I don't know what to do.....

[2+2 Junkie]

I am new to sng's, but have played poker for a while (mostly limit and live games). I cannot win at sng's to save my life. If I play the popular tight model (early, nothing but QQ,KK,AA, and AK, and loosen after stage 4 or whatever) I am so shortstacked at the end that when I go with JJ or KQ or AQ or 66, I get sucked out majority of the time and finish out of the money.
If I play more loose to try and build a stack, I can't hit like all the fish do.
Loose doesn't work, tight means a crap shoot. I hate pushing all in all the time at the end to get called by a single over or two overs and always lose the race, and that is what my tournament comes down to.
I am so frustrated, and it doesn't help with everyone here posting about how one should crush the game ($5-10 games).
I just don't know how this game is profitable without being crazy or really lucky.
Any suggestions before I blow my brains out would help.

[citanul]

before you go blow your brains out, you should consider hanging yourself instead.

citanul

[2+2 Junkie]

is that more +ev?

[lastchance]

Blinds are good. Steal them L4-ITM. Figure out good ways to pick up chips without getting into a fight, and you don't really need a hand to pick up chips without a fight.

L1-L3, you need to play more than QQ-AA, and AK. Of course, getting it in with these hands is good, but you should play small pairs to flop sets given the correct implied odds, and learning to play TPTK and draws for value is really useful (though painful). Good postflop is always good.

[citanul]

for whoever has to clean up the mess, yes.

citanul

[The Yugoslavian]

[ QUOTE ]
is that more +ev?

[/ QUOTE ]

Nooses are +gangsta. Glocks are too...

As for you beating the game....there is a decent chance that you aren't cut out for poker. There is a lot more to it than what you're saying in your post. If you're really f*cked up in the head about it all right now hae someone look at a few of your HHs and ask them where you're on the right track and where you're leaking all of your chips away.

Yugoslav

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
Blinds are good. Steal them L4-ITM. Figure out good ways to pick up chips without getting into a fight, and you don't really need a hand to pick up chips without a fight.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good stuff.

[valenzuela]

Maybe you suck at poker... you clearly put to much emphasis on your hand. You basically need to figure a range for pushing using : players info(for instance luke limps too much), stack sizes , the previous betting action on the hand and of course position, however in SNG poker stacks means so much more than in other forms of poker.

[rvg72]

Loosen up a little bit in level 1 and maybe 2 - you are not playing enough hands if you are going by the strict guidelines. Throw in all pocket pairs and some decent connectors if you can get in for cheap in late position. Just be prepared to fold if it doesn't hit.

Once you get better at picking the right spots to steal then this will become less and less important but when you are learning it pays to have some extra chips even if it means coming in 6th to 10th a little more often.

And of course there is the famous saying of "you may be playing correctly and it could just be bad variance". There were probably a bunch of SNG's where 1 card going the wrong way put you in 4th or 5th where had it not you may have come in 1st or 2nd.

Good luck.

rvg

[Big Limpin']

Try playing left-handed. You use the mouse with your right hand, dont you? That may be the problem.

Sorry, but thats the type of response you will get posing the question "im not doing well. I try stuff, and it doesnt work. What do you guys do". If you could fit "how to win at poker" on a postcard, then there wouldnt be this forum.

Try posting specific questions, from situations that occured where you were unsure of what move to make. Read this forum voraciously. Learn who the best posters are, and follow their advice. (i wont give a list here because id forget too many, but PM if you want and i'll rattle off a dozen names who know whats what).

Good starting spots are the SnG FAQ/Wiki, Shadow's first post, Aleo guide....and every time you see a good resply to a question, go and read that posters last dozen replies. This will give you a flavor of how they think about situations...and remember their name.

Baby steps though, you dont get "good" by asking the question you did in this post. YOu only antagonize people who would otherwise be helpful to you.

GL,
BL'

[Blarg]

Don't feel bad about not crushing the game; everything's easy once it's easy, but few people start out being absolutely great at anything.

Valenzuela was on target when he said you rely on your hand too much. You're going to have to do a lot of betting with mediocre to outright lousy hands. You can't survive the blinds in SNG's if you just wait for good hands. If you wait too long, even if you win, it means too little because what you're winning, even if you double up, is too small.

A lot of those bets that other guys are making out there, including the ones that suck out on you, are made by people who know they're less than ideal bets. It's just that the timing is good.