may be shielded from VG-2, Spectre, or both, so they can continue operating without being discovered.
• Digital voice alerts: A voice alert tells you what your radar detector has picked up. You don’t have to take your eyes off of the road to look at the detector’s display.
• “Instant-On” Protection: Practically speaking, you can’t really defend yourself against Instant-On radar; if it’s been aimed at you, your speed has been measured by the time your detector gives an alert. However, if the radar was targeted on a car ahead of you, a detector with sensitive K-band reception will alert you. High K-band sensitivity is what allows manufacturers to promote a detector as giving Instant-On Protection.

Speed is calculated when a pulse is reflected to the RADAR transmitter.

That’s the idea behind radar detectors. They look for radar “beams” and find them before they can return a strong enough reflection to “illuminate” you. Detectors use something called superheterodyne reception to accomplish this. Radar detectors are essentially microwave radio receivers that make noise or flash lights when they sense an incoming signal on specific frequencies. Superheterodyne reception allows detection of radar around curves or over hills, and it extends detection range straight ahead.

Different Types of Radar
The Federal Communications Commission has dictated that police radar must operate on specific frequency bands:
X-Band Radar: 10.5 – 10.55 GHz
Dating from the 1950s, X-band radar is the easiest to detect because of its lower frequency and higher power output. Depending on terrain, temperature and humidity, X-band radar can be detected from a distance of 2 to 4 miles, yet it can only take accurate readings of speed from a distance of 1/2 mile or less.Unfortunately, police radar is not the only source of X-band signals. Garage door openers, microwave intrusion alarms, microwave towers, and other high-tech equipment can fool a radar detector into giving off an X-band alert. Filters and redundant sampling are used to combat this “falsing.”K-Band: 24.05 – 24.25 GHz
K-band, the most common type of police radar, made its appearance in 1978. The first K-band hand-held radar guns could only be used from a stationary position. Later, a “pulsed” version was introduced that could be used from a stationary or moving vehicle.K-band radar waves have a relatively small wavelength and so are more easily absorbed by water molecules in the air. At the power level found in police radar guns, K-band has an effective clocking range of about 1/4 mile. Depending upon terrain (around a corner, over a hill, etc.), K-band waves can be detected from a range of 1/4 to 2 miles.

K-band guns also have what’s known as “Instant-On” radar. This is basically a kill-switch option which keeps the transmitter in “hot standby” mode, ready to be activated by an officer when the target is within 200-300 yards. If it’s been aimed at you, your speed has been measured by the time the detector alerts you. If it is being used to target vehicles ahead of you, your detector may provide a warning in time for you to adjust your speed.

Ka Photo Cop and Ka Wide-Band: 34.2 – 35.2 GHz
In 1987 the FCC allocated a frequency on yet another band, Ka, for police radar use. With that came the introduction of photo radar (also known as “photo-cop”). The photo-cop system works at 34.3 GHz and combines a Ka-band radar gun with an automated camera. A vehicle approaching at or above a predetermined speed will trigger the camera. The photo shows the front of the vehicle, license plate, driver’s face, the date, location, and time. The unit can clock and photograph up to 200 vehicles per hour. Alleged speeders are not stopped. The film is processed and a citation is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle, ordering him or her to pay the fine or appear in court.Ka Super Wide-Band: 33.4 to 36.0 GHz
The introduction of the “stalker” radar gun raised the stakes in the detection game. Unlike all previous guns — the Stalker can be FCC licensed for any frequency in the Ka-band between 33.4 GHz to 36.0 GHz, and so cannot be picked up by detectors designed only for X, K, and photo radar. Stalker guns are being used across the country. In response, manufacturers developed detectors with “Super wide-band” technology that sweeps all of the Ka-band allocated to radar, as well as providing continued protection against X, K, and photo radar.

Photo-cop’s effective range is 120-300 feet and it transmits a continuous signal which is a plus for radar detectors. The distance at which it can be detected varies depending upon a detector’s Ka-band sensitivity. Better detectors can typically sniff out a photo-cop system 1/4 to 1/2 mile away. Industry sources predicted widespread interest and expanded use, but that has not been the case — only a handful of cities use photo radar. Legal controversies along with prohibitive expense have caused officials to stick with more traditional methods of speed detection. The FCC later expanded Ka-band radar use to a range of 34.2 – 35.2 GHz. This became known as Ka Wide-Band.

