My first 96 $100+$9 SnGs. How am I doing?

[jcm4ccc]

I was going to wait until my 100th SnG to post my winnings, but what the hell. I have to say, I’m feeling pretty good about my ability to win these $100 + $9 SnGs.

First, a little background. I started playing poker about a month ago, after watching it on ESPN. I started with a bankroll of $1000 and began entering some large tournaments on Empire. I had some success early on. I finished 7th in a field of 216 players, and my bankroll increased to over $1300. However, I discovered the great variability associated with the larger tournaments. My bankroll eventually fell below $900.

I started looking for other types of games. I tried limit ring games, NL ring games, until stumbling upon the SnGs. I had about $800 in my bankroll at that point. I played a few $10+$1 games, but thought, XXXX, this is ridiculous. Play for an hour to earn $39 at the most. I decided to take the plunge and play the $100 + $9 SnGs. I had enough in my bankroll for 8 $100+$9 games. I thought, if I blow the bankroll, then I’m just a complete loser and should stop dreaming about quitting my day job.

Well, as you can guess, since I’m posting this, that I didn’t lose my bankroll. I have to tell you, these SnGs are the perfect fit for the way I like to play poker. I go for the kill early, and if I flame out, well, that’s life. But when I score, I score big. Here are the details:

1. 18
2. 14
3. 10
4. 14
5. 6
6. 2
7. 2
8. 8
9. 12
10. 10

Profit: $4736
ITM: 43.8%
ROI: 45.3%

I’ve read many of the posts on twoplustwo. Seems like everybody on this website plays the same way. Conservative for the first three levels, more aggressive in the middle of the tournament, tight on the bubble, aggressive when you are in 3rd place. Blah blah blah. Frankly, if I was such a XXXXX to play like that, my wife would leave me and start XXXXing our accountant.

Let’s examine the details, and you’ll get a better idea how I approach this game. Most of you will focus on my win percentage, but actually I’m more proud of the fact that I hardly ever finish in 7th, 6th or 5th place. Finishing in 7th, 6th, or 5th usually means that you sat there like a XXXXX and let the blinds bleed you away.

I have a few more fourth place finishes than I would like. But look at my heads-up percentage. My secret to winning the heads-up situations is this: I made a deal with my wife that if I lost the $1000 bankroll, I would give up poker. But, in the meantime, anytime I won a tournament, she had to do whatever I asked her to do. Needless to say, it’s been a pretty good month.

[jcm4ccc]

Hmm, wait a second. I just reread my post and realized that I’m confusing fantasy and reality again. Actually, my starting bankroll was $80, and I’ve been playing the $10 + $1 SnGs. After 96 games, here are my results:

1. 7
2. 17
3. 10
4. 14
5. 12
6. 13
7. 9
8. 6
9. 1
10. 7

Profit: $4
ITM: 35%
ROI: 0.38%

Wow, these results really suck. My 7 10th-place finishes occurred when I got involved in hands that I shouldn’t have. My bubble play is pretty poor. But nothing compares to my heads-up play. 7 first-place finishes out of a total of 24 opportunities, for a heads-up percentage of less than 30%. Which is a shame, because every time I win a tournament, my wife lets me have the remote control. I’m so sick of watching Lifetime movies.

My goal is to increase my bankroll to $600, then move up to the $20 + $2 SnGs. I play about 4 games per day. Given my current ROI of 0.38%, I will be able to move up a level on April 30, 2013.

[PBaek]

Looooool!

This is funny as hell!!

Thanks, Peter.

[DaSpade]

lol

[EnderW27]

Well, I can't tell if you're joking or not when it's coming from your joke post...but one of the biggest mistakes is playing tight on the bubble. Everyone else will be, which is exactly why you shouldn't.
You'd be amazed at how long people want to survive with 4 people left and how quickly they want to get their chips all in with 3 left. Reverse your strategy here and you'll see some improvement.

[AleoMagus]

LOL. Great post.

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Regards
Brad S

[The Q]

Awesome.

And yes, don't tighten up on the bubble. You want to win, not come in third.