SNG strategy when the cards are cold...

[Benal]

Below is my dealt hands throughout a single SnG. They say tight is right early in an SnG, but what happens when you haven't played a single hand, 5 are left and you're the shortstack? Are there any strategies other than push and pray with a 5BB stack?

Limp and bluff at flops in LP when blinds are 10/15 & 15/30?
Raise and bluff at flops in LP when blinds are 10/15 & 15/30?
Steal blinds in LP when blinds are 25/50 with a 3BB raise? ...which is about 20% of your stack at this point

So I'm essentially asking what to do when the cards flat out stink!

Blinds 10/15

Hand 1 [ 9c, 7d ]
Hand 2 [ 5c, Qc ]
Hand 3 [ 7d, 5h ]
Hand 4 [ 7c, 4s ]
Hand 5 [ 2h, 8c ]
Hand 6 [ 9h, 4d ]
Hand 7 [ 3s, 9c ]
Hand 8 [ 6d, Kh ]
Hand 9 [ Kd, Th ]
Hand 10 [ 4h, 2c ]

Blinds 15/30 - 7 Players

Hand 11 [ 8c, Kd ]
Hand 12 [ Jd, 5c ]
Hand 13 [ 9s, 8c ]
Hand 14 [ 3s, 2s ]
Hand 15 [ 9d, 2c ]
Hand 16 [ Js, Kd ]
Hand 17 [ 2s, 5c ]
Hand 18 [ 7c, 6h ]
Hand 19 [ 8c, Kc ]
Hand 20 [ 5h, 8s ]

Blinds 25/50 - 5 Players

Hand 21 [ 9c, Ah ]
Hand 22 [ 4s, 3h ]
Hand 23 [ 5c, 7d ]
Hand 24 [ 8c, Qh ]
Hand 25 [ Js, 3c ]
Hand 26 [ 8h, 2d ]
Hand 27 [ 9s, Ah ]
Hand 28 [ 5c, 8c ]
Hand 29 [ 6d, 9s ]
Hand 30 [ 6h, 2d ]

Blinds 50/100 - 4 Players

Hand 31 [ Jh, Qc ]

[triplc]

When the cards are lousy...there's not much you can do except pick a spot before you are too short stacked to get respect and go for it.

One thing you could try is playing at Stars or UB (I'm assuming from the blind structure that this is Party). The money is alot deeper, and in those same 31 hands had you folded them all you would likely still have a stack that could do some damage.

I've stopped playing at Party because there were just too many times that I found myself in your situation exactly. I've played super tight, maybe played one or two pots and didn't hit, and I've got 500 chips at 50/100 and I'm in push or fold mode.

Anyway...just a thought.

Play well,

CCC

[MushashiAce]

If your playing with 7 to 5 people in the hand, then your options for playable opening hands increases. I'd day, especially with five people playing, the following dealt hands are definetly playable.

Hand 9 [ Kd, Th ]
Hand 16 [ Js, Kd ](7 players, somewhat loose call)
Hand 21 [ 9c, Ah ]
Hand 24 [ 8c, Qh ]
Hand 27 [ 9s, Ah
Hand 31 [ Jh, Qc ]
with five players, these hands can definitely be considered somewhat tight play