Ku-band radar, which is not indicated in the diagram on the previous page, is used primarily in Europe and not often seen in the United States. Its frequency here is 13.45 GHz, as established by the FCC. Some companies do tout the ability of their detectors to track the Ku-band radar, despite its limited applications in America.

VG-2 and Spectre RDD
In some localities, it’s illegal to use a radar detector, and many areas have regulations against using detectors in commercial vehicles. Therefore, police have developed “radar detector detectors,” referred to as RDD. These devices pick up oscillations emitted by the receivers in radar detectors, and inform police that a radar detector is being used. Many manufacturers now have models that are specially shielded to eliminate most of these emissions, or will shut down when they detect a RDD system in use.Laser Detectors
Laser speed guns determine speed differently than radar guns. A series of light pulses is transmitted, and the difference in time between pulses and reflections is used to calculate speed. This all takes place very rapidly (at the speed of light, as a matter of fact). A single pulse typically requires only a few nanoseconds to transmit and return. The advantages of a laser gun are compelling: the laser light beam is far narrower than a radar beam, allowing more accurate pinpointing of a specific vehicle; and the total time needed for capturing a speed reading is less than half a second versus 2 to 3 seconds for radar.Factors Affecting Range
According to a Car & Driver study, a significant loss in detection range occurs when vehicles contain windshields with metallic film embedded, and when commercially available tint films are applied.

VG-2 is a common type of RDD technology, and it works by detecting the oscillations on a single frequency band. Most detectors today are built to protect themselves from VG-2 detection, but a newer type of RDD technology, known as Spectre, has proven more difficult to circumvent. This is because Spectre operates on several frequency bands and can pick up more emissions from a radar detector. There are detectors on the market now which do offer Spectre invisibility.

The drawbacks are also important to note: laser guns are very expensive, they can’t be used from a moving vehicle or from behind glass, and accurate aiming requires a tripod or a very steady hand.Despite initial claims to the contrary, a laser gun is detectable. And as the laser beam moves away from the laser gun, it widens and becomes even easier to detect. Vehicle speeds are typically measured at roughly 1,000 feet (1/5 mile); at that distance the laser beam is over 3 feet wide. Many of the laser detectors in use have a working distance of approximately 1-1/2 miles (at that distance a laser gun’s beam covers two lanes of traffic).

Radar detection range is most affected by windshields with metallic film solar-barrier treatments, found in Ford products with Instaclear windshields, GM products with PPG and Everclear windshields, and in some high-end imports. In these vehicles, detection capability drops by a startling 95 percent!

Laser detection range is always affected by glass, sometimes losing up to 80% of its sensitivity. It’s also affected by tint films — the darker the tint, the more loss. Some tint films contain a metallic layer, and these can reduce radar detection capability by as much as 37 percent.

Radar with GPS
Recent developments in GPS technology have empowered radar detectors with more functionality than ever before. GPS stands the global positioning system, a satellite network that communicates with devices to assist in ground-based navigation applications. GPS devices in cars communicate with satellites while moving. These devices measure speed, location, and direction down to a few feet. They can often also store location information to mark important points on the map.

GPS radar detectors can calculate where they are and how fast they’re going at any time while they are communicating with the GPS network. This is a powerful advantage over normal radar detectors because even though they can tell you when radar is in use around you, they have no way of knowing how fast your vehicle is traveling.

Some GPS detectors can adjust their sensitivity depending on how fast the vehicle is going, which reduces the need to manually switch between city and highway modes. They can also alert you when you are traveling over a set speed limit for your own safety.

Some GPS radar detectors can be programmed to “remember” areas that you drive past and alert you when they are approaching. If you drive past an area with a suddenly steep drop in the speed limit, the detector can warn you ahead of time so you can adjust your driving accordingly. Or you can program it to remind you of areas where there are red light or speed cameras or frequent speed patrols.

Author Mr. Robert Ferency

Written by Mckin

When kids complain that math homework won’t help them in real life, a new answer might be that math could help cure cancer.

In a recent study that combined math and medicine, researchers have shown that patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) may be cured of the disease with an optimally timed cancer vaccine, where the timing is determined based on their own immune response.

