Help!! Even Donk-a-Dollar SNGs are too much.........

fletchdad

fletchdad

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I have been playing online 4 money about 2-3 months give or take. I have been mixing tween sng, ring and mtt. On the strength of a post I put here, and the answers I got (TY all vm btw) I am concentrating on SNG, and only SNG. I will stay at sng for about a month and then re-evaluate. I play the 1$ buy in. OK I am probably whining WAY too early, but 7 games, 1 1st , 1 2nd, 5 out - 1 in 9th place - ouch -. so with rake I am losing money. OK, I know 7 games are nothing, but 5 in a row dents my confidence. I am using a ultra tight beginning stage strategy, loosening up my range at around 50/100 BB, and keeping diligent notes on all villains. I dont have a big BR, maybe 33-34 buy ins including rake, so cant really justify going for the $3-5 games. I know I am a begginer, but I dont think I suk anymore - I sure did 4 a while, but have been watching, asking, playing, reading and so on VERY intensivly even tho its still such a relativly short time I have been playing. I read lots of stategy and some suggest going for the medium hands while blinds are cheap, although most suggest playing only premium hands till middle stage. As an example, If i have KQ suited UTG early stage, is it an automatic fold, as I have heard a lot? I am doing this but feel like I should be representing this stronger, just as 1 example. I also read that the fish will knock themselves out quickly, but at least in these few games, the playing was definitly loose, but not wildly stupid, and the players were going in on a much wider range than me, and Im losing... OK, I am gonna go back and play another, I will stay tight, but say a hand like KQ suit or PP 88-JJ, is it a question of positon only, say MP to button play, EP fold? The players are loose, and early in the game I have such little info to go with anyway, I know, a lot of questions in one shot, but I just played and they are fresh in my mind. I would tend to 3BB JJ or even 88-99, and even A5 suited, regardless of position, I know I can get blinded out, but I had KK and bet 5 BB, was raised 5 BB by a guy who was staying in on almost ATC, and he saw almost every flop, and raised with A7os and such, so I re-raised like 1/2 pot, he called, Q-9-7 hh flop, I bet like 50% his stack, he goes all in, I am commited by then anyway, He shows AQ os. well the turn of course brought his A, and the river helped me not at all. Sure ups and downs, I know but is my ultra-tight advice gonna pay off in the long run, or should I mix it up and when?? Whew, I am long winded...... ty for reading this, I will shut up now.......:eek:
 
Worak

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Ok as you said your sample size is very small though a few things seem obvious.

  • Ax hands in early and mid position I'd rather let go since they tend to get you into problems more often than they win
  • you needn't raise x3 BB medium pps EP since they don't hit the set often enough to be worth a raise and you'll get called pre by someone in later position anyway - try limp/call set mine rather (basically the only time were limping works imo).
  • play your premiums hard (AK+,JJ,QQ,KK,AA) raise as you did and isolate. As variance evens out eventually you want to get as many chips as possibly in the middle with them.
  • Steal more in late position in the later stages of the sngs/stts as most of the others will tighten up towards the bubble.
 
dj11

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Be patient. You are only a few posts away from our freerolls. You might notice a distinctly different level of game in our freerolls compared to most public freerolls. Many of our players honed their skills, and br's via our freerolls. I consider myself to be one of them. You all can continue to consider me a fish;). (Muahahaha, but I got ur monies, lolololololololol).

With a br in the under $50 range you still need freerolls.

Avoid getting addicted to action. Dump A-small hands most of the time, even in position and you can open the pot. Doing that will help you gain self control.

The biggest problem for you at this point is that scared money thing. So the SNG decision was a good one. Fixed risk.
 
Poker Orifice

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YES KQ in EP early levels is auto fold (so is AT & so is AJ). If you're asking this question, trust that you still have lots to learn.

7 games is wayyyyyyy too small of a sample size to base anything on. I've watched the #1 ranked online SNG player lose 15games in-a-row (I've had one stretch where I had only 1 cash in 24games!!!). It happens.

Way too early.... keep plugging away.... keep reading more (btw, what are you reading for SNG play?).
If you're paying 20% rake at the $1's I'd consider playing the $2's where tourney fee/rake is smaller percentage.
 
Poker Orifice

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WHat hands to players typically play in early levels? Say you raise it up in EP with KQ & get two callers. How confident are you going to feel when you hit your Q? (and are getting called down). It's the type of hand where you'll likely win very little or end up losing ALOT. Either way it's a chip spew in early levels.
IT ISN'T NECESSARY TO ADOPT the thinking that in order to win the SNG you need to be trying to win all the hands (or a bunch of them). Try watching some good players (in the $10's even). You'll see them fold, fold, fold, fold... often down to 1,100 chips, then BOOM.. they reraise allin over some guy's KQ rs, Biggerstack loose guy snapcalls the reraise shove cuz now he's pretty much priced in (& many can't fold anyways) and now Tight guy has 2,200 and is sitting in decent shape. (<, just an example, not an 'ideal' one or anything but one that is quite typical in SNG's).

I can think of a hundred+ more points to write about.. but where do I start? Keep reading is all I can suggest. Watching a decent player's SNG vids. would also be very helpful.
 
Poker Orifice

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If I were to ever raise 5bb before the flop & another guy re-raised me another 5bb (incidentally a RIDICULOUS sized raise by him), and I had KK, I'm probably just shoving it allin at that point.
Copy & paste the actual HandHistory (when you have a question, & even if you don't but are curious as to what other's think about your play & include 'why' you're doing what you're doing (ie. player reads, etc.,... also when betting you should have a reason that you're betting & a reason behind the sizing of your bet).

If an idiot is re-raising w A7o, etc.,... GREAT!!!! Tighten up even more & get it in way ahead of him.
 
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WiZZiM

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whoever told you going for medium hands early on doesnt know a thing about sng play...

super tight early is the only way.. the chips we lose are worth more than the chips we win.. it affects your equity in a sng hugely..


it would seem to me that you are probably not loosening up enough in the late stages...

generalyl the worst sng players are the ones who play lots of hands early.. then when the blinds get big, they all of a sudden tighten up... full of them at the 1 level..
 
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WiZZiM

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oh and i dont know if this has been said, but if you have 5 bb's and up to 12bb's are a general rule you should be folding/shoving.. you cant play flops with these stack sizes.. you want the money in preflop with KK every single time..
 
fletchdad

fletchdad

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Thank you all so much!! WiZZiM, I sent you a response to your mail. Poker Orifice, I have ordered Sit and Go Strategy from Moshmann and will have it in a day or 2. I google sng strategy and read everything there is. I posted about oooks and have received a lot of suggestions, always happy for more, but have a lot of reading to do Harringtons books as well, but that is cash I think. Any other SNG must reads? I am posting a couple of hands as soon as I post this, I cant post too many as I am still under 65 total, but will be posting a lot more as soon as I can. Went all in just now (hand i will post) with AKh, and here I am to talk about it, I should be still playing.... Me AKh, villain ATos, A flop and.... TaaaTaaa T river........ Have a look, i think in spite of that I played it right. Did I just blow it by revealing what happened? And posted hands should never be posted with results, is this correct? Should results be eventually posted? I have a hard time finding hand converters for PKR hands, get a wrong format message. I found on that works but I need to edit every hand cause it doesent come out right, in case anyone know a good HC for PKR hands. thanks again!!! I am so glad I found CC!!!
 
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