Ask Collin Moshman and Katie Dozier About Sit ‘n Goes!

[CadoARAJ]

Thanks, yes Collin and I’s books are available as ebooks on Amazon, kind of you to ask.

In general, the lower the stakes of the SNG, the less likely there are to be a lot of regulars and pros. As you move up in stakes, and there tend to be more regs, their names and stats will become familiar quickly and I recommend tagging them for easy reference on the sites where that is possible—that way you can quickly see in the lobby if an SNG has 8 Regs/Pros (uncommon for sure but it does happen), then you can avoid that game.

Another thing that helps is playing at times where it is a popular time to play, because in general the pros/regs will be playing a lot, whereas on weekends, and after work times, there will tend to be a bigger player pool. You’ll know you’ve found a good time when the games are filling/tables are loading quickly. Best of luck!

Ty for the insta call answer.
When you can, please put the links of your ebooks at amazon. Ty.

 

[Katie Dozier]

Ty for the insta call answer.
When you can, please put the links of your ebooks at amazon. Ty.

Here’s a link to Collin’s Author Central Page on Amazon that also lists the books [emoji4] https://www.amazon.com/Collin-Moshman/e/B0036UGLFO

 

[CadoARAJ]

Thanks, yes Collin and I’s books are available as ebooks on Amazon, kind of you to ask.

In general, the lower the stakes of the SNG, the less likely there are to be a lot of regulars and pros. As you move up in stakes, and there tend to be more regs, their names and stats will become familiar quickly and I recommend tagging them for easy reference on the sites where that is possible—that way you can quickly see in the lobby if an SNG has 8 Regs/Pros (uncommon for sure but it does happen), then you can avoid that game.

Another thing that helps is playing at times where it is a popular time to play, because in general the pros/regs will be playing a lot, whereas on weekends, and after work times, there will tend to be a bigger player pool. You’ll know you’ve found a good time when the games are filling/tables are loading quickly. Best of luck!

Ty. Apreciated it. Very elucidative.

 

[Katie Dozier]

Ty. Apreciated it. Very elucidative.

So glad to be helpful! Hope you have a nice weekend [emoji4]

 

[nugget1985]

I play 9max turbo sng at 11$ which is hard and I am unfortunately break even and cannot beat this level...
can you tell sth about situations:

1. 5 players left (imho the most important phase of the game)

2. how should I play when high blind level is close and table is almost full

 

[Collin Moshman]

I play 9max turbo sng at 11$ which is hard and I am unfortunately break even and cannot beat this level...
can you tell sth about situations:

1. 5 players left (imho the most important phase of the game)

2. how should I play when high blind level is close and table is almost full

1. Put yourself in a position to win. If you reach the bubble as short or mid stack, your finish distribution will be too weighted toward 3rd place finishes. Seize any profitable spot and give yourself a chance of being able to pwn the bubble.

2. Know the shove/fold ranges very well using software like ICMizer. Open-shove and 3-bet shove a lot.

Good luck!

 

[nugget1985]

1. Put yourself in a position to win. If you reach the bubble as short or mid stack, your finish distribution will be too weighted toward 3rd place finishes. Seize any profitable spot and give yourself a chance of being able to pwn the bubble.

2. Know the shove/fold ranges very well using software like ICMizer. Open-shove and 3-bet shove a lot.

Good luck!

thanks 4 quick answer...
how should be look proper 3bet/fold to 3bet stats when most players on this level are TAGs?

 

[Collin Moshman]

thanks 4 quick answer...
how should be look proper 3bet/fold to 3bet stats when most players on this level are TAGs?

Good question. It's slightly difficult to say because you can drill down these stats (such as based on number of players left which will increase 3bet stat and decrease Fold to 3bet). My suggestion is that for any stat you're worried you may have a leak, check out the stats of players you respect in tracking software. If good regs doing well have very different stats than yours in any area, it's a great place to look more for leaks and change your approach like 3betting more or less.

