FTP SNG rake question/what to do when your BR is less then $10

[dantheman91]

I've noticed alot of people say that the $1.20 tourneys are a rip off because the rake is so high. 20% of the buy-in... And, I've been playing the daily dollar sat .25 + .05 buy ins. Is it okay to be playing these tourneys? Or, am I going to end up losing money because the rake is so high? So far I've cashed in approx. 70% of them, lately...

Or, should I mostly be focusing on cash games when my BR is only at 8 bucks while playing the occasional nightly private tourneys with no rake. I'm just curious. Is there really any sort of strategy when you have a BR less then $10?

 

[OzExorcist]

To answer your last question first... in my opinion no, there isn't really a bankroll strategy when all you've got is $10. Hell, $10 is barely more than a pile of loose change. Just take your shot at whatever game you think you're best at, play your best and see what happens be that cash games, STTs or whatever.

Worrying about whether the rake is 10% or 25% is a medium to long term problem. If you've got a choice between tournaments with equal buy ins and equally skilled fields then yes, you obviously choose the option with 10% rake not the one with 25% rake. You're not in that situation though. Playing in games with higher percentage rake will drain your bankroll slowly, whereas if you try playing something higher with lower percentage rake (like the $2.25 games on Full Tilt) you risk having variance send you broke a lot faster.

And FWIW those $1 SnGs are beatable long term even with the high rake. The players in them really are that bad.

 

[IveGot0uts]

You're bankrolled to short stack at .01/.02NL cash games. .40 buy ins= 20 buy ins at an 8 dollar roll. Proper short stacking strategy might let you grind up a bit more. If you are a pretty solid player than you may be able to go a little short rolled, but be careful, because no matter how good you are variance can kick your ass. You're not in bad shape for those daily dollar satellites, especially if you can sustain your winrate. BR standards exist to compensate for play based swings and variance. If your limit is well below your level you will often get away with cutting some corners. I recommend kicking in another 40 since you need to deposit if you ever want to withdraw anyway, and jumping right into the .01/.02 with 2.00 stacks, and rocking them deep when you're stacked for that. Thats how I made my roll and grinded my way to 50NL even with cashing out to pay some bills along the way. Not just to brag, but to say that it can be done.