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View Full Version : Rambling thoughts and questions regarding small stakes sng (Party)


tewall
12-27-2005, 01:24 AM
1)The most common mistake I see are unnormal bet sizes. If one consides a bet of between 1/2 pot and the pot to be normal, virtually every hand one sees bets outside of this range. A betting sequence I often see is 1/20th of the pot on the flop and turn, followed by all-in on the river.

I've actually learned something from these bets. For example, I'll see a pot of 150, and someone will bet 15, and everyone will fold. So I think that's got to be worth trying.

Another use for the itsi-bitty bet I've seen use for is as a blocking bet. It seems that often when one bets 15 (into a pot ten times the size or more), it often gets called all the way around. So that's led me to wonder if it might make sense to limp in with say Ax suited, trying for a flush. If one hits the flush draw, one could lead out with the tiny blocking bet. I'm thinking that might be +EV, but I've not tried it. Does anyone do this?

Another thing I've learned is to make the big overbet all-in in the first round with QQ through AA if several people have already limped in the pot, and then wait for mister 33 to call me.

A question that comes up with the big bets is where one draws the line. That is, what's good enough to call with? I've been drawing the line at TPTK (or sometimes just TP). I'm talking about the early levels here, and assuming I've brought it in with a raise. If I've limped in, I'm more cautious. I find that it's better than 50/50 my TPTK will be good, although of course sometimes it's not.

2)Players make rediculous calls. Things like calling with nothing but overcards or a gut-shot or third pair. The way to take advantage of this is of course to make big bets and take advantage of their desire to call.

One time I went all-in PF with QQ where my all-in was maybe 1.5 times the size the pot after 4 or so had limped in, and this guy wrote, "I want to call!" (but he folded). It was humurous in its honesty. I felt like apologizing for making him fold.

I think an area of my game that could improve would be making larger bets. I tend to bet around 50-75% of the pot, which works fine, but I wonder if betting more might be even better.

3)I used to think bluffing was profitable in a number of circumstances, but now am not so sure. For example, if several players limp in, and you're in the big blind, you could go all-in. The problem I see with this is that people will limp in with hands like KK and AK, and then call your all-in. So I've reduced my bluffs to the following:

a)If I'm in the SB, on the button or CO and first to act, I make a standard raise, and follow it up with a 1/2 pot bet (assuming I'm checked to).

b)If I'm in the big blind and it's folded to the small blind completes, I min-raise. Surprisingly often the small blind will fold right there. If not, I follow it up with a 1/2 pot bet (assuming I'm checked to).

c)If I'm the first one in the pot, and there it's heads-up or three way, I'll usually bet 1/2 pot (depending on the flop texture and pre-flop action).

Those are the only bluffs (not including bubble pushes) that come to me that I'm currently doing. Does this sound right? Any others worth running? Obviously since one of the banes of this level are rediculously bad calls, bluffing strategies are limited.

Oh, one for sure I should add, is if I have a chip lead, or it's 2 or 3 handed, I'm looking to steal a lot.

4)Bubble play. This is the part I'm most at sea about. I notice that players push too infrequently and make just awful calls, with things like K9 and A3 when the blinds are still quite high. So I'm wondering for those who use SNGPT, what settings do you use? I've been thinking "Lose" and "Maniac" may be the best to use. Maybe a mixture, assuming a mix of players would be best.

My strategy has been to be quite aggressive pushing, too much so I think, but very conservative calling. I've been pulling back recently on the pushing ranges, and trying to tighten up in general. It's difficult to know where to draw the line here. Any suggestions appreciated.

12-27-2005, 04:46 AM
1. Just because other (losing) players make mini bets...and they occasionally work, don't do this yourself. Really, you have nothing to gain. Play tight early on and don't risk your chips against foolios when you don't know where you are at (ie, play hands for top pair value when you can get it heads up, or play hands for straight/flush/set value multiway, but with position and not every hand). Protect your stack.

The key to 2 is to identify what player's traits are...what bets they can call and how they play hands...and play your strong hands like they play their weak hands...and get maximum value. Figure out what your opponents have and value bet the [censored] out of them.

In pushing, don't go overboard. Harrington's M=5 rule, push with anything decent, is a little overboard for Party's 800chip SNG's. Pay attention to what people will call with...and pay attention to how often you are pushing. Push with great hands and show them.

As far as trying to steal with nothing on the blind, pay attention to how people play. In the lower buyin Party SNG's, there are not that many people who will limp big hands. Watch how people play...if they think they are coy and never limp in early position...then all of a sudden limp on your blind on the 100 chip bb, don't do it, but if they limp all sorts of Ax crap...or have previously limped and folded to a standard raise, don't be afraid to push here. The worst is that you'll be called by a small pair or Axo by weak players, and you'll end up risking a bunch of chips with 97s vs A8o.

If i'm in the sb and you min raise me from the bb, i always call, unless calling is a significant portion of my stack. If you autobet the flop after autoraising preflop, I will figure this out quickly and take advantage of it on higher levels (in other words, you may take advantage of me on 50/100 blinds, but i'm gonna run over you on 150/300 blinds for way more chips). That's just me...and people don't win money on SNGs by playing against people like me. Still...raise your good hands from the blinds, fold your crappy hands (unless you have position or good reads on your opponent), play poker with your medium hands.

tewall
12-27-2005, 01:58 PM
Thanks for your well thought out reply. Good food for thought.

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In pushing, don't go overboard. Harrington's M=5 rule, push with anything decent, is a little overboard for Party's 800chip SNG's.

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SNGPT will give ranges which are +EV to push. I pretty much go with this. Any reason not to?

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Pay attention to what people will call with...and pay attention to how often you are pushing. Push with great hands and show them.

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Are you saying here to show the great hands when they are not called so they will only think I'm pushing good hands? Or are you saying to only push great hands, and show those down? The problem with this is that great hands don't grow on trees.

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As far as trying to steal with nothing on the blind, pay attention to how people play. In the lower buyin Party SNG's, there are not that many people who will limp big hands.

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I've found that people will limp in with big hands. The concept of protecting your hand seems to be a foreign one to many of them.

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If i'm in the sb and you min raise me from the bb, i always call, unless calling is a significant portion of my stack. If you autobet the flop after autoraising preflop, I will figure this out quickly and take advantage of it on higher levels (in other words, you may take advantage of me on 50/100 blinds, but i'm gonna run over you on 150/300 blinds for way more chips).

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There's so many people playing, it doesn't matter. The play I described is way +EV on the average, even though it may not work against every individual. If I were playing you, for example, by the time you figured out what I was doing and had a chance to be sitting just to my right in a small stakes tourney (if you even play them) to take advantage of it, well that's just not a likely enough event for me to worry about.

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Still...raise your good hands from the blinds, fold your crappy hands (unless you have position or good reads on your opponent), play poker with your medium hands.

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I've found playing the blinds as I described to be +EV regardless of the cards I'm playing. Like the stupid play where a player will complete and then fold to a min-raise. That happens often.