Limit SNG assistance please
 

Hi,

I've been playing online for about 3 months and can hold my own at low limit ring. Now discovered SNGs and currently have a 50 % success rate getting into the money (second place each time - clue to my query). Generally I think my SNG play is better than my ring BUT my Heads up is appalling, I'm completely lost and I make ridiculous plays as a result. I might have 90% of the chips and I'd still lose. Can someone point me to a good guide for this - remember I'm playing limit.

Also to anyone who multitables SNGs can you offer advice on how you manage them. I'd like to be 4 tabling but I daren't even 2 table yet as I foresee two tables of frenetic short handed action melting my brain (my weak heads up play contributes to this fear). I know staggering table starts should help avoid this but I just need some input to steady my nerves!

Re: Limit SNG assistance please
 

Congrats! You are the second person today to ask about where he cand find limit strategy posts:


Previous Limit Thread

I don't believe I've seen a limit hand posted in this forum. I think it would be best to post in the limit forums and try to apply their advice to a tournament strategy. As for advice on multitabling, there have been three million posts on the topic if you use the search engine.

Better yet, you should play NL SNGs.

...and read the FAQ.

Re: Limit SNG assistance please
 

thank you

Re: Limit SNG assistance please
 

Apologies if this was seen as a lazy post. I had a specific query on heads up which meant it differed from the linked post. Sorry for the add on query about multitables but it came to my head while I was posting and I was hoping to converse, plus again most posts seem to be multitabling ring or no limit (I already multi table ring). I thought I worded it all carefully so as not be demanding.
Sure I should start playing limit. In fact I'd love to, just need to take it one step at a time so I still have a bankroll. Anyway hope I haven't offended or transgressed any rules/conventions...

Re: Limit SNG assistance please
 

[ QUOTE ]
Apologies if this was seen as a lazy post. I had a specific query on heads up which meant it differed from the linked post. Sorry for the add on query about multitables but it came to my head while I was posting and I was hoping to converse, plus again most posts seem to be multitabling ring or no limit (I already multi table ring). I thought I worded it all carefully so as not be demanding.
Sure I should start playing limit. In fact I'd love to, just need to take it one step at a time so I still have a bankroll. Anyway hope I haven't offended or transgressed any rules/conventions...

[/ QUOTE ]

No problem... it's hard to jump in without some pointers. Feel free to post limit tournament hands. I'm sure there are plenty of people who could offer good advice.

Re: Limit SNG assistance please
 

try playing no limit sngs it's not that hard of a game to pick up and heads up is easy when you just shove it all in there or fold everytime.

P.S. It's also a lot more fun and profitable

Re: Limit SNG assistance please
 

More profitable? I'd like to see how you came to that conclusion. You are a better NL player than a limit player perhaps?

Re: Limit SNG assistance please
 

It's not as much me being good as a few things.

1. More bad players. yes one could debate this, but the average donk who watches wpt or wsop is going to want to play nl more likely than no limit. This is just an opinion and I have no way of proving this.

2. A lot of profitability in sngs comes from good pushing with high blinds. When blinds rise so quickly relative to your stack, the limit sng does not allow for optimal stealing in the late game and the cards dealt to you affect your winrate more than they would in a nl sng tourney.

3. I hate it when i accidently sign up for limit sngs and I'm bitter about the fact that someone actually likes to play these.

Re: Limit SNG assistance please
 

Hehe. I like number 3 the most. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: Limit SNG assistance please
 

Would it help with your bitterness if I told you trying to two table is making me loathe them?

Thanks for the input.

Re: Limit SNG assistance please
 

Regarding the heads-up advice, Paradise has free money heads up matches (and maybe some others as well). This will give good practice for free. Many of the players are horrible of course, but so are many you'll be playing against in the tourneys. This will give some experience for playing against differing types of opponent styles.

Ok, some HU advice (deep stacks):

1. Always raise on the button.
2. If your pf raise is called, and then you are checked to, always bet the flop.
3. If you have a hand as good as Ace high (King high would work here too against many opponents), don't fold it. You can slow down, but make your opponent show down a better hand.
4. If your opponent doesn't raise you SB, raise him, and bet the flop regardless.
5. Play draws aggressively, for their semi-bluff value.
6. If your opponent is leading out, let him keep coming to you with a good enough hand to play. With a killer hand, raise him on the turn when the bets double.
7. If your opponent doesn't always raise you when he's on the button, respect his raises when he does. Play maybe best 40%, and fold the rest.
8. The worst mistake is to fold a winning hand at the river.
9. If you're the first to act on the river, and your hand is as bad as 9 high, bluff.

This is obviously very simplistic, and easy to take counter measures against, but not a bad starting place I don't think. I have well thought out reasons for each of these points which I'd be happy to comment on (they may be wrong, but at least they're well thought out!)

In a long drawn out HU match, you have to be good at figuring out what your opponent's leaks are, and then exploit them. Decent players will switch their strategies, and good players have to be constantly adapting. Things are much more complex then I've presented above, but the most common error HU is not understanding that pot odds force you to play much more than when there's more players. Many players don't understand this and can be beaten simply by aggressively betting, so the above strategy is aiming at taking advantage of this.

Re: Limit SNG assistance please
 

tewall: Thanks a lot, I'll start trying some of your tips and let you know how I get on...

Re: Limit SNG assistance please
 

[ QUOTE ]
Would it help with your bitterness if I told you trying to two table is making me loathe them?

Thanks for the input.

[/ QUOTE ]

Forgot a reason NL is better

4. Easier to play multiple games due to mechanical pushbot strategy that is not hard to learn and is very effective at the 10 dollar tourneys.

P.S. I'm bitter because I've finished 4 4 and 5 in my limit sngs and yes it was due to my bad limit play.

Re: Limit SNG assistance please
 

Reading your No. 4 I hope it's now clear to everyone why the standard multitable threads here didn't cover what I wanted to discuss.

Giving it a go this afternoon it was notable that I didn't spot anyone else doing it....

I feel pushbot may be my new monicker....

(I promise I'll search for the threads before asking how I change my name)

Thanks again all.

Re: Limit SNG assistance please
 

I'm in the minority here, because like you, I actually prefer limit tourneys. (Mostly because I'm a decent limit player but suck at NL).

Two tips:

(1) You really must play like a LAG when you're shorthanded, and HU you should just go nuts. I often win the low-buyin limit tourneys by playing tight until the end, and then just running over guys. If you play your tight agressive style HU (or three- or four-way) you will lose.

(2) My favorite heads-up discussion is in Hold 'Em Poker for Advanced Players. As it points out, a near-optimal strategy heads-up is to raise every hand (or nearly every hand) from the small blind. Unless the big blind calls a surprisingly large amount of the time (or three-bets, or check-raises the flop), the SB's strategy is profitable.

Re: Limit SNG assistance please
 

Thanks A_K, nice to see I'm not completely alone...

By nature I am a LAG so I temper the tendencies until four (probably 5) way and then let loose. But I just get bewildered HU and practically throw in the towel. Anyway trying to multitable isn't helping so I'll have a concerted "one table at a time" effort tomorrow.

I'll read the Sklansky/Malmuth text - as I should have already.

Thanks again and good luck