New to STTs, goals to strive for?

[flyby4553]

Hi all, I'm a new poster but have lurked around 2+2 for a while. I'd like to start playing SNGs primarily (10+1s to start from what I've gathered here) after basically messing around on Party and building up my bankroll playing .5/1 HE and O8B. I was wondering what goals you guys would reccomend I strive for as I start out and how you would reccomend I keep track of my SNG stats. I'm here to learn, so any advice you guys have would be great.

Thanks
flyby

[Matt Walker]

Welcome to the forums. I'd recommend getting pokertracker. I good goal would be to make money. Seriosly don't fixate about your ROI or ITM, just worry about getting better and the rest will follow.

[Slim Pickens]

Welcome to the forum.

What are your long-term goals with regards to poker and life? It will be easier to give useful advice if you let us know. Are you an aspiring online pro, or a serious hobbiest? Do you just want to make as much $$$ as possible, or would you like to become a solid all-around poker player? Does "playing for fun" motivate you?

As for record keeping. Don't do anything for the first 500 tournaments. Buy Poker Tracker immediately, but don't look at the ROI and ITM numbers. Use it to record hands. When a tournament is over, look back through the hands and think about them. Post any you're not sure about (although I personally find this hard). After 500 tournaments, download the AM spreadsheet or Hood's SNG Tracker if you want feel like keeping track. If you don't want to know your ROI, or are worried you'll become obsessed with it, don't use either.

Slim

AM spreadsheet (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Number=2280233&page=&view=&s b=5&o=&vc=1)
Hood's SNG Tracker (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Number=1957841&page=&view=&s b=5&o=&vc=1)

[flyby4553]

[ QUOTE ]
Welcome to the forum.

What are your long-term goals with regards to poker and life? It will be easier to give useful advice if you let us know. Are you an aspiring online pro, or a serious hobbiest? Do you just want to make as much $$$ as possible, or would you like to become a solid all-around poker player? Does "playing for fun" motivate you?

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for you feedback. I'm a senior in high school (18 of course /images/graemlins/smile.gif) so I'm not looking to 'go pro' or anything of that nature. However at the same time I'd like to be able to make enough money so I have some spending money in college and can also put aside money I make from my regular job this summer and not have to spend it on a daily basis. I enjoy to play though so having to spend a few months really learning how to play wouldn't be a problem for me.

[Misfire]

Make your goals whatever you choose. Only you know what you want out of your time spent playing. Other than that, just make sure you're not playing outside of your bankroll. 30-50 buy-ins is normal. If you don't have enough for the 10s yet, there's plenty of $1+.10 and $5+.50 games at UltimateBet.com

[MSUcougar]

Don't know if you've seen this thread yet, but it should have an answer to any question you can think of about SNG's...

SNG FAQ (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=1918735&page=&view=&sb=5& o=&fpart=1&vc=1)

[Slim Pickens]

It sounds like you need to build a bankroll. Start out playing the 10+1's with as much money as you can spare. Make sure you get the most out of your "tuition" by analyzing the crap out of every tournament you play. You will start out losing, but you can minimize this by studying. When I started, I spend more time going over tournaments than I did actually playing them. Learn to multitable at the 11's. Build a bankroll and move up as soon as you feel comfortable.

Oh, and get yourself a sweet avatar.

Slim

[The Yugoslavian]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't know if you've seen this thread yet, but it should have an answer to any question you can think of about SNG's...

SNG FAQ (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=1918735&page=&view=&sb=5& o=&fpart=1&vc=1)

[/ QUOTE ]

THIS IS NOT A FAQ YOU'RE LINKING TO!!!

Bah!

Okay, it's also not going to be particularly useful to answering the OP either...

In fact, it's most difficult to answer the question of what goals one should strive for b/c it's not clear what type of goal the OP has in mind....monetary goal? Happiness goal? Stat goal? ???

Yugoslav

[flyby4553]

Sorry, I guess I should have been more clear when I posted the initial question. I guess I'm really wondering is say I start with a bankroll of $500 playing two to three tables at $10+1. A month from now what would be some reasonable expectations to have about my peformance and my quality of play; and how could I verify that I have/have not reached those expectations?

[The Yugoslavian]

[ QUOTE ]
I guess I'm really wondering is say I start with a bankroll of $500 playing two to three tables at $10+1. A month from now what would be some reasonable expectations to have about my peformance and my quality of play;


[/ QUOTE ]

Depends on how many STTs you get in...but you're most likely going to be up some amount of money or down some amount of money...it'd be nice to be up some amount of money...but not any more meaningful.

[ QUOTE ]

and how could I verify that I have/have not reached those expectations?

[/ QUOTE ]

Have someone look over your HHs from before and after and tell you whether you have improved. Also, if you can see more mistakes by other players at the table and know *why* they are mistakes, this is a good indication as well...

Yugoslav