What's the difference

[SaggyTTs]

Okay, I play 11's and only break even (about 300-400 tourneys so far). As far as I can tell, I don't know what the heck I can do better. What's killing me is making a ton of 4's. According to stat expectations you guys have quoted here, I should have pocketed about 600-1000 bucks so far.

The sad thing, I KNOW I am playing better than the average player at those tables. I play super tight early. I value bet well. I don't give draws the right odds. I don't play low pairs late. I am aggressive with good cards. I see players playing the dumbest cards, cold calling raises 3bb or more with marginal hands, etc. Yet, I am breaking even.

So I try to analyze this. I think playing very tight aggressive early is right, and i wouldn't change it (right?). Since I am getiting blinded to death and getting too many 4ths (outlasting the goobers), would you say I am playing too tight in the mid levels (25-50 on..)? Any recs for moving beyond breaking even?

I guess I should be happy that I am breaking even because at least I keep enough money to play and learn, but I honestly can't see a major leak in my game. I am well read, with about 150k hands under my belt (I know that doesn't make me an "experienced" player, but it certainly doesn't make me an "inexperienced newbie" either). What can I do to move up to the next level.

[pergesu]

If you're playing tight early on and then not opening up late, you're going to have a tough time beating these. Do yourself a favor and read all the ICM stuff in the FAQ, and that'll get you going in the right direction. In fact, do yourself a HUGE favor and read everything in the FAQ, bookmark it, and periodically review it once you've got everything in it down pat.

Make that your new year's resolution or something.

to add to what perg said, read all that ICM stuff, then buy eastbay's SnG Power Tools and use it to study your bubble hands. if you're getting lots of 4ths, this will make a huge difference in determining in which spots you should be pushing (and calling for that matter).

[Irieguy]

[ QUOTE ]
According to stat expectations you guys have quoted here, I should have pocketed about 600-1000 bucks so far.



[/ QUOTE ]

The statistical expectation of a SNG is for you to lose 9% of your buy-in. So, you are doing better than expected.

The fact that you feel entitled to a profit is likely a symptom of a fundamental misunderstanding of the game.

If you can't figure out why you aren't beating the rake, pay a winning player to watch your HHs and tell you what mistakes you are making.

Irieguy

[ravensfan]

This is a real general comment, but I noticed you didn't mention position. Maybe some more stealing in position. Most of the players at the 11s seem to ignore position and check to you if they miss their flop. I've been betting about 1/2 the pot on scary boards oop and missed flops (when in position) and it seems to work out pretty well.

Also, i've heard that the best players get 1st and 6th a lot, so probably you're not opening up early enough (ie winning hands in Level 3 and pushing in L4).

Also, i start to look at making moves when my "M" is about 10, and pushing in good spots when it's about 7-10.
And pushing medium Aces, pairs, and 2 face cards with 3-4 players left to play whenever i get too low - ie. M=5, or 7x bb.

[SaggyTTs]

2 questions: What are HH's and how can I verify who is a winning player?

[SaggyTTs]

I guess I understand what you mean, but I am referring to stats (ROI) that a "good" player can expect, like say 25% at 11s. Right now, even though I am beating rake, I am getting 0% ROI. It could be possible that I am playing an excellent game, but with only 300 tourneys, variance is killing me. More likely though, I have a probably a small leak or flaw in my game that is keeping me from killing the game instead of breaking even.

Should I not, if I become a "good" player, expect a good roi long term?

[Guthrie]

[ QUOTE ]
I guess I understand what you mean, but I am referring to stats (ROI) that a "good" player can expect, like say 25% at 11s. Right now, even though I am beating rake, I am getting 0% ROI. It could be possible that I am playing an excellent game, but with only 300 tourneys, variance is killing me. More likely though, I have a probably a small leak or flaw in my game that is keeping me from killing the game instead of breaking even.

Should I not, if I become a "good" player, expect a good roi long term?

[/ QUOTE ]
After 300 11s, I'm slightly negative. After 300 22s, I'm at 20% ROI. Go figure. At the turbo 27s I'm on a roller coaster, OOTM 12 in a row, then three firsts in a row.

You won't know that you're a good player until you get a good ROI over time.

[pergesu]

[ QUOTE ]
2 questions: What are HH's and how can I verify who is a winning player?

[/ QUOTE ]
You really ought to be reviewing your games...HHs are hand histories, and they show all the action for every hand you play. You can request them at the end of the tournament, when the window asks you if you want the tourney summary, or you can pull em off your hard drive. Just read/replay these to review a game you played and see where you're messing up. If you have any questions on hands, post them here for feedback. If that's not helping at you, go with Irie's suggestion and pay someone to help you out.