At what point in the SNG do you open up your game?

[Bigwig]

I'm curious as to when everyone does it. I usually switch gears on Stars at level 4, when the blinds become 50/100. At this point, the average stack will be less than 30BB, giving improper odds for people to call a standard 3BB raise for set value, and winning the blinds actually 'means' something (maybe 7.5% additional to your stack).

What are some of your guidelines as to when to switch gears and start opening with a broader range of hands?

[El Maximo]

I start to open up on Party at Level 4. Im beginning to get more aggressive on level 3 but I find it difficult at times. A 3x raise at level 3 can still attract a lot of callers and than if you want to fire a flop bet it can be a good portion of your stack.

[Sluss]

I ussually start to think about stealing at the 25/50. At least that is when I will start to open raise with something other than a big pair. Not real stealing, because I actually do it with good hands. I won't open up to real stealing until 50/100.

[Bigwig]

[ QUOTE ]
I ussually start to think about stealing at the 25/50. At least that is when I will start to open raise with something other than a big pair. Not real stealing, because I actually do it with good hands. I won't open up to real stealing until 50/100.

[/ QUOTE ]

Where do you play at, Sluss?

[KenProspero]

It depends

The most important factor for me is where my chip stack is in relationship to the blinds.

If, for example, I enter a few hands early and lose, I have to open up quickly, because I'm short stacked.

Similarly, if I'm regularly winning small pots, I can wait because my stack is ok in relation to the blinds.

Finally, if I win some major pots early (so I'm the 500 lb gorilla), it's time to throw my weight around a bit.

A second factor is who the other players are in the game. If my table has a bunch of passive players who fold to any mini-bet unless they have a 'real' hand, I'll open up early to grab the chips that are there for the taking. If others in the pot are majorly aggressive, I'm going to wait for my spot.

[jcm4ccc]

I find Level 4 kind of awkward (if I haven't been winning any chips), because I have 12-13X the BB, which makes it difficult to make a 3XBB preflop raise, get a caller, and then play the flop if you don't hit your hand. Also, it really hurts to lose 300 chips at this point.

I tend to go all-in at Level 4, and I do it pretty conservatively. I don't think the 150 chips is worth the possibility of losing your stack. I'll go all-in if I don't mind a call; otherwise, I'm waiting for Level 5 to open up.