In the June 20 edition of the journal PLoS Computational Biology, University of Maryland associate professor of mathematics Doron Levy, Stanford Medical School physician and associate professor of medicine (hematology) Peter P. Lee, and Dr. Peter S. Kim, École Supérieure d’Électricité (Gif-sur-Yvette, France) describe their success in creating a mathematical model which predicts that anti-leukemia immune response in CML patients using the drug imatinib can be stimulated in a way that might provide a cure for the disease.

“By combining novel biological data and mathematical modeling, we found rules for designing adaptive treatments for each specific patient,” said Levy, of the University of Maryland Center for Scientific Computation and Mathematical Modeling. “Give me a thousand patients and, with this mathematical model, I can give you a thousand different customized treatment plans.”

While the marriage of math and biology is only beginning to catch on in science, there have been other attempts to use equations to understand how leukemia develops and evolves over time. Levy, Lee, and Kim’s study differed in that it took into account the patient’s natural immune response in conjunction with the effects of imatinib, a drug that has been successful in putting CML patients into remission.

They wanted to see if they could develop a mathematical model, or set of rules, that would increase chances for long-term remission in individual patients. Over four years, Lee’s laboratory collected data from CML patients, measuring the strength of each patient’s immune response, in the form of the numbers and the activity of the anti-leukemia T cells, at different times during imatinib therapy.

“Our results suggest that it is not only the drug that sends the leukemia into remission, it’s also the natural immune response,” Levy said. “After starting imatinib, the anti-leukemia immune response gradually increases. However, it begins to weaken after it reaches a peak. This typically happens well into the treatment.

“Leukemia cells are still present, but in relatively low numbers that causes the immune response to wind down. Unfortunately, this is an ideal time for the cancer cells to develop drug resistance and render the therapy ineffective.”

Incorporating Lee’s clinical data on immune response, Levy’s model suggests that the immune response of the patients should be boosted at the time when their immune response starts weakening.

The authors suggest that such a stimulation can be provided in the form of “cancer vaccines,” in which pre-therapy blood taken from patients is irradiated to kill active cancer cells, then introduced back to the patient. A strong stimulation of the immune system was shown to be active in vitro in Lee’s lab experiments.

“The mathematical approach showed that it is imperative to connect the timing of the cancer vaccine with the individual profile of the immune response of each patient,” Levy said. “The mathematical simulations suggest that a vaccine administered within the initial months of the treatment will have no effect on the progression of the disease. On the other hand, a well-timed vaccine can potentially cure the disease.”

But the dynamics of each patient’s immune response differ. That’s where the math comes in, says Levy. “We can find rules for application to a specific patient. We can measure each patient’s parameters to find when the dosage will be most effective. Mathematics provides the tools that are necessary to tailor the treatment to the patient.”

“While some parameters can be measured in the lab,” said Levy. “The mathematical model helps us understand the mechanisms that control the disease and show how to use this knowledge to our advantage.”

Levy and Lee are currently conducting further extensive study to expand on the results of this research, to prepare for possible experiments on animal models and conduct clinical trials.

The research was funded by the American Cancer Society, by the National Cancer Institute, and by the National Science Foundation. ( article from www.eurekalert.org )

www.netmalldirect.com   donates 10% of all proceeds to the Leukemia Research Foundation.

It is very interesting to me that the polls that were conducted, indicated that many whites feel as though black people are “violent”. Let me ask all of you this question, if Black’s are violent; then where did they learn this behavior? It has often been stated that we are products of our environment, right? Well if that is the case, them the “violent” nature that is used to describe Black’s must have come from their forced environment. How can White people with a clear conscious state that Black’s are violent, when whites crafted, conducted, and instituted violent acts toward black people?

The unfortunate events of lynchings (the hanging of black men & in some cases women), were not conducted by Black’s, it was White men that took that father, husband, and community leader by the neck and strung him up because of the color of his skin. It was White’s that burned down the homes & churches where black people sought to find refuge in. It was White’s that kept Black’s from having a fair and unbiased education. It was White’s that took the time to separate restrooms & drinking fountains to alienate black people from the standard customs of life. It was White’s that beat black men to death many times in front of their helpless families, just to put the “fear of God in them” as one man stated (Willie Lynch). The list goes on & on. But if Black’s are considered “violent” then again I ask, where did they get it from? Could it be White America?

