THE TAO OF LINDGREN

There is a lot to be said for his aggressive strategy. I've been trying it out this weekend at Empire playing the 5 table SITnGOs and made the final table all three times finishing 7th, 5th and 3rd.

The 5th was a real heartbreaker as I was the chip leader from 40 people on down to the final table. The pain came when I suckered JJ all-in against my KK and it hurt like a shiv when he flopped that J. Then I went card dead and on the shortstack and threw allin with an open ended straight draw and didn't connect.

The toughest part about playing aggressive is being able to change gears because the action is such a rush. For instance, the 3rd place finish was my gambling with a flush draw and I ran into top pair.

I've never done much more than dabble into tourney play, focusing instead on the cash game. I think Lindgren has a lot to say about giving the opportunity to win big and it has certainly made me think of my game in different ways.