Standard Early play $10 sitngos

[GimmeDaWatch]

So, Ive been playing a ton of the Party $11 sitngos in the last couple weeks after playing mostly ring games at various sites for the last 2 years or so. Accordingly, Ive been hitting up this forum alot more, trying to brush up on my 1 table tourney game, etc. The mantra on these boards is pretty simple, i.e. real tight early, dont take too many chances on the bubble if youre a short-stack, go for 1st once youve locked 3rd, et. al. I've been playing roughly along these lines, except I've been playing alot looser early on than what is normally prescribed. Not terribly loose (e.g. limping w/suited connectors, any pair, any big cards in MP or LP in the 1st 2 levels), but it seems to me that there's a good deal to be gained by seeing flops cheaply in the early levels against real weak players. It stands to reason that the really weak players will be alot more likely to go out in the 1st 4 levels, so dont you lose some value by not playing any pots with them unless you have a huge hand? Ive been able to double up fairly often against some of the worst players at the table, b/c if you do make a hand theyre so likely to pay you off, and this really helps me take my time when the blinds start pushing the action in level 5. Granted, Im sure this becomes increasingly less true as you move up in limits, but Im just speaking to what Ive seen so far. Just a thought, havent really seen anybody else on this forum take this position yet.

[The Yugoslavian]

Many posters take the position you're advocating.

With any luck, at some point, the feelings you have described will pass, [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img].

Yugoslav
(Who *still* plays too loose early on)

[REL18]

because of people like aleomagus and yugo I have changed I used to think exactly like our first poster thank you two plus two.

[GimmeDaWatch]

[ QUOTE ]
Many posters take the position you're advocating.

With any luck, at some point, the feelings you have described will pass, [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img].

Yugoslav
(Who *still* plays too loose early on)

[/ QUOTE ]


Ok, so I know that both of you disagree, but would you mind elaborating a bit on your reasoning? I realize that this type of play will occasionally result in my exiting early, but this is uncommon and from my standpoint is definitely +EV.

[The Yugoslavian]

Simply put, your chips can be better spent elsewhere given the many different factors present in Party Poker SNGs.

SNG play is all about finding the optimal spots to spend those chips. I want to get the most value out of my $$ whether it's at Best Buy, Target, or the Party Poker $33s.

Unfortunately, I'm much better at getting max value from Best Buy and Target currently, [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img].

Yugoslav

[GimmeDaWatch]

[ QUOTE ]
Simply put, your chips can be better spent elsewhere given the many different factors present in Party Poker SNGs.

SNG play is all about finding the optimal spots to spend those chips. I want to get the most value out of my $$ whether it's at Best Buy, Target, or the Party Poker $33s.

Unfortunately, I'm much better at getting max value from Best Buy and Target currently, [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img].

Yugoslav

[/ QUOTE ]


Hmmmm, guess we can agree to disagree on this one then, as thats all a little too vague for me. Would you agree that your best chance to play pots with the worst players at the table is in the 1st 2-3 levels, generally speaking?

[nothumb]

[ QUOTE ]
Would you agree that your best chance to play pots with the worst players at the table is in the 1st 2-3 levels, generally speaking?

[/ QUOTE ]

Thing is, a lot of players in the 11's are so bad that your edge against all of them is roughly the same. Also, in such a short tourney the bad players will often get their hands on chips early and will still be around in later rounds. In the meantime, they can hurt you with their big stack.

Basically, the problem with limping with any big cards (like QT, KT) or lower suited connectors and one-gappers is that your edge isn't that big, and you can make some second best hands. If you get a few of these speculative hands you can bleed off a lot of chips, sometimes as much as half your stack. The edge you gain by mixing it up with bad players is negated by the fact that they are unpredictable, unbluffable, and that you miss more flops than you hit.

I completely understand the urge to get in and mix it up. You get paid off huge when you hit. But for each time you do that, you risk bleeding off chips that you will desperately want when the blinds get bigger.

I think a good postflop player capable of making a lot of smart laydowns can get away with playing looser than the commonly advocated strategies here, but especially in the lowest levels of SnG's, I don't think it's the best way to play.

NT

[The Yugoslavian]

[ QUOTE ]

Hmmmm, guess we can agree to disagree on this one then, as thats all a little too vague for me. Would you agree that your best chance to play pots with the worst players at the table is in the 1st 2-3 levels, generally speaking?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm being vague intentionally, [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

What you are saying applies perhaps to the 109s or 215s (or 1ks). It would seem players like Giga *love* to spot the sucker early and take his chips if at all possible in these high buyins. This probably doesn't happen as much as one would think though as I'm sure he needs a very solid read to risk his stack early. However, I bet he wouldn't be making such 'plays' at all in the lower buyins. Do you see why? If you can, then your original post will be answered.

Yugoslav

[spentrent]

Maybe there's a one sentence answer?

Doubling your stack in the first 30 hands won't help much for the the last 60 hands.

[GimmeDaWatch]

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe there's a one sentence answer?

Doubling your stack in the first 30 hands won't help much for the the last 60 hands.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is absurd.