In my opinion, black people are no more violent than White people giving the circumstances. However, the media would cause you to think differently. What would you do if seemingly the world was against you? Everyday the media promote the negative side of urban life, and it has often been stated that Black’s are “incompetent”. We seem to forget so easily that a bulk majority of the products & services that we enjoy today were invented by Black’s. I could name a ton of them but for the sake keeping this post somewhat short, I’ll just mention one. Oh I know that Mr. Bill Gates gave us the awesome Microsoft program, but did you know that if it had not been for Dr. Mark Dean PhD from Stanford University, we would not have the ISA Systems bus that enables multiple devices such as modems & printers to be connected to the computer. He also invented the first 1-gigahertz processor chip that made the computer smaller & faster; and you’ve guessed it he’s a black man. As I stated the list goes on and on.

In conclusion, it is 2008, and racism is stupid. It was then, and it is now. Let’s grow up, I can think of a lot of things to hate or complain about for instance: The price of gas, and health care etc. But you know what? Black people are not on my list! And they shouldn’t be on yours either (to hate that is). Whether you know it, like it, or even believe it, one day we are going to answer to God for our deeds, and if you are smart! you  better learn to love all people, because at the end of the day, all of us have come from the same source & we bleed the same blood.

The poll, conducted with Stanford University, suggests that the percentage of voters who may turn away from Obama because of his race could easily be larger than the final difference between the candidates in 2004 — about two and one-half percentage points.

Certainly, Republican John McCain has his own obstacles: He’s an ally of an unpopular president and would be the nation’s oldest first-term president. But Obama faces this: 40 percent of all white Americans hold at least a partly negative view toward blacks, and that includes many Democrats and independents.

More than a third of all white Democrats and independents — voters Obama can’t win the White House without — agreed with at least one negative adjective about blacks, according to the survey, and they are significantly less likely to vote for Obama than those who don’t have such views.

Such numbers are a harsh dose of reality in a campaign for the history books. Obama, the first black candidate with a serious shot at the presidency, accepted the Democratic nomination on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, a seminal moment for a nation that enshrined slavery in its Constitution.

“There are a lot fewer bigots than there were 50 years ago, but that doesn’t mean there’s only a few bigots,” said Stanford political scientist Paul Sniderman who helped analyze the exhaustive survey.

The pollsters set out to determine why Obama is locked in a close race with McCain even as the political landscape seems to favor Democrats. President Bush’s unpopularity, the Iraq war and a national sense of economic hard times cut against GOP candidates, as does that fact that Democratic voters outnumber Republicans.

The findings suggest that Obama’s problem is close to home — among his fellow Democrats, particularly non-Hispanic white voters. Just seven in 10 people who call themselves Democrats support Obama, compared to the 85 percent of self-identified Republicans who back McCain.

The survey also focused on the racial attitudes of independent voters because they are likely to decide the election.

Lots of Republicans harbor prejudices, too, but the survey found they weren’t voting against Obama because of his race. Most Republicans wouldn’t vote for any Democrat for president — white, black or brown.

Not all whites are prejudiced. Indeed, more whites say good things about blacks than say bad things, the poll shows. And many whites who see blacks in a negative light are still willing or even eager to vote for Obama.

On the other side of the racial question, the Illinois Democrat is drawing almost unanimous support from blacks, the poll shows, though that probably wouldn’t be enough to counter the negative effect of some whites’ views.

Race is not the biggest factor driving Democrats and independents away from Obama. Doubts about his competency loom even larger, the poll indicates. More than a quarter of all Democrats expressed doubt that Obama can bring about the change they want, and they are likely to vote against him because of that.

Three in 10 of those Democrats who don’t trust Obama’s change-making credentials say they plan to vote for McCain.

Still, the effects of whites’ racial views are apparent in the polling.

Statistical models derived from the poll suggest that Obama’s support would be as much as 6 percentage points higher if there were no white racial prejudice.

But in an election without precedent, it’s hard to know if such models take into account all the possible factors at play.

The AP-Yahoo News poll used the unique methodology of Knowledge Networks, a Menlo Park, Calif., firm that interviews people online after randomly selecting and screening them over telephone. Numerous studies have shown that people are more likely to report embarrassing behavior and unpopular opinions when answering questions on a computer rather than talking to a stranger.

