My low-level SNG quiz

[UMTerp]

e-fermat's post reminded me of a quiz I made up a few weeks ago when I was trying to help some friends understand basic SNG play. This quiz will be easy for the more experienced posters on here, but some beginners might learn a thing or two. I thought questions 7 and 8 were the most important ones to understand as far as profitability, and I was surprised how many people gave answers that were backwards on those two questions.

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Here are ten questions that are pretty basic, but are knowing the right answers are essential to winning SNG play. I'd think that most winning players would get 7+ right. All are fairly common situations at the lower levels. If you want to raise, as long as you're in the ballpark of the right amount, you'll get credit.

All questions assume a $25+$2 Turbo SNG at Stars (1500 starting chips, 9 players, 13500 total chips in play) with typical (less than stellar) players unless otherwise specified. I’m only asking questions which I feel have a clear cut answer.

1. Level One, 10-20 blinds. A known solid player open-raises to 80 UTG. Folded around to you in the SB, and you have AsQh. What’s your play?

2. Level One, 10-20 blinds. You’re UTG+1 with 66. Your play?

3. Level Three, 25-50 blinds. Nine players left. Two limpers, and the (unknown) chipleader pushes all-in in MP. You have jacks on the button. The chipleader has been fairly reckless in building his stack. Call or fold?

4. Level Three, 25-50 blinds. You have 1425 chips left. Folded around to the SB who raises to 175. You have 7c6c in the BB. Your play?

5. Level Five, 100-200 blinds. Folded to you on the button. You have 1300 chips, which covers both of the blinds. You have KcJs. Action?

6. Level Five, 100-200 blinds. Seven players left. You’re down to 950 chips, and pick up 8s7s UTG. Your play?

The next three questions assume you’re on the bubble.

7. Level Eight, 300-600 blinds w/ 50 ante. You have 7000 chips on the button. The small stack folds UTG, and the blinds each have between 2500 and 2800 chips. You get dealt Jd3d. Your play?

8. Level Eight, 300-600 blinds w/ 50 ante. You have 7000 chips on the button. The second largest stack (2800) folds UTG, and the small stack is in the BB with 950 chips 1left (350 after posting). You get dealt Jd3d. Your play?

9. Level Seven, 200-400 blinds w/ 35 ante. You have 300 chips remaining after posting your big blind, and the other three stacks are about even with ~4000 chips apiece. UTG pushes, as he has been frequently, and the small blind calls. You have 7s7d. Your play?

10. Heads up, 300-600 blinds. Your opponent is overly passive, and you have been stealing from him at will. You’re about even in chips, and he open-raises to 2400. You have Ad3d. Action?

[kiffl]

1. call
2. fold
3. fold
4. fold
5. push
6. fold
7. push
8. fold
9. call
10. fold(because of your read)

Now tell me how wrong I am.

[Madd]

1.fold
2.limp
3.call
4.fold
5.push
6.fold
7.push
8.fold
9.fold
10.fold

[therock]

[ QUOTE ]
1.fold
2.limp
3.call
4.fold
5.push
6.fold
7.push
8.fold
9.fold
10.fold

[/ QUOTE ]

[jcm4ccc]

[ QUOTE ]
1.fold
2.limp
3.call
4.fold
5.push
6.fold
7.push
8.fold
9.fold
10.fold

[/ QUOTE ]

except I fold the jacks (#3)

[pooh74]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
1.fold
2.limp
3.call
4.fold
5.push
6.fold
7.push
8.fold
9.fold
10.fold

[/ QUOTE ]

except I fold the jacks (#3)

[/ QUOTE ]

folding the jacks is close...but call is good too IMO.

Otherwise same answers which means we're all good...or we all spend too much time here.

[mosdef]

do you have a true or false version? that's more my speed.

[valenzuela]

1. fold
2.limp or fold if UTG raised
3.call and pray.
4.fold
5.push
6.fold
7.push
8.push
9.fold and pray
10.fold.

[gumpzilla]

[ QUOTE ]

10. Heads up, 300-600 blinds. Your opponent is overly passive, and you have been stealing from him at will. You’re about even in chips, and he open-raises to 2400. You have Ad3d. Action?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think if you drop the blinds to 100-200, you get a situation which happens a lot in the non-turbo SNGs at Stars. In this case, you can be playing many, many hands heads-up, you're not in a push-fold regime, and even the most daft opponents tend to start figuring out that you're running them over with garbage if you do it too much. Thus, while it's good to have reads like this, you also need to be ready for your opponent to change gears after a few hands. After a few hands I'm surprised how often these "passive" opponents are making this move with K7.

In the situation mentioned where the average stack is 12 BBs and the blind levels last half as long, or in a Party SNG where the average stack will generally be even shorter or will get shorter quickly thanks to the rapidly escalating blinds, then I think it might be worthwhile to stick to this read.

[valenzuela]

i didnt get #8 it seems, since I have it wrong according to everyone else..ahh I see im the button not SB, oh well.