MTTs, STTs, and HU

So I was thinking about this today, MTTs and HU both have more variance than STTs but why? Maybe this can make my question more clear:

Number of Entrants- MTT > STT > HU

Amount of hands played- MTT > STT > HU

Variance- MTT > STT < HU

Explain.

[lorinda]

I believe HU SNGs have less variance than STTs.

Lori

Hm... a winning player should win well over 50% of his matches, especially if he manages to only play bad players. Wouldn't that make it lower variance than SnG's?

[raptor517]

HU sngs have WAY less variance than stts or mtts. holla

I think HU has way less variance than MTTs or SNGS, but you can't make as much money per hour becasue of payout structure and the constant attention needed to play HU.

As far as variance goes, the explanation is that you don't get into complicated situations stemming from having multiple opponents. For instance, the theoretical correctness of pushing late in an single table SNG or MTT will depend on calling ranges for multiple, sometimes completely unknown, opponents and varying payout stuctures.

A headsup match is a winner-take-all zero-sum game. Pushing is only a matter of what you believe one opponent will call with. The main difference between heads up play and other poker games stems from the fact that poker is a game of incomplete informaiton. When you play it heads up you are continually exposed to one person's playing style in a very specific context. In this way, most players become infinitely more readable than they will in the varying contexts of an SNG or MTT. Additionally, you will be given many more opportunities to exploit a skill edge over that one opponent since you will both play more hands to the flop, turn and river.

[FlyWf]

It has nothing to do with win rate. A $11 headsup guy will either win $9 or lose $11, with it being unlikely that either result will happen more than 60% of the time.
At a $11 SNG he'll either lose $11, win $9, win $19, or win $39. He'll lose 60% of the time even if he's a good player.

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I believe HU SNGs have less variance than STTs.


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Wouldn't that make it lower variance than SnG's?

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HU sngs have WAY less variance than stts or mtts. holla



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I think HU has way less variance than MTTs or SNGS,

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I guess I was wrong /images/graemlins/confused.gif /images/graemlins/frown.gif /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Mr_J]

"It has nothing to do with win rate."

Of course it does.

[pergesu]

[ QUOTE ]
It has nothing to do with win rate. A $11 headsup guy will either win $9 or lose $11, with it being unlikely that either result will happen more than 60% of the time.
At a $11 SNG he'll either lose $11, win $9, win $19, or win $39. He'll lose 60% of the time even if he's a good player.

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If you have a high ROI but low ITM, you're gonna have lots of variance. If you have a higher ITM but a lower ROI, you'll have less variance.

[FlyWf]

Yeah, but that situation doesn't exist in HU. Every N% ITM HU player has exactly the same ROI.

Also, what form of poker has higher variance has absolutely nothing to do with any individual player's winrate.

Since Im now on stars, and unused to the various formats, Im new to the HU STT. I've been considering playing one HU and one SNG at a time, since the HU will likely be over by the time that the SNG has just started becoming interesting.

however, if you think that I will win no more than 6o% of the time, its just not worth it.

[raptor517]

[ QUOTE ]
Since Im now on stars, and unused to the various formats, Im new to the HU STT. I've been considering playing one HU and one SNG at a time, since the HU will likely be over by the time that the SNG has just started becoming interesting.

however, if you think that I will win no more than 6o% of the time, its just not worth it.

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you could get at least 2 HU sngs in the time it takes to play the normal 9 handed ones. holla

right. and if Im not the better player at a 5 or 10, I shouldnt even be posting here, and I should go get a normal college job at mcdonalds or something.

However, I am the better player, at LEAST at the 5, and unless someone good is slumming it in the 10s I should be there too. So for hourly winrate, am I better off 2 tabling these HU's or 4 tabling SNG's?

also, where can I get a better idea of good HU strategy.

haha, as a former PP'er, the only HU strat I have is from SNG's, and I really dont feel like going all in first hand with ace 9 suited.

[raptor517]

99% of the world will have a much higher winrate 4 tabling full sngs than hu sngs. it takes a special skill, a special ability even, to do very well long term in heads up. holla

haha, thanks, that was what I was lookin for.

now all we need is for StanZee to pop up and tell us he is "the one" who could do just that


yell.