 

[akmost]

Hey guys ,


I play some 90/180 player turbo SNGs on PS($0.50) and hope at some point to jump into the $2.50/180. I think I have got a good understanding of the format and I am profitable although my sample is relatively small till now but my game has many leaky spots.

Down below are my questions:

1.In which stack size do we have an open raise / fold play?I make this move with 15-20bbs and I want to apply some pressure.I open raise according to the chats but sometimes my opponents fight back and I don't have a calling range,I think?!?

2.Is it profitable to 3bet push in the blinds with any 2 cards against someone who is a loose aggressive late position stealer(with same or smaller stack than mine)? Or should I stick to the tightest side of 3bet jamming?(Generally I am a tight player with small 3bet stats).

3.Near bubble, do we have a wider open shove range against tight players with a similar or bigger stack than ours or this move is -EV in the long term?

4.Blind vs Blind situations , what is our calling range against the aggressor in the SB?10% top range?15%?

I know that my questions are kinda general but I think that your experience will may answer some parts of my questions. I try to study some spots in ICMzer as well.


Thanks for doing this and welcome to CardsChat Family!!!

 

[Katie Dozier]

1.In which stack size do we have an open raise / fold play?I make this move with 15-20bbs and I want to apply some pressure.I open raise according to the chats but sometimes my opponents fight back and I don't have a calling range,I think?!?

2.Is it profitable to 3bet push in the blinds with any 2 cards against someone who is a loose aggressive late position stealer(with same or smaller stack than mine)? Or should I stick to the tightest side of 3bet jamming?(Generally I am a tight player with small 3bet stats).

3.Near bubble, do we have a wider open shove range against tight players with a similar or bigger stack than ours or this move is -EV in the long term?

4.Blind vs Blind situations , what is our calling range against the aggressor in the SB?10% top range?15%?

I know that my questions are kinda general but I think that your experience will may answer some parts of my questions. I try to study some spots in ICMzer as well.


Thanks for doing this and welcome to CardsChat Family!!!

I love 180mans and these are great questions!

1. It’s not a problem to raise/fold with 15bbs (assuming not on the bubble when we should be disinclined to do this as a mid stack due to ICM). I believe that by saying you don’t have a calling range, you’re referring to when you are three bet smaller than all in, and that’s also good—as long as you are shoving over the three bet at least as wide as you would’ve been able to profitably call if the three bettor had simply shoved instead of making a smaller three bet. Just be aware that you generally won’t have much gold equity in such spots.

2. How wide you can shove in this situation depends more on how often the player is folding to three bets than the fact that the player is loose aggressive to begin with. I think fold to three bet percent is such an important stat that I have it on my basic HUD—in large part because this is such a common situation and even regs seem to vary a lot with how often they are calling in this situation. This is a great spot to study in hold em resources calculator—learn the Nash ranges for the most common three bet shoving stack/positions and then slightly adjust from there. (Ie if you think the reg is calling your three bet tighter than he should be in Nash-which is a lot more likely than the player calling too wide-then you can adjust by shoving slightly wider). In my general 180 man experience, most players don’t three bet shove or call three bet shoves wide enough.

3. In general yes, though I’d say more against players that are too tight versus tight. The distinction seems like a small one, but what I mean by it is that midstacks are generally correct to play tight on the bubble. Some players overdo this and I would certainly shove wider on them (but keep in mind it will take a lot of experience playing versus this opponent to know for sure that they’re playing too tight, specifically on the bubble). Generally speaking though, we can shove wider on players we cover on the bubble because they have to call so much tighter in Nash equilibrium.

4. Our calling range blind versus blind depends primarily on three factors: the effective stack, if there are any ICM concerns we need to take into account, and our read on how our opponent is playing (such as if they are loose aggressive). As for the percent we’re calling, that’s going to depend on the above factors. For specific ranges, I like studying hold em resources calculator to see ranges in the most common stack size shove fold situations to memorize as defaults.

Hope this helps and best of luck crushing the $2.5 180s—it sounds like you’re well on your way already!

