Michael Addamo's ICM Strategy: Lessons from a Poker Legend

Michael Addamo achieved a significant rise in the poker tournament scene in late 2021, earning over $9 million. His strategy involved having the largest stack and applying pressure using ICM considerations. The article analyzes a hand from the #87 World Series of Poker tournament with a $100,000 buy-in, played on November 21, 2021.

Sam Sovereel raised with KQo from the button with 28 blinds, and Michael Addamo defended with 63s on the big blind. The solver's strategy with ICM considerations differs significantly from standard chipEV strategy. The button opens much tighter and folds 68% of hands by ICM against 51% by chipEV. When the player enters the pot, ICM inclines them to more frequent limps.

On the flop, Sam gets a second pair, while Michael has a third pair. Michael checks, and Sam continues with a 20% bank bet. The solver approves of the 20% sizing but prefers to check with a larger part of pairs weaker than an ace, despite the significant advantage in equity of the ranges. In a tournament, it is not beneficial for the medium stack holder to inflate the pot against the chip leader, increasing the likelihood of an all-in, so he prefers to simply realize the equity and get one step closer to the showdown.