Low Ceiling vs High Ceiling-SNG strategy(long)

[Nick M]

This will probably get ignored like a lot of things said by people on this forum that are not recognized. But I thought that If a few people read it and understand it, than it's probably worth it.

First I would like to explain what Low Ceiling and High Ceiling strategy is. Low Ceiling play is preflop move in poker. A lot of people on this forum use this as their sole strategy for winning at SNGs. It's a great steady strategy that when done well can yield nice profits. It's great for math people. Great for those cool ICM thingys that everyone always talks about. It's a solid strategy and a necessary skill to have in your arsenal. There is just one problem with it, your results are completely and totally dictated by the cards and the odds. This means that you can only be as profitable as the cards and the odds LET you be. You have no say in this matter. When the cards don't want you to win, then you have variance. And you have no say in this either. This is Low Ceiling. No range. No way to avoid variance in any way.

High Ceiling is different. High Ceiling is poker played on both the preflop level and the post flop level. This is where you can defend against variance. You don't just get to play your cards, you can play your opponents cards and take EV that does not belong to you. High Ceiling play has range. It doesn't just steal blinds it steals POTS. Low Ceiling takes EV that does not belong to you sure, the blinds. But High Ceiling is involved in the action and can take advantage of the action. High Ceiling SNG strategy is not High Ceiling cash game strategy. IN NL cash i am in like a million pots. This is about survival and beating variance. Taking what does not belong to you. But also incorporating Low Ceiling move in poker too.

In Low Ceiling play the cards break even. This means the ROI for a person is not unlimited. There's only a set amount of ROI one can achieve by play Low Ceiling poker. You can do much worse but you can never do better. The cards break even, but situations and people never do.

I hate when I read threads and people pose this question of what they do on the button with like 109o, there's 5 players left and you're middle stacked. Then you get like 5 million responses for PUSH!!! hahahah you have no clue what you're talking about. You have know idea what the player's image is at the table. You have no idea what the SB and BB are like as players. He has not told you one hand either of these players have turned over. Just because you put this through a simulator, pick some calling ranges, and it says over 292623462394694624643 SNGs this play will profit you %@&%!* EV doesn't mean you should make it. There is more to the game than a computer telling you what is a +EV play and what isn't. Does the computer know that right before you decided to push 109o into the chip leader's BB he just lost a heart breaker to the all in small stack???? NO it doesn't know that.

Another thing that I want to shed some light on. You hear people say that when moving up in ranks, their ROI shouldn't drop too much. Well with Low Ceiling this is completely correct. ROI will drop a little, but why should it. If profit is dictated by the cards and the odds ROI should never drop. The reason is the players at the higher levels understand this strategy and also use it. if you use the LC style at one level there might be 2 other people using it. Now say you move up 3 levels and there is 5 people using it. Now you need to split all this +EV with the people that are doing the same thing as you.

Let me ask you a question. In poker what is usually the best defense for most set strategies??? The total opposite of that set strategy. If a maniac is raising every pot, you limp more preflp, and call more post flop. If some tight guy is limping every pot you slam him to death and fold when he plays back at you. It's simple. But what is the defense for a non set strategy???? High Ceiling play has no set defense. This is why ROI is unlimited...well in a sense. You could win every single SNG you play, that's the limit ahhaaha. But you understand.

I think it's funny that most people want to play poker instead of a 9to5 job because it gives you freedom. You're your own boss and you set the hours. But then they go and play in the most "freedomless" way possible to get their freedom outside of poker. I was a pro skater for a long time and freedom is my first love. I could do a whole thread on freedom, love, great times, and artistic views; but that would be boring for most people. But that's how I like to play poker, free. No set style, no set range. I make decisions on the fly and I use my instincts.

Thanks

Nick M.