whats wrong with my strategy!?

I mostly play at $1.25 9 man sitn gos on full tilt.
This is my strategy:

Early i play extreamly tight, however i play a little passive, i limp with my small pockets in late position and possibly with a suited connector. Once the blinds reach 30/60 i become more aggressive stelling a lot when i am in position and c betting. once it gets to 4 people i become extreamily aggressive. If i am low on chips i push with any ace and a lot of other some what weak hands, but i only do this against passive players or people who are just trying to get in the money. Later, when its down to 3 people i get a little tighter and wait for it to get down to 2 people.

please critique

I'll be interested to see the comments from better sngo players because this is remarkably similar to how I play them. fwiw I'm a marginally profitable sng player at microstakes using this strategy.

...oh, and get to the 2.25 as soon as possible. That rake is awful.

I'm also a marginally profitable SNG player, and every time I've tried to grind the 1-table games, it feels like a lot of work for a pretty thin margin. I much prefer the 5-table games. There, if I have a really good game, I can win enough to pay for a dozen more games.

As far as your strategy, I try not to tighten up when it gets down to three, because 3-handed any ace or pocket pair becomes very strong. But, the final three is often more about the chipstacks than cards dealt. The chipleader should be putting a lot of pressure on the other two, and playing back at the chipleader can often net decent results.

i know thats prolly one of the reasons why it is tough to make money. i think i am always in the top 3 best players at that level, but i dont make a profit.

I like most of what you're saying. 30/60 is about the time when the blinds are worth having, except by this point, if you've been folding pretty much until now, your stack's going to be around let's say 1100. Sometimes it'll be more, sometimes less if you had a couple hands to play earlier that didn't work out, so I just picked something in between. To make a standard raise of 3xbb, then cbet 1/2 pot, it's going to take 405 chips, leaving you with a pretty hurt stack if you don't take it down. I prefer open shoving once the blinds are worth having, and your M's floating in the 12ish area. There's a couple reasons for this:

1) You're very likely to win those blinds.
Obviously someone's going to need to wake up with a hand to call this bet. If they do, well that's too bad, but you were going to have to win a hand sometime to get into the money anyway.

2) Image boost
When you've been tight this whole time, and suddenly shove all in, people are probably snickering at you behind their monitor going, "The nit finally got aces, lol. Played em like an idiot" So at first, these shoves are going to be really effective. However, after a few orbits, they realize, "No, this guy's just gone crazy and he's shoving anything he thinks is worth playing." This is going to be handy really soon.

3) Blind are about to be worth even more
30/60 is when the blinds start being worth fighting for. But pretty soon, they're going to be huge. Now shoving has become the correct mathematical play for mostly everyone (whether they know it or not is another story) but since you've already been shoving, your shoves are going to get less respect, which sounds bad, unless you're cognizant of it. Now back off a bit, be aware of table dynamics, and mostly value shove. Other player's stacks are going to be getting in trouble, and they will realize this, likely leading them to calling off their stack light. Now when you shove AJ, they look at AT and think they have you crushed (after all this is the idiot who's shoving anything he plays). So now when stacks are contested you have a better chance of being a favorite with hands that, had you been nitty till now, probably would not fair so well against a villain's calling range.

As for getting aggro on the bubble, I don't like that save one exception, if you are the chip leader

It's the chip leader's prerogative to steal the ever loving god out of everyone when it's the bubble. If you have a middling stack, then your job is to stay the heck out of his way as he steamrolls the small stacks, sliding you into the money. If you are the short stack, or become the short stack, then you simply have to double up or go home. If you have a middle stack, don't get fancy here, because if the short stack doubles through you, well then you're going to find yourself possibly outside the money when there was absolutely no need.

Once you're in the money, it should be fast and furious. It's purely making +EV shoves. The blinds are likely massive by this point, and you simply need to get some good spots to shove in, and either take down the blinds or run a board and see what happens. Waiting for one of the other two players to be knocked out is going to end up slowly draining your stack, and lead to a lot of 3rd place finishes. You make money in these tournaments by winning them, not by making the money. Play tight/aggressive as I've laid out previous to the money, then once in the money, stay aggressive and be willing to gamble to move up the payout structure.

The more I think about it, I think 30/60 is just too soon to start going crazy. I haven't played sng's in some time, so at first it sounded right to me, but I realized that it's really just too soon. The reason is that you aren't going to be padding your stack by adding 90 or 120 chips to it here and there.

At these stages, I think you should remain very tight, raising 3-3.5xbb, and being rather conservative postflop, weak/tight even, not being aggressive with draws or air, even when you were the preflop leader. There will be times you may feel a cbet will very likely be profitable, and if you believe so, then by all means do it, but don't be cbetting 100% of flops.

Once the blinds are around 50/100 or 60/120 is really when the shove/fold starts to kick in. Even with 15bb, or an M of 10, shoving is really the optimal move.

To know if you should be shoving or not, it's all about having an idea of your opponnent's ranges. You'd like to have an idea how often they're limping then folding to a shove, and what hands they're limping then calling shoves with. If somebody limp/folds a bit, then you can shove pretty wide, but if they're limp/calling with QT you're going to want to wait for a hand that can likely dominate them and shove then.

That's what SNG's really come down to, is putting opponents on ranges well. And make sure you're constantly adjusting. For example, as a rule I said that don't steal on the bubble unless you're the chip leader. Well this is a fine strategy if there is a massive chip leader who knows what he's doing, but if stacks are close, with multiple people contesting getting in the money, or if the players are just overly passive, then yes, go ahead and seize the initiative.

