Basic SnG strategy (McEvoy?)

[Jdanz]

I play a decent amount or RG limit and NL, and am wondering about SnGs. If anyone could give me their strategies for winning/placing in NL 10 seaters i'd greatly appreciate it. Also i heard that mcevoy's satelitte book is good, but it's not selling at barnes and noble right now so if anyone can post an outline of that strategy i'd like that too. Thanks.
-JD

[Copernicus]

First strategy is to play in 18 seater SnGs on PokerStars. Your ROI will be better there without much additional variance. In the game play super tight, and be aggressive when you have position, but be ready to back off when there is trouble. Establish a super tight image up front, and you'll be more able to steal later on if and when necessary. I like this better than a loose image that gets called more later, because your aim is to take down a lot of smaller pots without going to the river where that loose image would help the most.

You need to be very aware, of course, of stack size. Don't get involved with big stacks without a super hand, don't fear the small stacks too much, because they should be respecting you. Bluff rarely, and not when big stacks can call without hurting their stacks. Also beware of bluffing against stacks about to bust out that will have to call with anything. Be liberal about raising stacks that are close to others and near the bubble, but again, back away if they get aggressive. They are unlikely to be risking a seat in the money on a pure bluff.

If your heads up experience isnt extensive, play some low stake heads up freeze outs till you are winning 60% or more of them.

[Schmed]

some simple guidlines that I like to keep to is never bring in for a call. If there is a hand that I want to play from an MP and it's folded to me I will always bring it in for a raise. I guess that's just a general poker rule but it really helps me in the SnG's. You may lose some odds on a draw that you would be on but you get that back with the your semi bluff being read as a whatever the highest face card is on the board when you bet. Now if you get bet back at it's time to play good poker......

The other basic poker guidline that I try and follow but not as much as the first one is to not call raises. I'm not saying reraise all in when someone hits you with a 3xbb raise but I find in these things I make the vast majority of my mistakes calling.

Question, what is ROI??? (doh) Also, why do you think it's better on the two table than playing two one tables? Personally I enjoy the 2 table tourny's more but I find the one table's a lot easier.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

what is ROI???

Return On Investment

[Schmed]

[Copernicus]

ROI is return on investment, essentially your in the money % times your average net return when in the money (or more directly, net win divided by buy-ins). An ROI of 40%+ is respectable, 60% is attainable. Some will argue that ROI is misleading and hourly rate more important, since you can have a great ROI in a $5 tourney, but the $ payoff isnt worth the effort. As long as you are staying at the same buy in level they are equivalent, being proportional based on the buy-in divided by tournaments per hour.

One tabler's are marginally easier, but the two tablers pay 4 places and the payout for the first 3 is significantly larger, so while your in the money % drops a little, your average payoff when in the money goes up a lot.

Also, since there are more chips in the tournament, when you get to the final 4 the stack to blind ratios tend to be higher and your shorthanded skills more valuable.

[Schmed]

Thanks, I tried to figure that abbreviation out for myself but I just couldn't get it... /images/graemlins/grin.gif

2 versus 1 I think you bring up excellent points about the payouts. I think it is better practice for big multi's as well. On top of all of that they are just more fun. On the other hand I find that I will place at least 7 out of 10 times in a 1 table and my success at the 2 tables is probably something like 4 out of 10. I just started playing stars about a month ago so it's probably a short term number, (I used to play Paradise), and will come more in line with my other results.

thanks...always appreciate the response....