Other techniques used in the poll included recording people’s responses to black or white faces flashed on a computer screen, asking participants to rate how well certain adjectives apply to blacks, measuring whether people believe blacks’ troubles are their own fault, and simply asking people how much they like or dislike blacks.

“We still don’t like black people,” said John Clouse, 57, reflecting the sentiments of his pals gathered at a coffee shop in Somerset, Ohio.

Given a choice of several positive and negative adjectives that might describe blacks, 20 percent of all whites said the word “violent” strongly applied. Among other words, 22 percent agreed with “boastful,” 29 percent “complaining,” 13 percent “lazy” and 11 percent “irresponsible.” When asked about positive adjectives, whites were more likely to stay on the fence than give a strongly positive assessment.

Among white Democrats, one third cited a negative adjective and, of those, 58 percent said they planned to back Obama.

The poll sought to measure latent prejudices among whites by asking about factors contributing to the state of black America. One finding: More than a quarter of white Democrats agree that “if blacks would only try harder, they could be just as well off as whites.”

Those who agreed with that statement were much less likely to back Obama than those who didn’t.

Among white independents, racial stereotyping is not uncommon. For example, while about 20 percent of independent voters called blacks “intelligent” or “smart,” more than one third latched on the adjective “complaining” and 24 percent said blacks were “violent.”

Nearly four in 10 white independents agreed that blacks would be better off if they “try harder.”

The survey broke ground by incorporating images of black and white faces to measure implicit racial attitudes, or prejudices that are so deeply rooted that people may not realize they have them. That test suggested the incidence of racial prejudice is even higher, with more than half of whites revealing more negative feelings toward blacks than whites.

Researchers used mathematical modeling to sort out the relative impact of a huge swath of variables that might have an impact on people’s votes — including race, ideology, party identification, the hunger for change and the sentiments of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s backers.

Just 59 percent of her white Democratic supporters said they wanted Obama to be president. Nearly 17 percent of Clinton’s white backers plan to vote for McCain.

Among white Democrats, Clinton supporters were nearly twice as likely as Obama backers to say at least one negative adjective described blacks well, a finding that suggests many of her supporters in the primaries — particularly whites with high school education or less — were motivated in part by racial attitudes.

The survey of 2,227 adults was conducted Aug. 27 to Sept. 5. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points.

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Associated Press writers Nancy Benac, Julie Carr Smyth, Philip Elliot, Julie Pace and Sonya Ross contributed to this story.

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On the Net:

Polling site: http://news.yahoo.com/polls

In June, Andrée McLeod, a self-described independent government watchdog in Alaska, sent an open records act request to the office of Governor Sarah Palin. She requested copies of all the emails that had been sent and received by Ivy Frye and Frank Bailey, two top aides to Palin, from February through April of this year. McLeod, a 53-year-old registered Republican who has held various jobs in state government, suspected that Frye and Bailey had engaged in political activity during official business hours in that period by participating in a Palin-backed effort to oust the state chairman of the Alaska Republican party, Randy Ruedrich. (Bailey has been in the national news of late for refusing to cooperate with investigators probing whether Palin fired Alaska’s public safety commission because he did not dismiss a state trooper who had gone through an ugly divorce with Palin’s sister.)

In response to her request, McLeod received four large boxes of emails. This batch of documents did not contain any proof that Frye and Bailey had worked on government time to boot out Ruedrich. But there was other information she found troubling. Several of the emails suggested to her that Palin’s office had used its influence to reward a Fairbanks surveyor who was a Palin fundraiser with a state job. In early August, McLeod filed a complaint with the state attorney general against Palin, Bailey, and other Palin aides, claiming they had violated ethics and hiring laws. Palin, now the Republican vice-presidential candidate, told the Alaska Daily News that “there were no favors done for anybody.”

But more intriguing than any email correspondence contained in the four boxes was what was not released: about 1100 emails. Palin’s office provided McLeod with a 78-page list (PDF) cataloging the emails it was withholding. Many of them had been written by Palin or sent to her. Palin’s office claimed most of the undisclosed emails were exempt from release because they were covered by the “executive” or “deliberative process” privileges that protect communications between Palin and her aides about policy matters. But the subject lines of some of the withheld emails suggest they were not related to policy matters. Several refer to one of Palin’s political foes, others to a well-known Alaskan journalist. Moreover, some of the withhold emails were CC’ed to Todd Palin, the governor’s husband. Todd Palin—a.k.a. the First Dude—holds no official state position (though he has been a close and influential adviser for Governor Palin). The fact that Palin and her aides shared these emails with a citizen outside the government undercuts the claim that they must be protected under executive privilege. McLeod asks, “What is Sarah Palin hiding?”