 

[akmost]

I love 180mans and these are great questions!

Thank you very much Katie! I believe I will post again in this wonderful thread
:icon_stud

 

[Katie Dozier]

Thank you very much Katie! I believe I will post again in this wonderful thread
:icon_stud

So glad to be of help and please do! [emoji4]

 

[lonenlynobita]

Hi Colin and Katie!

So currently, I have been playing 45 man sit n go at pokerstars which uses their normal structure with 10 minutes blind level. Lately, I have been in a run where I constantly losing flips.

Now of course, losing flips is part of the variance. I get it. However, I have noticed that to be able to cash, because the structure is very quick, most likely I have to win at least 1 flip. If I'm doing worse, I may need 2 or even 3 flips. If we do the math, even if somehow I always be ahead on flips, I am expected to lose 40% of those flips. Those expected losses adds up quickly!

I guess my question is "Is there some way to reduce the variance?" I know it doesn't really makes senses, so if the answer is "Well, you have to deal it," I guess thank you for listening to my rant

 

[Katie Dozier]

Hi Colin and Katie!

So currently, I have been playing 45 man sit n go at Pokerstars which uses their normal structure with 10 minutes blind level. Lately, I have been in a run where I constantly losing flips.

Now of course, losing flips is part of the variance. I get it. However, I have noticed that to be able to cash, because the structure is very quick, most likely I have to win at least 1 flip. If I'm doing worse, I may need 2 or even 3 flips. If we do the math, even if somehow I always be ahead on flips, I am expected to lose 40% of those flips. Those expected losses adds up quickly!

I guess my question is "Is there some way to reduce the variance?" I know it doesn't really makes senses, so if the answer is "Well, you have to deal it," I guess thank you for listening to my rant

45mans are so much fun, but dealing with the negative side of variance can be so gut wrenching. Sorry to hear that you’re going through this right now, I know how frustrating it can be.

One thing you can do to help reduce the appearance of variance as well as deal with the negative mental energy side of things is to temporarily move to a game where you have a higher ROI. Most commonly this is going to be just a temporary move down in stakes within your own game type—45 mans in this case. Of course it is unfortunately possible that you’d lose flips at the same rate, but your ROI should be higher in the lower stakes games which can also help with a mental boost!

Also, it’s very important and helpful to maintain perspective on a bad run in the games. For example, it’s human nature to become frustrated if we bust 4 in a row losing our first flip—but the reality is that four games isn’t even a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of things. I believe I’ve encountered several break even stretches lasting hundreds of games in them.

I think responding as well as possible to one of these downswings/break even stretches is very important, which is why I like your question so much. The number one most important thing is to use our frustrations as fuel to study more. Have a bad session? Then we should try to focus on what we can control to improve for the next time.

Watching poker videos (especially those specific to our format), reviewing our own tournaments and posting any hands we’re unsure of, and using software such as Hold Em Resources calculator are all some of my favorite ways to study. In my experience, pros tend to study the least when they’re running hot and the most when they’re in a downswing. I’ve improved my own game so much as a result of the times I’ve had bad stretches. I think that if we reframe the way we think about downswings, we can see them as an opportunity (disguised as it may be) to become better poker players!

Hope this helps and that your luck turns around soon!

 

[LarsLucidor]

Hi Collin and Katie!
Right now I'm focusing on 45 player sngs as well as playing a few mtts. I have read Collins book about sngs and now I'm finding myself in a spot with time to play and study poker full time for a while. I am looking for resources to improve my game on a daily basis. Do you have any recommendations when it comes to training sites? I don't have that big of budget... Maybe 30 dollars a month or so... I've been looking into sites like tournament poker edge and advanced poker training but it's hard to find any reviews. Do you have any recommendations? It would be much appreciated.
/Lars

 

[Collin Moshman]

Hey Lars! I make videos for TPE and they're a great site. Drag The Bar has a lot of free content including excellent videos from Katie on 45man SNGs. And Pokerstrategy has a lot of solid content at the global/basic level which is also free.

