Retire on SNGs? A ring player's fantasy.

[Nak]

I am new to SNGs, but it seems that with just a little study and practice they can be very profitable. I consider myself a decent ring player, but I have been in a slump lately. Are SNGs the way to go?

Comments welcome.
Nak

[Desdia72]

if you're already a decent ring game player, i could'nt really say that SNGs are the way to go as far as money goes. good ring game players online can make hundreds of dollars a day (some even thousands...depending on the limit). in order to make a lot of money in SNGs you have to consistently place in 1st and 2nd place which is hard to do.

let me give you an example. let's say you have $215 and want to try your luck at a Pokerstars $215 SNG. let's say you get 3rd place which pays $360 - your initial $215 entry fee= $145 profit. let's say you then take that original $215 and play four more $215 SNGs and place 3rd four more times. $145 profit per SNG x 5= $725 profit off your original $215 for a total of $940. not bad. but let's say you decide to play five more $215 SNGs and you don't cash in any of them. $940 (your original $215 + $725 in profit)- $1075 entry fees for the next five you don't cash in = -$135. so even though your hitting 50% ITM you've lost money.

now, contrast that with if all five of your cashes were 2nd place finishes. 2nd place pays $540 - $215 entry= $325 profit x 5= $1625 + original $215= $1840. then if you enter five more and don't cash $1840 - $1075= $765. so off your original $215 you now have $765 which is a $550 profit.

first place finishes are the best. $900 first place - $215= $685 profit x 5= $3425 + original $215= $3640 - $1075 (five more SNGs you did'nt cash in)= $2565. so off your original $215 you made $2350 in profit.

so whether you look at it from a lower limit or higher limit, the profitabilty in SNGs are in the top 2 spots.

if you're already making decent money playing limit ring games, i'd say stick with it.

[BettnTibetn]

SNGS will cause you to have less variation in your bankroll. You can't really lose a huge amount in a day like you can in ring games...i think the 30+3 and lower sit and go's are easy to dominate

[Nak]

Yes, swing scares me cuz i'm playing with a somewhat crippled bankroll.

Nak

[secada]

Nak,

I am in a very similar situation than you. I enjoy tournaments more, but can't say that I find them more profitable than the ring games. I try to only play SNG's when I have a good session playing tables. I think it is much more difficult to consistently make money in the tournaments.

just my opinion, good luck.

-secada

[thomastem]

From Jan. on I've played a min. of 10 tourneys per week. Was and still am a profitable ring player.

One reason online ring make more money is because most SNG players aren't going to have 4 tables going at once like ring. I wouldn't suggest trying this either.

My suggestion to you is first get your BR under control. Meaning play at the limit the BR can handle. Why try something new when your BR needs building?

When the BR is at a comfortable level start incorporating a % of your time in tourney/SNG play and expect a learning curve.

I now find that both games help keep me burning out on either.

Good luck

[Prickly Pete]

I think this is a completely individual thing. Probably the vast majority here (2+2, not 1-Table forum), make better use of their time at the ring games. I'm the opposite and do much better 4-tabling SNGs. Try SNGs and see if it works better for you.

[SparkMan]

It depends on what you mean by a crippled bankroll.
If you're talking about say a $400 bankroll I think you're better off in $10+1 SnGs if you can beat them. You could only play at $1/2 level in ring games with that type of bankroll. Even that is dicey if you hit a bad day or two. Plus the rake in the lower ring games on most sites is ugly.
In the SnGs the rake is %9 typically but you usually play several pots in a tournament. The rake in the small No-limit ring games is especially ugly, 25cents on every $5 up to $3 max. YUK!!
In 3 months of play in $10+1 SnG level my worst downturn was approx $200. I don't know my ROI but I do know that my bankroll keeps going up. If you have a bankroll big enough for $10/20 or higher limit and you can beat it you're probably better off there than $100 SnGs.

[GuidoSarducci]

Since I started with only $50 (seems so long ago) I used to use the $5+$1 Party sit and goes to get out of the celler in a tight budget. I know, the rake on the $5+$1 is astronomical, but it did get me into a position to revisit the ring games, so they did the trick.

It does help to alleviate burnout too. If you're getting sick of grinding it out in ring games, a S&G or two is a refreashing change that isn't dangerous to the bankroll.

G.

[Nak]

Good idea. Thanks.

I do like to play one ring game and one SNG at the same time. It helps break the monotony and keeps me from tilting, becuase I always have to switch mind sets.


Nak