Building a bankroll with $2 SNG is a joke

[light65536]

I started again trying to build a bankroll with $2 SNG and I'm running about break even on my wins/losses and down about $15. I was running about 60%-65% win rate and ALWAYS down $5-$10 but my game has suffered the last few games.

Does anyone have any suggestions how to build a bankroll? I don't think heads up sit-n-gos is the way. Some of these games can last a long time too. And even if you go all in with a premium hand its unlikely to be more then a 15-20% favorite over a calling hand and possibly anywhere from -2% to a +5% favorite only.

Here is some basic math if you win/loss ratio is equal then you will lose $20 for every 100 games played.

50 Wins = $90
50 Losses = -$110
Net Result: -$20

I think I've just got tired of playing so much. I win a ton of games in a row and I only see my bankroll go up a few dollars but I lose a few and I'm down $5,-$10,$15.

 

[muddawgg]

i play on poker stars and to build my bankroll i play tourney satelite 2.20 buy-in to sunday hundred grand. a new one starts every hour at 25 past the hour. in the evenings every half hour . they last 1 1/2 to 2 hours. you don't have to come in 1st to win money,usualy top 20ish. when you win a ticket to the hundred grand tourney you go to requests, then registered in tourney and cash out and 11.00 will be credited to your account as touney dollars. you then can use them in sit/go or other tourney

 

[light65536]

I'm also interested in any videos and strategy especially for HU SNG. I've never read any strategy and play mostly by instinct taking notes on how various players respond to bets. I find GOOD players easier to play but they are far and few between at this level.

Most players fall into these categories:

Bad Aggressive: Play style is categorized by raising huge amounts every time with nothing and extremely quick betting. These can be difficult to get more then a 25%-30% edge against because they are all-in every pot. My strategy with this player is to slow the game down to a crawl which gives myself time to think and makes them uninterested.

Calling Stations: Call any sized bet and impossible to bluff. I bet larger against these players when I hit something big.

Bluff hards: Will bluff big all the time. It can be difficult to beat them with the best hand but often second best will do.

Mouses: Easy to bluff but takes a long time to play them.

Money bull: The money bull will bet huge when they hit something. Ridiculous size bets $40 in the pot and they go all in. Unfortunately this type has given me a hard time because the bets do tend to look like bluffs.

I've had the most success from a strategy where I try to keep the pots small and value bet with selective aggression. The reason I think this style works best for me is that the odds change dramatically when playing a premium hand in heads-up. I beat a pretty good player just now and there was at least 1 crucial pot: he had pocket Kings and I hit 2 small pair on the flop and bet into him the entire round taking that pot down.

The other reason I like to keep the pots small is because if I get someone knocked down then I don't want to give them a chance to hit something big and put my stack at risk. Imagine raising with pocket Kings in heads-up and a player calls with pocket 9's and he hits his set. You bet into him and lose a large pot or take say maybe he has a larger over-pair.

Small pocket pairs on a paired board are the most dangerous hand to play against because they can give someone a better full house or a full house against trips.

 

[KidFlopadelic]

whoever advised you that this was possible did not do you a favor.

Very few have used micro SnGs to go anywhere! Its just too difficult as you've seen for yourself. live and learn....

GL

 

[KingCurtis]

Well its not really a joke, I mean I did it and it was even lower than that, I was playing the 1.20$ SNG's on stars and eventually moved up in limits about 3-4 times. Another good thing that helped me and motivated me was the BOP(Battle of the Planets) promotion on stars.

Please note that I had some very nice cashes in mtts or the 180 man sngs which shot me up, but I played these within my BR. BRM is key which I'm glad you're following. Just have a goal each week, each month, but don't follow this strictly due to trying to catch up or chase your losses to reach your goal, it could make you play horribly.

It is possible to build a BR from these low limits, the best feeling is when you move up in limits and then it's not so bad, you feel better and not so "bored" which will make you play better hopefully and move up again!

 

[c9h13no3]

I'm also interested in any videos and strategy especially for HU SNG.

I'm far and away a bad heads up player. But I do know the basics:

1) Raise WAY more often (and smaller) when you are in the small blind, for a couple of reasons. First, your opponent is in the big blind and has more forced money on the table. Secondly, you'll have position for the rest of the hand. So raise quite often with a wide range.

2) Do a lot more 3-betting preflop, especially when you're in the big blind. And your raises should be larger from the big blind when you do raise.

3) Get reads. Heads up, like you said is all about playstyle. Some players are conservative, and you need to wait until the blinds get big and then just keep the pressure on them. Others are nuts, and 2nd pair is good enough to go with.

4) Once thier stack gets small, just start putting them in with the vast majority of your hands. Even if you're a 2:1 dog, its worth it to try and knock them out.

 

[KingCurtis]

Building bankroll with $2 SNG - yeeaahh its bad idea.

I don't understand why everyone is saying it's a bad idea. What if someone can and only can afford a 50-100$ deposit. If they follow good BRM(Bank Roll Management) and play solid poker(without tilting, fish like plays, ect.) these are the only limits they can play. So they have to build a BR this way, unless they do not follow BRM and eventually lose it...

I've done it and know someone who has amde hundreds starting from play chips!!
so never say never!

 

[SPANKYNERD]

I actually like those low dollar SNG tournaments. I've built up about +20 just from 1 table 1 or 2 dollar SNG's. It seems to be a good way for me to steadily build my bankroll. Stick with it is my advice.