So those are some good video options, and when it comes to written, make sure to check out the CardsChat strategy articles if you haven't already as they're a really nice free resource.

Best of luck in the 45s!

 

[LarsLucidor]

Hey Lars! I make videos for TPE and they're a great site. Drag The Bar has a lot of free content including excellent videos from Katie on 45man SNGs. And Pokerstrategy has a lot of solid content at the global/basic level which is also free.

So those are some good video options, and when it comes to written, make sure to check out the CardsChat strategy articles if you haven't already as they're a really nice free resource.

Best of luck in the 45s!

Thanks a lot! I will be sure to check everything out! [emoji846]

 

[nugget1985]

Hi its me again
9max turbo player

what about filtering stats by stack size?
is it really worth to use that?
I am using it from start of the year and I think I play worse
It helped me to understand how best regulars play but I am not confident about rest of the players

below (my stats on the top, blue displayed) I uploaded my stats vs. opponents maybe you can recommend its worth to filter or not in my case

https://ibb.co/LCZqfW6

 

[Collin Moshman]

I like filtering by numbers of plays at the table rather than stack size, but normally I don't filter at all. The reason is like you said -- you lose some or all data on recreational players. For example, a new maniac is 60/30 VPIP/PFR, and then all of a sudden his stats disappear when the blinds go up or a player busts.

For that reason, unless you're in very reg-filled games, I'd suggest simply not filtering. (And if you are in very reg-filled games, find softer ones )

 

[Tenek26]

Hello Collin and Katie!
I read a book about sng and hu, thanks for this work. Can I ask for advice? I would like to clarify about hyper-turbo heads up. As you know, all hyperturbos are determined by the fact that the blinds grow very quickly, and we start with an average stack. Question:

1. Can we accept, all in, from an unknown opponent in the first levels of the blinds (70 bb +), if we are given TT +? This is a strong hand, and we whatever still soon come to push / fold. Or should we win with our postflop skill?
And you should not rely on luck, because any all-in, is it always a coin? I do not know what to do ..

2. When the stack becomes 15bb and less, i need to forget to postflop and play only push / fold?

3. What to do in this situation.
Presumably, we have 15bb or less. We have already seen a dry flop and hit the younger pair. Our opponent is also 15bb (he is nit/tag) and he puts all-in. What to do, we have 15bb, and if we fold this hand, we will soon have to go to all-in with a trash hand, should we call?

 

[Collin Moshman]

Hey Tenek! Great questions.

1. Definitely call with TT. Keep in mind that our opponent is likely on a capped range, in other words he wouldn't just shove if he had KK or AA. I would actually be very happy to call with 88 in this spot

2. You can make other plays with 15bb. Some hands like 22 or A2o shoving is best. But particularly against tight/weak opponents, you can still limp and even minraise at a 15bb stack.

3. Depends on the flop texture and pot size. For example, if it's a raised pot and you have 7X on a JJ7 flop, then call the shove. With bottom pair no heart in a limped pot on 987 all-heart flop, then fold.

 

[Tenek26]

Thank you very much Collin! I never thought, that I could get a response from a person, whose book I read haha. Thanks CardsChat. A little later, I want to ask a few more questions about HU, I really liked these discipline.

 

[Collin Moshman]

Thanks Tenek! Appreciate those nice words and feel free to post here if you have more questions on heads-up. It's a great format.

 

[nugget1985]

Simple question...
What is your opinion about party poker changes?

 

[Collin Moshman]

Good question. I'm not a big fan of the changes. I like being able to play with a HUD. Requiring a name change will hurt a lot of players who have great results or just a fun history playing with that name. As others have pointed out, the lack of downloadable hand histories could make it easier to get away with cheating.

No easy way to track results will also make it a lot more difficult for people to get staked on Party.

But with all that said, good traffic and soft games are very important. If Party's changes can somehow improve these things, then I'd be content with the changes.