How to win at $10+1 NLHE Partypoker sngs (long)

[squiffy]

If I recall correctly AA only wins about .30 to .35 of the time against 10 random hands. Against 4-5 callers with better than average hands, I don't know what your chances are, but they can't be all that great. If you stand to win only 30% of the time then you can expect to LOSE 70% of the time. That's like playing Russian roulette with 4.2 bullets in the 6-round chamber.

Better to try to get heads up with one or two players for lots more dough, or take their raise money for free.

[cferejohn]

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The problem with Party is you start with 800 chips and the blinds go up every 10 hands instead of every 15 minutes. This doesn't give you enough chips or time to be playing the connectors.

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I just started playing at party (again) and it seems that now you are getting 1000 chips to start for the sit-n-gos as well as the tournaments. I've only played $50 and up so maybe this is for higher buy-ins only?

[Prickly Pete]

Good post Aleo,

I think you've laid out a very solid blueprint. And I disagree with the posters that say not to limp in EP with small pairs the first few rounds. Pairs are the hands you play for. I think they are even worth calling raises that aren't too big, since you will usually double up when you hit your set. The potential outweighs the occasional preflop fireworks that force you to fold after limping.

[squiffy]

Probably. I played $5+1 last night on party and only got T800 chips.

[AleoMagus]

Geez, looking at this today I have mixed feelings

I wish the 'quote' function hadn't squashed it all together but I guess the meaning is all still there even if it is difficult to read.

Everything everyone else has pointed out is good. Yes, two pair does not mean with a pair on the board.

As for the issue of EP small pairs, I guess that will have to be a personal decision. I'm playing them.

I think that party fish kind of have a school mentality when it comes to limping. It is almost like when an early position limps in, everyone wants to limp. For this reason I don't think it is a bad play, and if anything, it's gonna make your sets goldmines. You will certainly not go too wrong by avoiding the small pairs in EP. I guess it's a tradeoff between the times you double (triple!?) up and all the other times when you get raised off your baby pair and are shorter stacked going into level 4/5.

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In the later stages, if the flop comes rags and the pot was not raised ahead of you preflop - Bet the pot. Players who miss will get out. If all cards are ten or less but there are two suited cards on the board and you get a call, maybe fire another shot on the turn. You will be surprised the number of hands you can pick up this way.


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This is actually something I maybe should not have included. It has the potential to get weaker players in a lot of trouble, but the point I was trying to get across is that if you sense your opponent is giving you a crying call on the flop (the four fush draw) and no scare cards come on the turn, firing the second barrell will often win it. Again though, this takes judgement and I'm not going to try to put it into words here.

I don't want to say that moves like this are uneccessary because they are important, but you need to be very cautious when being creative like this.

Another example is when late in a tourney you raise preflop and get a caller. If the flop comes 369 with no flush draw, I'm probably gonna bet it. A big pair would have re-raised me preflop at this stage and there is no way most guys would call a preflop raise late in a tourney with carsd that that flop will help. Yeah, I guess they might have spiked a set there but I still think I'll make that play occasionally

Geez, Now I'm doing it again. It really is more complicated than my explanation and if you don't feel you have a really good handle on what your opponent has, don't try stuff like this lightly. It has a lot to do with your stack and your opponent's stack. If he has 3-4 times the number of chips you have, he might call this bet with Ace high or any two overcards. You need to be almost equally stacked and both in danger of finishing out of the money. If he is too shortstacked you also have problems.

These stack considerations apply to steal situations as well. If you are trying to steal from a guy who has way more than you, you need to be prepared to get a call. He's gonna be looking to bust you, and while this can be good in terms of getting a favorable double-up opportunity, you need better cards than you might normally. Again, same thing for short stacks. These guys can't always afford to lose their blinds and might call for that reason

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Levels 4-6ish

Open up a bit with high cards and maybe drop the smaller pairs

I'd open-raise the following from all positions

AK AKs AQ AQs AJs ATs KQs KJs KTs QJs QTs JTs 77 88 99 TT JJ QQ KK AA

I'd limp with a few other hands, especially if there are already limpers in the hand.

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What other hands?

well, if I have a stack that will support it, I will play some of the unsuited broadway cards also, as well as some suited connectors. I want to have doubled up before I try this sort of thing though. Also, suited connectors (for me) really only means T9s, 98s, 87s. I rarely go any smaller than that. I'll also only ever do this kind of thing in late position, and then I'm likely to raise it anyway if I'm first in and think a steal will be successful

For a novice... Disregarding what I have just said is probably the best idea


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if the flop is bet really small (1/2 pot or less) then raise to the size of the pot. You will either be reraised in which case you are gone. Or, you will be called and can probably get a free card after everybody checks on the turn.


