SnG FAQ v.0002

t_perkin · #1 07-19-2004, 06:44 PM

Ok here is a slightly updated version of my FAQ, I thought I had already posted it. People still seem to be linking to the old version so here it is again.

Enjoy

Tim

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SnG FAQ:
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Ok this is definitely still in the early stages of development.

These are just the questions that I have immediately thought of. If you can think of others then I will happily consider them for inclusion.

All suggestions, corrections and comments will be well received.

According to the terms and conditions of posting on 2+2 you own the copyright to your own posts. Which is why I am currently only posting links to the posts, with a description of their content.

At a future date I may turn this into a standalone document.
I will make every effort to contact those who own posts that I reproduce. If you own a post that I reproduce and wish for it to be removed then I will happily remove it and simply provide a link to the post on 2+2.

I will give credit for all posts used. Plus credit for all help and assistance given in the production of this FAQ.

Ok here is v0.00002 of the unofficial 2+2 1TT forum FAQ:

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This FAQ is organised into 3 sections:

Tactics FAQ: This section deals with particular hands, and particular plays. Like how to play AA preflop.

Strategy FAQ: This section deals with overall principles to good SnG play. For example how to play on the bubble.

Misc. FAQ: All the other stuff that doesn’t fit in my beautiful three layer model.

Management FAQ: (for want of a better name?) this section deals with issues which span multiple SnGs, such as “table” selection, bankroll etc.

Within each section the questions are in no particular order at the moment.

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*** Tactics FAQ
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(PF = Preflop)
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Limping with AA PF

Can be worth doing at the higher buyins at the early stages of a tournament in EP. Even then it should be viewed as an attempted limp reraise.
Avoid in most other situations.

One discussion:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...mp;sb=5&o=

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How to play AK PF

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How to play KJ PF

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How to play JJ PF

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Folding KK PF

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...p;sb=5&o=2

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*** Strategy FAQ
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ABC SnG poker: AleoMagus´ how to beat 10+1

This is a post which gives a basic way to win at the $10+1 level and will give a good basis for a first time SnG player.

The original
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...mp;sb=5&o=

And a revised (and better) follow-up.
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...mp;sb=5&o=

Read the discussions as well not just the main posts.

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Playing lots of hands on the cheap, early in a SnG

Some people try this. Most people however feel that this is not a good idea. It costs too many chips and leads you into marginal situations too often. It is worth giving up a bit of +EV here.

Anyone got a good post for this?

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How do I improve my Heads Up play?

Play some of the Stars Heads-Up (HU) tournaments (and watch some high buyin ones).
Play against SparBot (http://games.cs.ualberta.ca/webgames/poker/)

Heads up is all about practise and experience. Most beginners are not aggressive enough playing HU. Remember you have the best cards 50% of the time!
This will give you an idea of the quality of hands HU:
http://www.jazbo.com/poker/huholdem.html

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Implied Odds, how important are they in SnGs?

Here is a really nice post:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...t=1#Post665470
(thanks Al_Capone_Junior)

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How should I adjust my play for playing on the bubble ?

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How should I adjust my play for playing a winner-take all Satellite?

An interesting discussion on whether it is preferable to have many or few opponents in a winner take all.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...p;sb=5&o=2

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*** Management FAQ
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What Bankroll do I need for SnGs?

General consensus seems to be between 15 and 30 buy-ins. Remember that no size bankroll is enough if you are a losing player.

Here is a very good post:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...mp;sb=5&o=

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Should I move up?

A good discussion:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...mp;sb=5&o=

And another:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...mp;sb=5&o=

In short:

To move up you should be confident that you are a winning player at your current level
You can achieve this through proving as much by showing a profit over 150 (some would say as much as 250) SnGs. Anything less could still be affected by a prolonged winning or losing streak.
If you have the experience to recognise that you are a superior player to your opponents then you are probably safe to move up earlier.

People go about moving up in two different ways.
Some people like to get sufficient bankroll to play (and lose) a good number of SnGs at the higher level before making the move up.
Some people like to just take the occasional stab at the higher level and play more and more at the higher level as they gain in confidence, experience, skill and bankroll.
Both approaches have their share of proponents.

You will generally not play well when you first move up. Most players find they play a little bit scared to start with. Remember that the players at the level above are not likely to be significantly better than at your current level.
Don’t give up!

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Difference between level X and level Y

Generally there is less difference than one might expect. General consensus is that:
Difference in ability between $5 and $10 is very small, and you should definitely get out of the $5 on Party due to the 20% fee.
Difference from then on is a gradual improvement in ability.
Note that there is an increased number of starting chips at the $50 level at Party (1000 instead of 800).