 

[KingCurtis]

omg i didn't spam....o wait i am right now

 

[wsorbust]

Well its not really a joke, I mean I did it and it was even lower than that, I was playing the 1.20$ SNG's on stars

It's doable to build your BR with the micro SNGs on Stars. You might want to look at you strategy, what is going wrong, etc, and change it up.

 

[golan]

one word "patience" It is possible to build a bankroll in small S&G. Playing 10 or 20 a day is nuts. PokerBurnt is what you will get. Put some space between games. Take a walk' I feel your frustration and the mental image is someone sitting in front of a computer plkaying to many games and pullin their hair out LOL
slow down
Peace

 

[vanquish]

just play 4/180s imo

 

[ajrobin]

Its definitley doable, buts its a long and difficult grind with a lot of frustration involved. In fact im trying the exact same thing at the moment with 1.25 9-mans. I hit a bad run over tge last week but seem to be recovering after reviewing my PT stats, having a look at my game, plugging some pretty big leaks and reducing the number of SnG's i play at once. My advice, take a day and look at your game, try find holes or leaks which you can improve on. Read some articles, and just relax. When u get back play tight, hugely patient and score big of the maniacs.

GL

 

[Stick66]

HU SNGs are great practice, but very few folks can make a good profit doing it. The risk-to-reward ratio is too high.

$2 6-pl, 9-pl, 18-pl, & 45-pl SNG's are all worth a shot. If you score a bigger cash in a multi-table one, you can then play a couple of single table ones to change up your profit-per-hour. Sometimes, I like better to play 2 9-pl games at a time rather than 1 18-pl. But that's just me.

Then there's always 1c/2c NL cash games .......

 

[LeanAndMean]

It's doable. I did it on UB. started with 2.20 and increased as my br got to 20x the next level. I worked up to $20 sngs, but couldn't seem to beat those.

 

[jewboy07]

when i first deposited i put $60 on full tilt and played 1.25 sng's and continued to build my bankroll

it was a lot harder on Tilt they don't offer as small stakes and the rake is terrible but here i am about a year later and with a $460 bankroll after withdrawing a few hundred

seriously it's all about the grind...you're not gonna see your BR jump by $30 but just continue to grind it out and you can't go wrong

just don't give up its very doable

many of us here have done it

just focus on good BRM, not going on tilt because your roll isn't rising fast enough, and read and study here and improve your game

 

[juz2swt]

There good for players juz learning to play sngs or if you want to build your BR very slowly. The time you put into them is not worth it unless you finish in top 2..

Juz my lonely opinion..

 

[Dwilius]

Sell playmoney. You can only build bankroll if you're winning. You were advised to play hu sng because it was only thing you were winning at, not because its a great way to build.

 

[SavagePenguin]

Does anyone have any suggestions how to build a bankroll? I don't think heads up sit-n-gos is the way.

If you're goal is for consistency, and assuming you play equally well there, ring games are the best.

Of course, you're not a good ring player, or don't enjoy it, then it's probably best to skip them.

I like muddawgg's satellite strategy. I play those things as well. A $2.20 investment can net you $11T when you unregister for the Sunday Million. Keep in mind that those are tournament dollars though (T$), so they can only be spent on tournament entries.
The games are pretty soft though. You get the typical donks at the beginning, but at the end people just don't seem to adjust to the payout structure. I see big stacks duking it out near the bubble all the time, even though they're practically guaranteed a seat if they just fold every hand. A couple days ago I got close to the bubble and a middle stack shoved. I had A/A. Normally I'd fold that if I thought I could fold my way to the money (unless I was up against a tiny stack, who I'm looking to break) but I had a mountain of chips at that point so calling and losing still kept me in the "I can fold every hand and make the money" category. Ends up he had Kings, and for the first time in a long time my Aces held up.
It should be noted that the guy with Kings had enough chips that he could have easily folded his way into the money. So while he was probably about 80% to win against most hands that call, he was probably better to win had he folded every hand. I know it's hard to lay down Kings, but unless the risk was not worth the reward.

Anyway, those satellites have a good ROI which makes up for the fact that you are only earning $T. And if you play a lot of S&G's anyway those $T's will get converted over to real $ as you play other games, so it's not a big deal.

 

[dsvw56]

I don't understand why everyone is saying it's a bad idea. What if someone can and only can afford a 50-100$ deposit. If they follow good BRM(Bank Roll Management) and play solid poker(without tilting, fish like plays, ect.) these are the only limits they can play. So they have to build a BR this way, unless they do not follow BRM and eventually lose it...

I've done it and know someone who has amde hundreds starting from play chips!!
so never say never!

I've done it, last September I made one $100 deposit on pokerstars. My first online deposit since the UIGEA. I started playing the $1.20 SnG's, quickly moved up to the $3.40s, mixed in some NL10 cash play, etc.. etc . . That initial $100 has paid for :

StoxPoker 12 month premium membership
New computer
new computer desk+chair
A PSP
And a severely bloated bankroll for playing NL25


It is possible. But poker is not a get rich quick scheme. It takes a lot of hard work, studying, and patience to be successful. Instead of blaming the stakes you're playing, or the players you're playing against, look inward. Analyze your own game and try to improve.

 

[pokertime911]

YA i started with five dollars and played a cardschat forum game and won that and never looked back. I Have over 3k now