My low-level SNG quiz

[junkmail3]

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

PUSH. This one is tough to do until you grow accustomed to it, but I'm pretty sure it’s right. You’re in the blinds the next two hands, and you’re down to 650 chips after they pass you, which is a bad situation. Once you’re down that low, you would have no folding equity at all left – the blinds would be correct to call with any two at that point. While 87s isn’t a monster by any means, it’s plenty good to push here. You still have enough chips to fold the table around a fair percentage of the time, and even if you get a call, you’re not in terrible shape unless you’re up against at over pair. Even if an opponent will call with any pair or any ace (and that’s probably too loose of a range to expect), you’ll still win 40% of your showdowns and double up. You definitely want to be the one pushing and not calling here too, and this may be your last chance to do that. If you’re shortstacked in a SNG, there’s a lot of luck involved since the blinds escalate so quickly. Sometimes you just have to close your eyes and shove your chips in – this is one of those times.


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I think the field is too large to try this. You're going to get called way to often with much better hands to make this worth it.

I think with T650 left you can see 7 more hands that put you with a better holding. 8s7s is good, but it's pretty weak and is easily dominated. I'd rather have a K or A in my hand to push UTG here.


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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 left (350 after posting). You get dealt Jd3d. Your play?

As I hinted in the previous question, this is a FOLD. There are two reasons for this, again which are related to your opponents’ position and chip counts. Now the little stack will be forced to call in the big blinds with any two cards. Chip-EV wise, your J3s will do OK against his random hand (SB will fold anything but queens or better if you push), winning slightly less than half the time, but there’s no need to press the issue here. You can let the small blind go to battle here with the little stack. There are a few reasons for this. First of all, it near hurts to fold a hand every once in a while, just for image purposes. You want your raises to have some meaning, even though they’re probably realizing you’re stealing quite a bit by now. Secondly, as I mentioned before, your cards pretty much suck, and you WILL go to showdown here. And thirdly, it might just be to you advantage if the small stack sticks around for a little while. Folding is a bubble preservation play, which shouldn’t be overused, but now is a good time for it. If you fold and the BB happens to win his showdown with the other player, you’re still in bubble mode, which as illustrated by the previous question, is a wonderful time for the big stack to accumulate a ton of chips at minimal risk.


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I guess I can buy this. But you're in good enough shape to take a small hit in this situation. Even if BB does win this hand, you can go back to bullying since all three stack will be a similar size with the blinds taking 1/3 of their stack every orbit.

I still think I push and pray.

[UMTerp]

Eastbay's tool doesn't account for fold equity factors though, which in my opinion turns this into a push. His tool is strictly ICM-based. It's a great tool, but it doesn't care that opponents' calling range will be ultra wide next round against you, or that you're in the blinds the next two hands.

[Meatmaw]

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

PUSH. This one is tough to do until you grow accustomed to it, but I'm pretty sure it?s right. You?re in the blinds the next two hands, and you?re down to 650 chips after they pass you, which is a bad situation. Once you?re down that low, you would have no folding equity at all left ? the blinds would be correct to call with any two at that point. While 87s isn?t a monster by any means, it?s plenty good to push here. You still have enough chips to fold the table around a fair percentage of the time, and even if you get a call, you?re not in terrible shape unless you?re up against at over pair. Even if an opponent will call with any pair or any ace (and that?s probably too loose of a range to expect), you?ll still win 40% of your showdowns and double up. You definitely want to be the one pushing and not calling here too, and this may be your last chance to do that. If you?re shortstacked in a SNG, there?s a lot of luck involved since the blinds escalate so quickly. Sometimes you just have to close your eyes and shove your chips in ? this is one of those times.

[/ QUOTE ] I think the field is too large to try this. You're going to get called way to often with much better hands to make this worth it.

I think with T650 left you can see 7 more hands that put you with a better holding. 8s7s is good, but it's pretty weak and is easily dominated. I'd rather have a K or A in my hand to push UTG here.

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I think image is very much a determining factor here. If I think I'm perceived as tight, then I push (assuming there are no stacks out there which are so small or so large that they feel compelled to call). If I am uncertain I lean toward pushing, but if I feel I have built the slightest loose image, then I'll fold.

I'm not sure if I feel much, much better with Ax or Kx (low x) here. I feel less likely to be dominated with 78s.

[gumpzilla]

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I think image is very much a determining factor here. If I think I'm perceived as tight, then I push (assuming there are no stacks out there which are so small or so large that they feel compelled to call).

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I think in low level SNGs, while it's possible for much of the table to notice that you're loose, it's nearly impossible for much of the table to notice that you're tight.

[UMTerp]

Fine, fine - I'll admit #6 isn't clear-cut then. The rest are all pretty good questions though!!

If you've answered differently from the masses on more then 2 or 3 though, it's a good bet that you have a few leaks and you're not just "running badly".

[pokerlaw]

#6 (the 78s hand) depends more on my image of the table than my image among the other players. If the BB is tight and so is most of the table, I am MUCH more inclined to push. On an average table, I tend to fold this here assuming fairly equal remaining stacks.

[chisness]

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

[Al P]

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According to Eastbay's tool, pushing 87s utg into 7 people, assuming 1) 77+, A9+ calling range and 2) All 7050 chips are divided evenly among the remaining 6 players, produces a difference in -0.1% $EV. I

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On stars there are 13,500 starting chips. We have 950 so there's 12,550 for the other 6 players which makes the situation even worse for us. And your calling range is WAY too tight here. Try 33+, A4o+.

although I'm sure we're probably a favorite over 33, 44 and maybe 55 so those hands probably increase our EV a bit.

[lastchance]

No. Just no.

Ax and Kx are HELLUVA lot better than 87s here, and you really need to see that. Just look at HU matchups when the range widens, and you'll be surprised how bad 87s is against those.

Also, getting called here sucks. You really don't need to be called, and you will get called. The more hands you're called with, the worse.

Pushing 87s on a tight range is hard here. Pushing 87s on a loose range is stupid.

Suited Connectors = HORRIBLE in push/fold situations.

[jeffraider]

I think the 87s one is a very clear fold as presented, and it'd only be close if you had a very very tight image, but I think pushing UTG+1 with Q-high would be miles better here.