As with any strategy in poker, pay attention and adapt to your opponents, that's your job!

Your strategy is good
But how is the table in general?
tight or loose, aggresive or large

I've another strategy
I play very tight and wait that the blind is high
I play only BB if there are not raise
I play AA KK QQ (normal, of course)
I play also little pair in small blind
That's all.
There are 3 or 4 players out
Then I play with my little stack
I'm there very aggresive when my stake is small and blind high
I've win a MTT with 540$ in stack when the ather players had 5000$
I've chance, of course, AA,KK,KK,AA

There is the tight part: fold the small and medium pocket pairs, fold the suited connectors, fold A-rag, fold the SB unless you have an excellent hand--then raise coming in. Play Sklansky I and II hands only (that means no KJ, KQ, K10, QJ, Q10, J10, etc). The only speculative hand you should play is A-anything suited, provided everyone else just limps in. If someone raises, fold. If you do not have a flush draw, fold. If an A hits the board and you have a bad kicker (anything under a J is bad) fold. If there is alot of action when the ace hits, fold.

Here is the aggressive part: If you are first to the pot making sure you come in raising at least 2 1/2 x BB. Any limpers before you enter the pot, put in a large enough raise to go heads up. If you get any piece of the board make at least a 1/2 pot c-bet. Do NOT try to trap or slow play with an overpair or top pair. If you have AA or KK do NOT slow play them. If you try and get them cracked (it happens, need proof? this site is full of stories) don't complain, you've been warned.

Late/bubble: open up range of hands. Any pocket pair, most A-rags, most K's and high connectors....consider shoving. You need to be FIRST to the pot when you shove. If you have AA, KK, QQ position doesn't matter...shove.

This is what I used and was rather successfull at it. I tried to get fancy and play the small/medium pocket pairs, suited connects and all that and my BR took a major hit. I'm done with it. I've gone back to the basics. Nothing fancy and my BR has made a nice recovery. I still get suckouts and bad beats like anyone else, however since I'm not playing (donating) the small/medium pp and connectors, my stack can take a few hits and still have me in contention.

You would be surprised how far you get playing this tight (I was). Don't take my word for it, go to a $1 SnG and do nothing but fold, after about 15 hands you're gonna me shocked where you end up.

From my experience if you can double up one time ($3000) -OR- you can win two nice pots (preferably half your stack each time) that is going to set you up to finish ITM. You don't need to win a lot of pots to finish ITM.

Good luck at the tables.

Playing SIT nGO.
I raise and playing most agresive at BUTTON.
It work very good, many opponent folds and you bring their chips.
But If anyone re-raise, it is better to call, not fold
"because opponents should now that you arfe bluffing"

As said before 30/60 might be too early to open up your range.

All in all your strategy isn't bad, though.

You might want to mix it up - if you see that you can outplay opp postflop.

I can strongly underline that you move to the 2.25$ sngs if it is reasonably in your

BR limits.

The rake is only 12,5% compared to 25% and opp are only slightly better.

Be careful about calling down reraises - most of the time you will be behind.
I don't want to spill out chips just to show thin air on river.

i agree with grafkarow ,30/60 is a little early to open up your range ,also lizzys post is excellent and v true play tight and and dont get fancy (most sng small games are filled with chancers ) abc poker works for me in these games ,hopefully i can double up somewhere ,if i do i usually end up itm ,speculative hands are too costly in a stt to play (great when they hit !!) i spent 2 years playing only $5 sngs and was never busted ,but then i didnt make a lot of money either. good luck

i dont see any problems with your stragedy its yours and if you have alot of practice with it y not . i myself start off really tight in the begining as well and loosen up as the blinds increase and just play like that the hold time and only push if my chips is under 10 times the BBs unless its heads up than i wont have to push and just play it.

Great advice here and only replying so this is in my user cp and I can go back and read it over and over and over again.

I usualy play more passive and call lots of blinds if my hand is semi desent early on. Just because when the blinds are that small if you have 1500 stack any 2 cards can win but any raises usualy means fold and you can try to take advantage of checks all around with a small raise to pot size raise depending on your cards and how big the pot is

I don't open up my range until the blinds hit the third level.

So, it is advisable to play very tight at the beginning? what hands do you recommend playing?

I think I've beind doing exactly the opposite.

For instance, yesterday i played at a tournament and I bluffed at the beginning and won about 1.000 chips in the first 5 or 6 hands. Then when stakes were more expensive, i then began playing more "carefully".

For me it depends on the table. If there is a lot of action early I will start off very tight and try to capitalize on that. If the table is tighter I will loosen up a bit and steal a pot now and then.

I guess the point is.. there is no magic formula for playing the low SnG's, it all depends on table dynamics. But usually at this level you'll have a lot of loose aggressive players, so.. tight early is usually the correct way to go.

(it's been a while since I've played the STT SnG's) but, I normally switch gears as the bubble approaches (1-2 players left until money) and try to bully the shorts stacks a bit as they will typically tighten up like crazy. however, you will run into players doing the exact same thing and if you see short-stacks all of the sudden making more raises than usual, i'll play it right back at them and get them to knock it off.

That's all I have to contribute.. i'm no expert, looking forward to more insight

I play much like you only i don't call with suited connectors no-matter what position until I have gathered chips under my belt,just it's another way of bleeding chips if u ask me.I only play hands I can raise with until like you said people start getting eliminated and you have to open your play a bit.I do fairly well at sit-n-go's