kurosh
10-25-2004, 07:46 AM
I'm trying to get this down... correct me if I'm wrong. I've been on a downstreak in my SNG play. Trying to reiterate the fundamentals.
In early stages, when the blinds are insignificant, play as if it is a cash game. IE, only premium hands, most pocket pairs for set value if you can get in cheap. I also like to play suited connectors in late positions if it's cheap.
When the blinds become roughly 1/10th of the starting chip stacks (50/100 on stars where I mostly play), stop playing small pocket pairs and suited connectors unless your stack is big enough to get the right odds. I don't do this unless I've doubled up. Keep playing the premium hands tightly. When you're in CO or button and it's folded around to you, mandatory raise to 3x BB with any two to steal blinds. If I'm called and checked to on flop, I bet 1/2 - 2/3 pot regardless of what flops. If I'm called and have nothing, it's check/fold mode.
Later stages: By this time I've either won a few hands and am in awesome shape or been blinded down by lack of hands or missing on the flop.
If I'm in good shape, I'm stealing a lot of blinds with any two with a minraise. If I get played back at, depends on the stack size. Most likely it'll be an all-in from a smaller stack and I'll be getting 2:1 odds so I'll call with most hands. If I'm getting bad pot odds and he's a big stack, I fold.
If I'm in bad shape, I wait for pocket pairs or premiums and push. If none come, I wait until I get blinded down even farther to 5x BB then pick a decent hand and push push push.
HU play: I used to dominate this. Rarely lost heads-up in a SNG. Now I'm losing with significant chip advantages and I don't know why. Advice on HU play would be good.
My normal strategy: Blinds are huge so I usually play extremely aggressively. My philosophy is, if it's good enough to call with, it's good enough to raise with. I raise when I have trash roughly 20% of the time and check/fold PF the rest. On the flop, I bet out 80% of the time if I'm first to act regardless of what hits. If he checks to me, I bet out 100% and respond to what he does based on my read. The problem comes when, I have a decent hand, raise PF, miss the flop, bet out and he goes all-in (most likely because I've been so aggressive the entire time and he's caught on). I usually fold and I'm in terrible shape.
In early stages, when the blinds are insignificant, play as if it is a cash game. IE, only premium hands, most pocket pairs for set value if you can get in cheap. I also like to play suited connectors in late positions if it's cheap.
When the blinds become roughly 1/10th of the starting chip stacks (50/100 on stars where I mostly play), stop playing small pocket pairs and suited connectors unless your stack is big enough to get the right odds. I don't do this unless I've doubled up. Keep playing the premium hands tightly. When you're in CO or button and it's folded around to you, mandatory raise to 3x BB with any two to steal blinds. If I'm called and checked to on flop, I bet 1/2 - 2/3 pot regardless of what flops. If I'm called and have nothing, it's check/fold mode.
Later stages: By this time I've either won a few hands and am in awesome shape or been blinded down by lack of hands or missing on the flop.
If I'm in good shape, I'm stealing a lot of blinds with any two with a minraise. If I get played back at, depends on the stack size. Most likely it'll be an all-in from a smaller stack and I'll be getting 2:1 odds so I'll call with most hands. If I'm getting bad pot odds and he's a big stack, I fold.
If I'm in bad shape, I wait for pocket pairs or premiums and push. If none come, I wait until I get blinded down even farther to 5x BB then pick a decent hand and push push push.
HU play: I used to dominate this. Rarely lost heads-up in a SNG. Now I'm losing with significant chip advantages and I don't know why. Advice on HU play would be good.
My normal strategy: Blinds are huge so I usually play extremely aggressively. My philosophy is, if it's good enough to call with, it's good enough to raise with. I raise when I have trash roughly 20% of the time and check/fold PF the rest. On the flop, I bet out 80% of the time if I'm first to act regardless of what hits. If he checks to me, I bet out 100% and respond to what he does based on my read. The problem comes when, I have a decent hand, raise PF, miss the flop, bet out and he goes all-in (most likely because I've been so aggressive the entire time and he's caught on). I usually fold and I'm in terrible shape.