I'm trying to play several SNG's, focused on building a bankroll to level up, but the results do not come. I still have many vices and flaws in the game as if I were a beginner, but I should already be playing like a regular.
Most of my bad results are due to me not following my strategy, another part is due to the type of opponent I meet at the tables, that is because they are very good, or because they make absurd moves that end up working out the luck , like going allin in a flopraimbow and getting flush on the river.
I believe that by the end of August I will be able to finish repairing mine flaws and I will be conditioned to reach the best positions, another factor that influences a lot in the quality of my games is the time, but I am organizing to play without distractions.
Sng's can be very swingy at times and i'm talking soul crushing, confidence depleting variance. Do you use tracking software? Holdem manager or poker tracker? How many of these SnG's have you played? What is the sample size? Honestly, it's really easy to get discouraged if you are swinging downward. This can make you believe you need to change your strategy or make you believe that poker is only 'luck'. The best piece of advice i can give you if you are serious about SnG's and want to make a steady profit is this;
1)Track your results:
This means using a tracking software like HM or PT4. This will help you identify wether or not you are actually playing well and on the bad side of variance or vice versa. Not only that, but it actually gives you your confidence back if you are playing well and on a losing streak.
2) study ICM
Knowing how to play different stack sizes is vital to become a successful sng player. If you do not know how to play a large stack to a very shallow stack at different stages of the sng, chances are you will get crushed by the more competent regs. Putting yourself in the most optimal decision making mind frame is imperative to your LONG and short term success.
3) Be fearless
Never change your decision making when you wouldn't normally (if it is the most optimal decision) if variance is getting the better of you. If you are on a 10-20 buy in downswing it is easy to have the mindset of "Here we go again, im gunna jam here and i'm gunna lose again no doubt" its damaging to at least getting you out of a downswing. Trust in your game and be confident. How can we be confident in our game? Go back to what i said in part 1).
4) NEVER TILT
yep, the never tilt rule. Easier said than done right? Well, it's true. Even more so than cash games. Tilt is easily the number 1 reason alot of good players actually have just ok results rather than great results. Keep your emotions in check, play solid ALWAYS, and bring your A game always. If you can manage to eliminate tilt by a good measure, your gunna see your results sky rocket over the long run. If your having a bad day...just quit. If you feel.youraelf getting flusterred and moaning to yourself. Quit. Theres always tomorow. Poker isn't going anywhere. You can re approach the game with a fresh mindset when you have cleared your head and feel ok. (This helped me alot)
Good luck out there. Don't give up. Alot of the time people think they suck at poker when in reality it's not how they play a hand or the hands they play for that matter, it's not the strategy or the skill level, but it's actually having the skill to identify the emotional aspects of the game like tilt, variance, study and correctly identifying the problems that are hurting the win rate. Anybody can get good at poker. How good can you get? That's entirely upto you in regards to how passionate you are and how willing you are to succeed in the game. Good luck.