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This advice will never apply if you haven't managed to build a stack. Otherwise, your free card would still be too expensive. Don't be trying this stuff with a small stack

...

I guess another point to bring up is that although small stacks are worth more and you should be trying to attack them when you are a big stack, don't get carried away. The blinds are rising all the time and if you stay conservative, party players will destroy themselves. Giving chips back uneccessarily is the best way to turn a big lead into a bubble finish. When I decide that I'm going to challenge, or take the challenge of a small stack, I usually want to make up my mind from the start that I'll push him in. This means playing good hands.

...

I hear a lot of people saying that TPTK or an overpair are good hands to lose a lot of money with in NL. Well, I guess this is true, but with party's structure you don't have much choice but to play them very aggressively.

Don't get me wrong. If I have AKs in EP, raise, and get two callers - then the flop comes AT9 and I bet the pot - If the next guy goes all in and the last guy goes all in on top of that to set me in... I'll fold

Still, don't be afraid to bet the pot with top pair, and as ever, dont be afraid to push if that is putting a big chunk of your stack in the middle

I'll repeat - This is low stakes part sng advice. Playing too agressively with TPTK or overpairs in a ring game or better structured tourney is a good way to lose.


I don't know what else. There is so much more and I keep thinking that one of these days I'll lay this out in a much more logical way.

For now, I hope this helps some struggling players

And I'd still welcome any additional comments, clarifications, questions, and now that I think of it - links to great ABC sng strategy threads

Regards,
Brad S

[funkymunkey]

[David BB]

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So, in the 1-3 rounds, play only the following in positions 1-7: 22-JJ (limp in, cold call min raises only and maybe not with small pairs 22-66)


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What does it really matter if your pair is 22 or TT as long as you hit your set or fold on the flop?

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In positions 7-10 Play AJs ATs KQs KJs QJs JTs also


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The problem with these and similar hands is that they rarely hit a great made hand on the flop and you will have to draw. Save drawing for ring games - you simply cant risk any significant amount of chips on a draw this early in the tourney. With the short stacks on Party the implied odds just arent there.

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And again, when there are only four left, become very tight. On the bubble you should be really paying attention to stack sizes and you should fear anyone who can bust you on one hand.


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I'm not sure what to think about this. On the bubble is where I do most of my stealing. You need to pick your spots and take advantage of the fact that your opponents are being overly tight - that being said you should be careful about confrontations with stacks that are much bigger than your own. If you're the shortest stack you will need to take a few chances though, not by trying to double up but by stealing a few blinds. At Party just two steals at this point is usually enough to bring you up to above average chip position. If youre medium or big stack all the other stacks will be terrified of your all-in raises and wont call you without a really great hand. I'm not saying you should raise all-in with every hand though. I like to keep my opponents thinking that I'm not raising all-in with crap (although I am at times).

[eastbay]

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Never enter a raised pot without AA KK QQ or AK. The only exception to this is when the player raising has a very small stack and you can eliminate them without taking too big a knock if it goes awry.


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Hyperconservative nonsense for PP $10+1, IMO. Hyperconservative nonsense at $30+3, for that matter. This is giving your opponents far, far too much credit for their raising standards.

eastbay

[TwoOuter]

NotMitch,

I usually play it like you describe. But when the board comes 7-8-9, or J-J-8, going all in seems like a losing wager. Maybe my bad run is affecting my thinking here. But I've seen so many coordinated boards lately, it's got me checking my pattern map for betting tips. You know what I'm talking about? Stuff like- Flop: 7-8-9 two hearts. Turn: Ace River: J of hearts.

[unfrgvn]

Brad,

I think you've laid out a pretty good blue print. You didn't cover how to play as a short stack. Say you're down to T350 with the blinds at 25/50 and about to go up. I see many players who will call a T50 blind, call another T50 on the flop, then fold to a T100 bet on the turn. Now they are really short stacked. I believe this is all in or fold territory. I will push with any pair or any A at this point. Also, if I am in a hand and not all in, a big danger sign to me is someone who bets exactly the size of my stack. It has been my experience that they have the goods, though I will sometimes make this bet against someone with only two high cards.

Other than that, I have been winning the last two months at Party 10+1's playing very similiar to what you describe. I'm sure I fold too much (weak tight) and would get killed against better players, but I'm doing ok at this level.

Doug