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View Full Version : First time keeping stats/trying seriously to make $$ in SNGs


trumpman84
09-04-2004, 07:48 AM
Through 55 tournaments.... mostly 10+1 at poker room which starts at 1500 chips.

ITM: 35.71%
ROI: 18.67%
Profit: $129.00
Average placement: 4.80

Money finishes: 20
1st: 12
2nd: 2
3rd: 6

First thing...I think it's good that I have finished 1st two more than 50% of the time when making the money.

To the bad. I think I bust out both early and on the bubble too often and I think it is for 4 reasons.

1) Unless I get good cards early on, I can't build a stack early....the blinds aren't worth stealing and the fish haven't busted out yet, so they'll pay to see your bluffs all the way to the river plus with the blinds being so low, bluffing just isn't worth it.

2) I'm only a decent short stack player....if I can double up my short stack, I usually make the money.

3) I bust out 6-9th too much for my liking. If I do get a premium hand (AA-JJ, AK when an A or K hits the flop), I bet it very hard, but maybe to a fault? Should I ease up on the aggresiveness early on? I've had my fair share of bad beats with these hands, sure, but I've busted out sometimes to two pairs, straights and sets b/c I'm convinced my TPTK or high pocket pair is best.

4) Say later on the tournament (5-6 or less players) I am heads up with someone with a hand like QJ when a jack flops and I am first to act (usually happens in the small blind) I bet out, he calls...what do I do on the turn and the river? He could be slow playing a number of things...he could have JT, J9, etc. Or he could just be really passive and not raising with his KJ or AJ. Some people even call here with ace high or a second or third pair. I lose a lot of chips sometimes to passive players who shouldve raised on the flop with a good kicker or sometimes to a player who catches two pair or 3 of a kind b/c I check to him and gave him a free card. Which is why I don't like checking to him because he could turn his bottom pair or ace high into a better hand for free. What do you do when you are first to act and have a marginal (but still pretty strong) hand. Is checking the turn the right way to go on the turn and just muck if he starts betting hard?

When I have a comfortable stack and the blinds are worth playing for, I am very comfortable bluffing, semi-bluffing and stealing blinds.

If I can improve these aspects, and overall have a higher % of ITM finishes, with the high number of times I can best the other two shorthanded and heads up, my ROI will go up considerably....

So, any help is appreciated.

Also, any thoughts about my first 55 tournaments stats are welcome.

parappa
09-04-2004, 08:06 AM
[ QUOTE ]
1) Unless I get good cards early on, I can't build a stack early

[/ QUOTE ]

Fact of life. You could playa lot more hands early, and some people recommend it, but imo the cure is worse than the disease.


[ QUOTE ]
2) I'm only a decent short stack player....if I can double up my short stack, I usually make the money.

3) I bust out 6-9th too much for my liking. If I do get a premium hand (AA-JJ, AK when an A or K hits the flop), I bet it very hard, but maybe to a fault? Should I ease up on the aggresiveness early on? I've had my fair share of bad beats with these hands, sure, but I've busted out sometimes to two pairs, straights and sets b/c I'm convinced my TPTK or high pocket pair is best.

[/ QUOTE ]

These are linked, imo. While I think that you shouldn't get too carried away, pushing big premium hands is the only way to build a big stack the times that you have a chance to do it. I've stopped caring what position I go out in if it's before the bubble--whether you finish 7th or 10th tends to be a measure of when the chips go in with a big hand that gets beat, rather than anything else.

[ QUOTE ]
4) Say later on the tournament (5-6 or less players) I am heads up with someone with a hand like QJ when a jack flops and I am first to act (usually happens in the small blind) I bet out, he calls...what do I do on the turn and the river? He could be slow playing a number of things...he could have JT, J9, etc. Or he could just be really passive and not raising with his KJ or AJ. Some people even call here with ace high or a second or third pair. I lose a lot of chips sometimes to passive players who shouldve raised on the flop with a good kicker or sometimes to a player who catches two pair or 3 of a kind b/c I check to him and gave him a free card. Which is why I don't like checking to him because he could turn his bottom pair or ace high into a better hand for free. What do you do when you are first to act and have a marginal (but still pretty strong) hand. Is checking the turn the right way to go on the turn and just muck if he starts betting hard?

[/ QUOTE ]

It looks like what you're talking about is playing marginal hands out of position. I think it's the hardest thing in the game. Post some specific hands here and people can help, but I often think that how I play these is controlled by my stack size and read If I'm desparate, I'll push at any piece of the flop. If I have lots of chips, I'll check/fold.

[ QUOTE ]
Also, any thoughts about my first 55 tournaments stats are welcome.

[/ QUOTE ]

So far, so good /images/graemlins/smile.gif

hhboy77
09-05-2004, 03:15 AM
i play on party mostly, but the concepts are basically the same for playing sng's anywhere.

for finishing in the last three places, i don't exactly know what "more than your liking" (isn't placing in those positions once more than your liking?) means but as a reference i'm one of the first three to bust out 6.4% of the time. if your numbers are a lot higher, you might want to rethink your strategy early on. my advice would be to remember that the goal in the early stages is not to win small pots but rather one or two big ones. the best way to double up with in general is to get all your money in preflop with an overpair or flop a set and bust someone. when you talk about premium hands, you mention top pair top kicker but going all in in a multiway pot with that can sometimes be trouble.

later on, when the table gets short, top pair, even with a fair kicker is a strong hand. that is the time to play top pair strong.

on the bubble, your play really depends on your table. if you're at a table where all-in raises get routinely called, this is not to time to be stealing blinds. let the other people bust. if people are trying to sneak in to the money, then you have to push your stack.

hope this helps.