when will this run end?????

[mart_ph]

I could cry! Or shoot myself!

I am having such a bad run of cards. I'm still very new to SNGs having played just 48. I'm at Pokerstars playing the $5 single tables.

After the first 20 or so I was in the money about 45% of the time, and had made about $60 (about an ROI of 33% I seem to remember). My last 13 results however have been as folows (most recent first):
5, 8, 4, 3, 6, 6, 7, 5, 2, 6, 7, 7, 6.

Is this kind of thing normal in SNGs? I don't have much bankroll left, but don't want to stop playing them - they're so much more fun than ring games.

Yes, I've made a couple of ridiculous mistakes, but on the whole it seems I'm just not getting the cards. Here's how I went out of the last...


Blinds at 50/100 - 8 players left.

Hero (in small blind with 1135 chips): A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

All fold to Villain in MP (1170 chips) who raises to 400
all fold to me, I raise to 700.
BB folds and Villain reraises to 1000.
I raise to 1135, Villain goes all-in.
He shows K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]!

Flop: J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
Turn: T [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]!


Now.... did I play that at all badly? Comments gratefully received!

Mart

[Cleveland Guy]

Okay - I can tell your new as this is your first post.

It Is NEVER NEVER NEVER a bad play to get all your money in pre-flop with AA, escpecially when heads up.

Cashing in 2 out of 13 is a bad run, but not out of the realm, escpecially for a new player. assuming you cashed in 9 of your first 20. Your ITM is still at 33%, not great, but that is just about break even, assuming you are getting equal number of 1st, 2nd, and 3rds.


You seem to be going out in 5-6 a lot. This hand was an obvious bad beat, try posting some other hands that are a little more questionable, to see where you might get some good advice.

[Klak]

its possible to have that kind of run when you are playing mistake free or close to it. dont get discouraged, these runs happen to all of us.

[DownLow]

[ QUOTE ]
I am having such a bad run of cards. I'm still very new to SNGs having played just 48. I'm at Pokerstars playing the $5 single tables.

After the first 20 or so I was in the money about 45% of the time, and had made about $60 (about an ROI of 33% I seem to remember). My last 13 results however have been as folows (most recent first):
5, 8, 4, 3, 6, 6, 7, 5, 2, 6, 7, 7, 6.


Mart

[/ QUOTE ]


Tournament strategy can be a little different than ring game strategy. You don't want to put your tournament life on the line unless you have a large edge. A ring game you can push much smaller edges because they are +ev over time. If you are still trying to push small edges in tournament play you may find that you get outdrawn and end up out or crippled early. In your results it looks like quite a few 5-7 place finishes. Without the hand histories it is hard to say why, but I would think it is either because you are getting involved in too many pots early or you are switching gears too soon.

Are you a long-term winner at ring games? If so, you probably just need a few adjustments to your playing style to be a successful SnG player. If not, you might want to consider the possibility that you aren't a very good player and your early successes were a run of good cards rather than your recent losses being a run of bad cards. I'm not trying to put you down or anything but sometimes it can be hard to objectively assess your own game. If this is the case and you are not a great player, you have come to the right place. Otherwise, just chalk it up to a bad run and be consoled that it means good cards are on the way. Your OOTM streak is much milder than some I have seen but with such a small sample it is difficult to tell whether it was due to cards or play.

[SixgunSam]

At the low limit SnGs, this strategy post is invaluable, especially if you are on a bad run and a relatively inexperienced player:

AleoMagus' low limit SnG strat

Obviously you didn't play AA incorrectly, that is a bad beat. A better analysis of your game is to examine the times you got your money in when you were beaten or chased a draw. Sometimes you do go on bad runs because of the cards, but more often it's because of leaks in your game. The tighter you play for the first portion of the SnG, the better, especially at the lower limits. By tight, I am talking about tight/aggressive, not tight/weak. Tighten up on starting hands, but play them strongly when you do play.

You can't be overly concerned with results, focus on playing correctly and the results will come.

[mart_ph]

[ QUOTE ]
In your results it looks like quite a few 5-7 place finishes. Without the hand histories it is hard to say why, but I would think it is either because you are getting involved in too many pots early or you are switching gears too soon.


[/ QUOTE ]

To be honest, I'm very tight in the first 3 levels. I only play premium pairs, or high A suited. During this 'lean' period the problem has been that I'm at normally about 1100-1200T when the blinds are up to 75/150... and I'm left chasing when I really wouldn't want to. I think that explains the 5-7 place finishes.

I never chase the draws - but must admit my big weakness has been going all-in too early due to being worried about the blind structure. Hence why the hand I posted got to me sooo much! I knew this was the right time to go all-in, but still got killed. Although I obviously realise that **** happens!

I'm also using PokerTracker to monitor my play - which is helping a hell of a lot.

Mart

[fujowpai]

[ QUOTE ]

It Is NEVER NEVER NEVER a bad play to get all your money in pre-flop with AA, escpecially when heads up.


[/ QUOTE ]

I have several comments, and remember that I'm new to SNGs myself.

I've noticed that asking yourself whether you want to get the money in BEFORE or AFTER the flop is more pronounced than in cash games. I'm not sure why this is (or even if it's true), but asking myself this question (and systematically thinking through the answer) has saved me a lot of grief so far in SNGs.

On another note, surveying the general SNG advice on 2+2 I've noticed that another decision to make is how to avoid busting out in the middle levels, preferring to go early and -- get on with another SNG -- or when the game gets short. Going out in the middle levels, as I understand it, is a time waster. I don't think anyone, including me, suggests this means playing stupidly, but it might influence some early decisions, such as playing timidly when you have the best of it.

Lastly, when I find myself feeling emotionally whooped from results, as opposed to laughing at myself for making a recognizably bone-headed play, I try to take it as a sign that I need more study away from the tables and that I perhaps don't understand the game as well as I should. If I make a few bone-headed plays in one session, I try to see it as a sign that I'm not at my best, and go do something else.

Related to this is feeling the urge to "get my money back" (although this is more relevant to cash games), either against the game in general or against a particular player. This is THE sign to turn off the computer, IMO. This may be related to some innate fight-or-flight response mechanism, but it is deadly on the ol' BR.

1 1/2 cents.

Eric