Success @ $20-$50 SNGs--Reflections

[astarck]

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i refuse to respond to anyone who uses some stupid icon when they start their thread. "ooohh!! a spade!"

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LMAO

What about when replying in a thread?

[zambonidrivr]

vader is cool

[Indiana]

Wow, I must be a real idiot...From your comments...Sorry about the spade too...I really wanted to get some powerful comments about the leakage of $ due to playing hands that are often considered playable under a tight strategy, as well as some game theory comments...Guess I am stupid...

Indiana

[kyro]

I don't think you're an idiot. I just think if you had posted at all in the past few months, you'd know that this wasn't some deep dark secret.

[Indiana]

kyro, no it isnt a deep dark secret...I just wanted to start a discussion around optimal play...When I talk to poker players, many of them are too aggressive in SNGs and attempt to teach this strategy to others. Also, I think that the hour long 1-table tourney is special and that you get to the money via folding moreso than playing...I think that people are much more aggressive in 1-table tourneys than MTT because there is less time to wait for cards...I am just trying to say that the BACKSIDE heat is stronger and one must play tighter than they would in a MTT or possibly even a ring game...You would agree right?

Indiana

[Dr_Jeckyl_00]

I never would have thought to discard good hands in early position, but you bring up great points about the importance of position. I will try playing even tighter in early-mid position and looser in late position. Thanks for the tip.

[kyro]

Given the structure of the Party STT and the level of play at all but the highest limits (I've played every level up to the $109s), yes, optimal play is to wait for your good hands and to play them aggressively. You make it sound, though, that there are people here who advocate reckless play early in order to build a chipstack. I don't see the same thing.

[Raiser]

Indiana,

Most of what you posted is known by most of the readers on this forum.

That said, I feel compelled to point out that limping with 33 from all positions is not a leak in these games. I hope you know the difference between this hand from MP and 78s?

[Big Limpin']

So by mucking KQs in MP, i will be able to
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cash out triple digits checks at least once a month

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Oh-la-la! (nah man, im just being a dick, good post, i agree with what youve written)
But:
-Its not "revolutionary"
-You can't teach bad players to respect positon. They "know" about it, but dont practice it.

Cheerio [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[citanul]

I have contention with the following:

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Finally, you will likely need to take 1-2 big risks during the game to make the money. This will be something like pushing from the blinds with KQs or worse when limped to later in the tourney. You will need to get away with this in order to survive to the end. Spend the first few rounds figuring out where to best do this and who to do this against.

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for a variety of reasons. Primarilly that if that sort of thing is the biggest "risk" your taking, and if you're only taking said risks 1 or 2 times a tournament, you're playing badly. Secondarilly that such things as pushing crap with huge folding equity on the bubble, and pushing the likely best hand with huge folding equity when people have limped to you on the bb with lots of dead chips, well, those aren't really very risky spots. There is always the inherent risk that someone is either trapping you or someone behind you wakes up with a monster and you don't suck out, but I mean, come on, you have to play the game and make the series of moves with the highest combined EV as you can. (Sidenote: clearly sometimes not taking one +EV move sets up making a later bigger +EV move, or, in other words, playing a hand non-optimally at one point can set up a hand later to have a better optimal result than it otherwise would have.)

If I could summarize and compact your discussion of risks, it would be "at some point, you will have to play an intelligent, aggressive style of poker." Combining that with "play tight early, looser late," you can hereby beat the 10s through 50s.

citanul