Also see difference between Party and Stars post.

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Difference between Party/Stars

The slower blind increases at Stars undoubtedly favour the better player over the course of a single SnG.
However the structure is slow enough that it may be more profitable ($/hr) to play at Party. Especially as Party is generally considered to be more fishy than Stars.

The difficulty is obviously not static though. Players move up and down limits, player improve, players quit, poker rooms improve etc. etc. It is a market and like any other real life market it will never reach a static equilibrium.

Here is a reasonably good post:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...mp;sb=5&o=

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What is a good ROI for SnGs

You need to play at least 200-300 at a given level to get a good read.

25% ok
25% - 35% good
35% - 40% very good
40% - 45% excellent
45% - 50% probably unsustainable
50%+ one of: unsustainable, your lying, you have hacked the poker room

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The difference between 1 table SnGs and 2 table SnGs

Erm… more players? &#61514;

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Playing more than one table at once

Some people play 2,3 or even 4 SnGs at a time.
Generally I think people believe that it is harder to do this than at ring games, due to the need to concentrate during most of the last 1/3 or ¼ of a SnG. This makes playing more tables hard.
Most players who do play more than one like to stagger the starts (i.e. wait until around level 2 or 3 before starting another).
Many players play 2 or 3 and claim to have little or no drop in ROI, which can mean an instant doubling or trebling of hourly rate. Definitely worth at least trying.
Many players think that your game does not improve as fast whilst playing more than one table.

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Poker Tracker

Poker Tracker can be found at www.pokertracker.com. It is a piece of software which will store all of your hand histories in a database and produce statistics and reports based on them for both you and your opponents.
It is a very useful piece of software for analysing ring game play, but less so for SnGs, although it is probably still worth purchasing if you are serious about poker.

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*** Misc FAQ
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Does anyone want to make an FAQ for this forum

Finally this is getting done

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How about a note on SNG games and tournaments?

DrPhysic and few others including myself (t_perkin) organise weakly $11 SnG games for posters on the 2+2 forums. These are not affiliated or sponsored by 2+2.
Everyone is welcome and many find it both enjoyable and instructive.
Send a Private Message to DrPhysic or t_perkin to find out more.

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3xBB raise what does it mean?

Imagine you are in a SnG and the small blind is 50 and the big blind is 100. If someone says they “raise 3xBB”, “bet 3xBB” or “made it 3xBB” it means they put out 300. Not 400.

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Note on posting on the forum

If you are posting a situation on the forum for analysis make sure you include all of the following information:

The buyin size of the tournament
The blind sizes
The number of players at the table at that point
The stack sizes of at least the relevant players in the hand.

You will get far less responses if you just post your hand history straight in. Most people don’t like reading them.

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Poker Glossary and Abbreviations
The following are some good lists of acronyms commonly found in poker and often more specifically in these forums:

http://www.riveredagain.com/terms.htm
Very complete. Sometimes slightly inaccurate – but they give you the gist of what is meant. Includes a lot of 2+2 jargon.

http://www.planetpoker.com/games/dictionary/
The poker dictionary – very good. But no abbreviations and nothing 2+2 specific.

http://www.twoplustwo.com/abbrevs.html
The official two plus two list. Pretty useless.

http://www.conjelco.com/pokglossary.html
Glossary of general poker terms

http://www.thepokerforum.com/handnames.htm
Some common nicknames given to hands

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Other handy links:

Holdem Odds:
http://www.pokerupdate.com/pokerodds.htm

Twodimes:
www.twodimes.net/poker
Let you know your chances of winning the hand (if played to showdown) for any combination of pocket cards and board cards.

Hand converter:
http://www.team-skilz.com/
If you are playing at Party you can make your hand look presentable for posting with this.

Poker Tracker:
www.pokertracker.com
The program that everyone uses to store their hand histories and analyse their play.

JayCo · #2 07-23-2004, 01:04 PM

Post deleted by Mat Sklansky

Guy McSucker · #3 08-02-2004, 05:46 PM

Post deleted by Mat Sklansky

t_perkin · #4 08-06-2004, 04:18 PM

I will stick something in the next version about AM's spreadsheet.

Putting the spreadsheet in the FAQ itself poses obvious format difficulties. Plus AM may not want it in there.

I might ask the moderators if they want to make it sticky when it is a little more complete. Of course they are welcome to make it sticky whenever they like, but I wouldn't like to ask until it was in a slightly more complete state.

Tim