Difference between 5.5$ and 11$ SNGs?

Hi,

I'm playing SNGs on fulltilt and while I'm feel like I'm a consistent winner at 5.5$ (20% ROI over 200 games, 30% over the last 100), I also feel like a consistent loser at 11$ (-15% over 50 games).

Is there such a big difference of playing skills between these two levels? What strategic adjustments should one make when playing moving up to 11$ ?

There is little to no difference between these two levels of SNGs. Player skill in each of these should be pretty much the same. Do you play these tournies differently because the buy in is a different percentage of your bankroll? That may be a reason for the difference in win percentage. For the most part, in these low buy-in SNGs, you will meet a few solid players who are working with small bankrolls, and a number of people with larger bankrolls that like to get in with speculative hands and gamble more. You might find another solid player or two by moving up to $11 SNGs, but on average, I'd say the game and the level of play is the same. Hope this helps, and good luck at the higher buy-ins.

Well I play at Pokerstars and there really isn't much of a difference between the $5 and $10 sit and goes, there is always a mix of decent players and terrible players. I really have only found a difference at the $20 games so far, I couldn't really consistently win there but I don't know if I was just playing different because $20 games seem like a lot to me.

I think that anytime you step up to a new level that there is something in the back of your mind that allows you to be slightly intimidated.It can affect the way you play and make it seem like a tougher game than it really is.I play in a lot of $20 sng tourneys and I don't think that they are much tougher than the $5 or 10.But when I first made the step up they seemed much harder,probably because I had changed my playing style.Keep trying,observe the dynamics of the game you are playing,and approach it with confidence and I believe it will make the transition much smoother.Good luck,Holdem.

I doubt there is to much difference in skill level between the 2.You probably need more of a sample than 50,or even 200 to really find out if you are beating the level or not.I would shoot for more like 1000 SNG's to get a more accurate read on this.

Also,I know if I move up and I'm not doing well it is because for some reason I try to play different than I was at the previous level.I seem to tighten up,even at the later stages.I know this is a major leak in my game and I am working on it.

If this isn't the case for you then you need to play more to get a proper analysis of your numbers.

This is a good question for me. I'm still struggling to be consistant on the $2.25 sit n goes. Every time I move up I lose too much of my bankroll. So my plan is to stay at a level I can build my bankroll.
I believe if I can be more comfortable I play better. There must be more I need to learn. I think doing these forums help a lot for just these kind of questions, and feedback. gl

For me, I think it's a matter of perception rather than ability. I'm playing mostly $1 SNGs as pokerstars and consistently win (I don't know my ROI off hand). I try to move up to the $5 SNGs, but I (like DetroitJimmy) tighten right up and end up going out on the bubble. Needless to say, my BR (which takes a long time to build up playing $1 SNGs) dwindles quickly. So, I'm stuck at the $1 level until I can build up my BR to able to sustain not-in-the-money finishes until I get comfortable.

It's a shame pokerstars doesn't offer $2, $3, $4 regular SNGs (not Turbo), because that would certainly make my transition easier.

Well, I think I'm starting to handle the 11$ SNGs better now. My stats are now
Buy In (#) Return ITM% ROI Avg Finish
$ 5.50 (216) $ 256.50 38.9 21.59% 4.4
$ 11.00 (71) $ 56.00 38.0 7.17% 4.5

Beyond that, I think there's no way I can wait to have 1000s of SNGs before figuring out whether I'm a winning or losing player at a given level. I started at really micro stakes (see below) and would still be playing there if I was waiting for a statistically significant sample size. I tend to move up as soon as it feels comfortable in terms of bankroll.

What I've observed is that in all transitions to higher stakes I tend to lose at first, than get used to the level and end up winning. But it seems to me that the higher the stakes go, the longer this transition becomes.

Buy In (#) Return ITM% ROI Avg Finish
$ 0.05 (16) $ 0.40 56.3 50.00% 4.5
$ 0.11 (21) $ 1.69 52.4 73.16% 4.5
$ 0.27 (35) $ 4.85 45.7 51.32% 4.0
$ 0.55 (32) $ 2.40 40.6 13.64% 4.4
$ 1.10 (68) $ 10.00 36.8 13.37% 4.7
$ 2.75 (117) $ 38.25 36.8 11.89% 5.0

I actually feel there is a difference between the 5 and the 10 SNG. In my experience I run into a lot more people who hold on to their short stacks to the death!!! Several times I have been screwed on the river and get fourth place because schmuck was holding on to his last 300 chips for dear life.... other than that it's pretty much the same

I read a piece of good advice once that said, find your comfort zone and just play more tables and games at that level.

GL!

I feel that it is more an unconscious decision as you move up and out of your comfort zone. I was trying to make the bubble, but have been working on changing my thinking to more a try to win the sng and if you fall short you should still be in the money. Worked pretty well for me until the last five days when i went 0/12 in sngs. Went back to Bodog and played in the $2 beginners and built my confidence back up....we'll see what happens.

I play only on Pokerstars and I would say there is a difference between $5.5 and $11 SNGs. I prefer $11 SNGs because I find the play is tighter and I think generally more people at the $11 have a better understanding for the game. It could be just me, but I find people are generally looser in $5.5 SNGs. I find if I play tight in a $11 and pop out a raise people respect my raises more. I guess I would say people pay more attention to other people's table images in $11.

With looser players, I guess your ROI should be greater in $5.5 if you play premium hands and people are calling you with their dominated hands etc. The looseness throws me off though. It's harder for me to put people on hands in $5.5 over $11.

I wasn't getting anywhere playing $5.5 so I jumped to $11. I like it much better at $11. The players seem more predictable to me and easier to read. My bankroll was stuck around $150 playing $5.5 for about 3 months. I got my bankroll up to $341 in four days playing $11.

With my tight playing I find it easier to steal blinds in $11 when the blinds are high. I would attribute this to people observing other people's table images more in $11 SNGs.

Maybe I'll jump in a $5.5 for fun just to see if my observation stands correct.