Poker tournaments have gained increasing popularity over the last number of years. Much of it can be attributed to an increase in television coverage, the growth of online poker and online qualifier Chris Moneymaker‘s win in the 2003 WSOP $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Event. Poker tournaments appeal to so many people due to the fact that any player can get lucky and will have a shot at winning a life-changing amount of money from a fairly small investment. For example, the winner of the 2004 WSOP $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Event received $5,000,000 in prize money, which was 500 times the entry fee. This, combined with the possibility of entering such events virtually for free by winning a satellite tournament, makes such tournaments almost impossible to resist.

Though placing first in a poker tournament is largely reliant on luck, as in all forms of poker skill plays a major role in long-term success. It is not a coincidence that you repeatedly see the same names of top players in the money. For example, with regard to the WSOP $10,000 Main Event, the late Stu Ungar won three times, Johnny Chan has won back-to-back titles and finished second once, Doyle Brunson won it twice and made the final table several times, and T.J. Cloutier has finished second twice and made several final tables. Again, in order to win a tournament you have to get lucky, but to place in the money (and occasionally finish in first place) on a regular basis you must be a skilled player.

What Is a Poker Tournament?

All players enter a tournament for the same amount of money, called the buy-in. In addition, the poker room or casino takes out an entry fee from all players entering the tournament. If the buy-in is $100 the house might take an extra $10, which means that the actual amount paid by the player is $110. If there are 100 players, the total prize pool will be 100 x $100 = $10,000. The payout structure depends on the tournament, but usually there is a prize for approximately every 10 players. In this case, it might be 30% for first place followed by 20%, 13%, 10%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, and 2% respectively, thus making it 10 prizes in total.

All players start out with an equal amount of chips and, as the tournament progresses, the stakes are typically raised every 15-60 minutes. The amount of chips players begin with, the stakes and the time periods determine whether it is a fast or slow tournament. Good players generally prefer slow tournaments where you start out with a lot of chips (as compared to the stakes) and where the time periods are long. This structure gives the better player a greater opportunity of outplaying their opponents before the stakes become so high that they are forced to “gamble” too much.

If there are 100 players in a tournament they will usually start by playing 10-handed at 10 tables. As players go broke they are eliminated (unless it is a re-buy tournament, where a player has the option of buying in again during a specified time period). Once players are eliminated, other players are relocated as tables are broken up and reconfigured. For example, if there are 10 players on one table and seven players on two other tables, two players from the 10-handed table may move to the seven-handed tables, thus making all three tables eight-handed. The tournament ends when one player has all the chips.

Differences Between Tournaments and Ring Games

In tournament play, the stakes are constantly raised. This eventually forces players to take action. All players must quit if they lose their chips. Over time, the tables are broken up, resulting in a constant shift of players. There are more situations when a player is all-in before all the cards are dealt. In addition, the method by which prizes are distributed makes the goal different from regular games. A player’s strategy will change depending on whether their stack is short, medium or large. All these factors combine to make tournament strategy quite different from regular strategy.

The Gap Concept

The term “gap concept” was first introduced by the excellent poker writer David Sklansky (see Editor’s Pick for book reviews). In tournament poker, you will usually need a better hand to play against someone who has opened the betting than what you need to open with yourself. The difference between the hand needed to call an opening bet with and the hand needed to open with is called the gap. Depending on whether your opponents are playing tight or loose, the width of the gap changes. The tighter they play the bigger the gap, and the looser they play the smaller the gap. This means raising when first in with a lot of hands you would never call a raise with normally. If you are sitting in late position playing Hold’em with a decent stack and no one has entered the pot, it would be correct to raise with hands as weak as 22, A-x and K-9s. Of course, if a very aggressive player is sitting in the blinds and he plays back a lot you will have to be more selective.

