Ask any newbie question here

[citanul]

ill,

when you're trying to steal, why use any more chips than you absolutely have to?
if you're sure that they'll fold to a minraise the same % of the time that they'll fold to a push, then minraise away!

as for home game structures, well, there's lots of different rules people like to use, and almost no one thinks that party's are "correct." different rules make more sense depending on how you do your blind structure, but most home games i've been to either use a dead button, a button that posts a blind, or some variation like they use on party. find something that everyone in your home game can agree on, and make that the rule. i especially like the rule "when a player is eliminated, everyone drinks."

citanul

[Pat Southern]

How high of an ROI can a good sng player expect in the $30-$50 sngs?

Edit: I'm currently trying out sngs 5-tabling them, does ROI dramatically decrease as I increase # of tables?

[microbet]

I was thinking I shouldn't really have tried to debate it in this thread anyway, since you have more than enough work responding to each question. Please don't bother replying to this post.

For future reference, you don't have to smiley face me. I've only smiley faced a few times in my life and something inside me dies everytime I do.

[citanul]

Pat,

A good player will I believe achieve somewhere in the high teens to mid twenties in terms of ROI. I believe an excellent player will achieve somewhere between the mid to high twenties and the mid thirties.

citanul

[citanul]

micro,

=(

citanul

ps: debate is fine, if i say something stupid or even debatable, please do try to fix me up. i'm hoping that other people will participate even more than they already have in answering the questions posted in this thread. you guys have been a good help so far, but the title of this one isn't "ask citanul any newbie questions." i'm just hoping to answer a lot of them, maybe condense a bunch of them down to a new chunk of FAQ, and save some space time continuum for strategy threads that people would rather see or something.

[citanul]

Fnord,

I haven't got a clue about the technical questions you asked, sorry =(

I'd play some 100s, 4 tabling, if I were you, as my next step.

I don't think that HUDs are useful for SNGs, sadly.

citanul

Hi guys, Im looking for an honest piece of advice with regards to my playing habits.

I am currently playing 5.50$ SNG tournys and have been very successful. I am relatively new to online poker but have been playing regularly off the internet for quiet some time.
I have recorded all my stats since beginning to play online and have an ITM of 0.72 and an ROI of 0.82 in approx 60 games (I know it is a very small sample size)
but I have not yet committed to moving up into the 10+1 or higher since I am very comfortable with the extra spending money that the 5+.5 has afforded [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
My bankroll is certainly ready to move up, but I am not sure of how much better the level of play is. I know it will be a leap and I am fine with that, but will my total profits go down significantly when I initially move up?

[Kama45]

Thanks for taking the time to asnwer in such detail!

[citanul]

pace,

You're making $4.50 a sng, at $5.50 a buyin. That's good stuff. Some would say most likely unsustainably high, but hey, maybe you've found some new cash cow of a site where such statistics are sustainable. Most likely though, you're running hot. I'd say well, while you're still getting your feet wet, keep on playing the game you're in.

When the results normalize (if they do) You'll probably be looking at something closer to 2 bucks a tournament than 4, and you'll probably want to move up to the 10s. The competition at most sites is similar between the two levels, and while the extra money of 2 bucks per is nice, the extra money of 4 per is nice and well, more reasonably attained at the 10s.

The reason to move up in stakes should be (beyond just entertainment or whatnot) to make more money. In general, if you're playing for money, and you reach a point that you believe you can't make more by moving up, and you're not happy with the amount of money you're making, you either need to work harder, or find a new hobby.

You should be able to make more per sng at the 10s than at th e 5s, when the results normalize.

citanul

[ QUOTE ]
I am currently playing 5.50$ SNG tournys and have been very successful. I have not yet committed to moving up into the 10+1 or higher since I am very comfortable with the extra spending money that the 5+.5 has afforded [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
My bankroll is certainly ready to move up, but I am not sure of how much better the level of play is.

[/ QUOTE ]

I recently moved up to 10+1 (on Stars), and there's little difference. The two differences I've observed are:
(1) calling stations aren't quite as bad, i.e. you can actually make some (but not all) people fold when they have nothing, by raising!
(2) the maniacs take a bit longer to knock each other out, so it won't be as short handed as you're used to at 50/100 blinds onwards. As I recall it, 50/100 would be pretty much on the bubble in a 5.50, whereas you're more likely to be 5-6 handed in a 10+1, and occasionally worse (even 8 handed).

But in terms of people's starting hand requirements (complete trash) and the range of hands you can expect to call your all-ins (all manner of absolute garbage) it's pretty much the same.