Stack Size

If you have a small stack the gap decreases, meaning you cannot afford to risk chips by steal-raising with weak hands. However, a paradox exists here that opens up plenty of opportunity for reverse psychology. Because you have a small stack, other players will be less inclined to call or re-raise you unless they have a very strong hand. This is due to the fact that they know you are not as likely to be bluffing with a small stack, and they will not be as quick to gamble against you with weaker hands because there is little for them to win. Therefore, your chances of making a successful bluff have actually increased.

On the other hand, a player with a big stack might be willing to gamble with you because they will not be risking very much by doing so and will be able to knock you out. It is at times like these that you need to know your opponents and what they are capable of doing. Playing with a medium stack is significantly more difficult because you will have to make a number of difficult decisions, since you are attempting to make a big stack but, at the same time, trying to avoid becoming a short stack. Generally, try to play more pots with the smaller stacks and avoid the bigger stacks. When you play a big stack you will have plenty of weapons at your disposal. However, you must be careful as your opponents will be expecting you to play more aggressively and will try to trap you in order to double-up. When you have a big stack, the gap increases and you can afford to take bigger risks. In No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit, you can use your big stack to put pressure on your opponents by betting, raising and re-raising.

Early Stage

In the early stages of a tournament you usually have a lot of chips as compared to the stakes. Therefore, you can afford to wait for good hands before getting heavily involved in a pot. It is recommended that you play patient, solid poker and try to trap weaker players with weaker hands. You do not want to make any big gambles where you risk going broke. Hopefully you will get lucky and manage to accumulate chips so that you are able to continue playing in this manner.

Middle Stage

Since the stakes are constantly rising, you cannot generally afford to sit back and wait for premium hands before you make a move. And, because the blinds and antes now mean something for your stack, you have to open up your game and start picking up pots. Be sure to be the aggressor and take more risks. Remember that other players will usually play quite cautiously at this stage because of the higher risk of going broke. If they play tight you loosen up, and if they play loose you tighten up. At this stage, you should also have a greater understanding of how your opponents play. Use this information when making a decision. Knowing which opponents you can bluff and which ones are “calling stations” will greatly affect the way you play your hands against them. Remember that your goal is progressing into the late stage as one of the big stacks.

Late Stage

If you have a big stack at this stage you have a huge advantage and you must capitalize. Only then can you afford to sit back and play a little more passively until you are close to the money. When you are only a few spots away, you should start making moves with your big stack, or even with a medium stack. Your opponents will fear going broke at this stage so you will have plenty of opportunities to steal pots. A very aggressive play is recommended and you should make sure you are the aggressor and not the caller. Avoid confrontations with big stacks and pick on the smaller stacks in order to avoid going broke.

If you have a small stack you want to make moves before you become so short-stacked that you cannot avoid getting played with, regardless of what the other payers are holding. If you get a great hand, you should do what it takes to get action in order to double-up — for example, slow playing hands that you would not normally risk going broke with. In this situation, it is important that you gamble more and take risks if you want a chance of winning the tournament; of course, you also run a greater risk of going broke.

The Final Table

If you have a big stack or medium stack you can play basic strategy and try to pick on the small stacks. However, you must again be aware of avoiding big stack confrontation. Your goal is to finish in the top three spots, at least, where the big money is. If you have a small stack you must find a hand and go with it. Remember to be the aggressor and not the caller unless you hold a great hand. Do not wait until you are so short-stacked that doubling-up will not make a big difference. It is better to make a move with nothing than to get anted out of the tournament. As players get knocked out you will have to play more aggressively, especially when it is down to the last four or five players. If you have been sitting back playing passively, your opponents will give you a lot of credit when you suddenly start giving action. It is important to think of your table image at all times and adjust your play accordingly. If the other remaining players are only trying to outlast each other, you can play aggressively and steal the blinds and antes.

Final Advice on How to Improve Your Tournament Game

A great way to gain tournament experience quickly is by playing online. There you can play tournaments with re-buys or no re-buys (freezeouts), with buy-ins ranging from one dollar to a couple thousand dollars. Your basic strategy will not be very different when playing in a small or large buy-in event. There may still be several hundred players to beat and it might prove to be equally as hard to finish in first place. Online tournaments are much quicker, but it is possible that you will be able to play the same amount of hands (or more) as in a decent-sized live event. This is because the hands are played much faster (no shuffling, counting chips and so forth). Indeed, one or two table tournaments are a good way to gain experience of final table and shorthanded play.

Article from www.pokerlistings.com

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