4 replies to this topic

[akishore]

so tournament poker was never my forte, but i've decided that i want to improve my SNG play. i play very TAG when there are more than 6 players left, and survive down to the bubble fairly easily. i have the discipline to drop marginal edges and to take only calculated risks. however, when it gets to short-handed, i start opening up my game a lot and getting very aggressive in order to steal the blinds.so today, at a pokerstars 10-person SNG, i had around 3000 chips when it got down to 5-handed and the blinds went to 50-100, and through aggressive blind stealing (varied between once every couple of rounds to twice a round) and flop bluffing (betting out when i had nothing), i was able to build my chipstack up to 5000+ without even seeing a turn or even a flop in most cases. however, i feel very vulnerable because the entire table is noticing my all-out aggression.i don't want to change gears and suddenly play like a rock (like the rest of the table) because i want to maintain my healthy chipstack, but i have trouble doing that when people start playing back at me. i am easily able to categorize which players' blinds i can steal, and which players always call or re-raise if someone tries to steal their blind. however, when a person who's blind i can normally steal re-raises me, i find it hard to lay it down once in a while. while i normally do have the discipline to lay my hand down knowing that it's much more profitable to avoid seeing flops right now, after a third or fourth reraise i can't help but feel that i'm getting outplayed, so i should be playing right back.so what started as five-way with me on average stack, went to me as a big chipleader, more than 1/3 of all the chips in play. that was sustained for a good 25 minutes, more than two blind level increases! it was just a pure stalement, my chipstack remained constant between 4500-5500, and no one was willing to leave. finally, i busted out in fifth when i stupidly got trapped by TWO players and played what i consider to be one of the worst hands of my life. it was really utterly stupid.i feel like my problem is that i can't control my aggression on the bubble, but i'm just wondering if anyone has tips. obviously the best thing to do against weak/tight players on the bubble is to get loose and aggressive and start winning some important blinds, but how do you avoid traps, and how do you avoid getting outplayed at the same time?? any help is greatly appreciated. looking back, i feel like most of the SNG's i have won, i have gotten lucky around the bubble when i should have actually busted before the money. i want to change that; i want to skillfully get past the bubble.below are three key hands that i had while it was five-handed. i'm not sure if i'm really looking for any comments, but they're just example of my aggression and final, stupid hand. after the last hand, i was down to less than 5 big blinds. i folded once, then pushed in with Q4 and outdrew AJ, then pushed the next hand with A4 and lost to AK.PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (5 handed) converterUTG (t2630)Hero (t3975)Button (t970)SB (t3140)BB (t2785)Preflop: Hero is MP with [Kc], [5c]. 1 fold.i did this because the big blind was a rock at this point. he never defended his blind. in all honesty, i would have done the same with 72o, my cards didn't matter almost every time against this big blind. unfortunately, the SB called.Flop: (t600) [Jd], [Jc], [7h] (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets t300, SB folds.this seems stupid, but it's an example of my aggression. there was a method to the madness... in my notes, i had "a 1/4 pot bet into you is weak... min raise to get her to fold" since i had seen her fold to a min raise a few times. so here, she min raised me, and i felt that it was a scared bluff attempt just like a weak bluff bet. i had also seen her push really hard with a good hand against aggression, so i really didn't believe she had the jack. despite that, i only raised 800 more so that i wouldn't lose too many chips in case she pushed and i was forced to fold.Final Pot: t2600PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (5 handed) converterButton (t2455)Hero (t5200)BB (t2145)UTG (t2415)MP (t1285)Preflop: Hero is SB with [Jd], [6c]. 3 folds, Hero completes, BB checks.this big blind was defending his blind too often by re-raising all-in, so i didn't want to raise here. i thought i would mix up my play and try seeing a flop and bluffing at the flop.Flop: (t400) [Tc], [Kd], [5h] (2 players)Hero bets t200, BB calls t200.but instead of bluffing properly, i min bet... stupid stupid stupid aseem.Turn: (t800) [Qh] (2 players)Hero bets t200, BB calls t200.instead of semi-bluffing properly, i min bet... stupid stupid stupid aseem.River: (t1200) [Js] (2 players)Hero bets t200, BB calls t200.i finally hit my jack, but again, instead of either just checking figuring that you're beat by kings or getting slowplayed or actually making an attempt to push him out of the pot, i min bet AGAIN... stupid stupid stupid aseem.Final Pot: t1600Hero has Jd 6c (one pair, jacks). BB has Qc 7s (one pair, queens). Outcome: BB wins t1600.PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (5 handed) converterSB (t2255)Hero (t4200)UTG (t2845)MP (t3215)Button (t985)Preflop: Hero is BB with [Ks], [Ts]. 1 fold, MP calls t1615 (All-In).wow, this was retarded of me. two rocks just limped in, and i feel that i need to push people out with the first decent hand i've seen in a while which isn't even that great??? i even sensed a trap but figured a raise was good to see where i was, and i had full intention of calling the last 285 in case the shortstack pushed in, but i didn't consider the other limpers. and how stupid of me was it when i got limp-raised and the shortstack called! i completely wasn't thinking and figured the limp-raise to be a bluff attempt by a weak hand that just wanted to see a flop but was now getting annoyed at my aggression. even then, there's no point to calling... the shortstack called and could be eliminated!! KTs is weak!!! stupid stupid stupid aseem.Flop: (t8600) [Jd], [2c], [Ad] (3 players, 2 all-in)Turn: (t8600) [3d] (3 players, 2 all-in)River: (t8600) [7c] (3 players, 2 all-in)Final Pot: t8600Hero has Ks Ts (high card, ace). MP has Ah As (three of a kind, aces). Button has Js Jh (three of a kind, jacks). Outcome: MP wins t7615. Hero wins t985.hmm, i would have never seen that coming... somebody actually tried to trap me with two high pairs! who woulda known... stupid stupid stupid aseem.so there you go, the last hand should show you just how badly i can screw up a great chiplead. i feel like i play great poker for the first while, but as people start noticing my aggression, i just lose it after a bit on one big hand. i know my leak is that on those big hands, i don't think enough and i don't take my time and use proper discipline, but again, i'm wondering if anyone has any advice for shorthanded SNG play.thanks,aseem

[Petoria]

Hand 1: I like raising to try to steal the blinds, unfortunately there's a flop. You bet, she raises, you reraise. Your read must be really good to reraise like that. I would've tossed the hand right there. In sng's, I like to be the aggressor, and not get lots of chips in the pot in marginal situations. It was a good take down, but that will only work for so long. In fact this hand helped me bc i usually wonder what a min raise means in similar situations.Hand 2: In my experience, you have 2 options this late in sng's. 1. You fold and save your chips for a time when you have position. 2. You raise and try and take it down right there. Calling the big blind is never an option from the SB this point in sng's. The SB is my least favorite stealing position. Attempt it less often than you would from the button. I know this seems counterintuitive, but it has worked for me.Hand 3: :shock: :shock: Yuck!!! I don't think we need to talk about this one. You know what happened. My only advice is to stop doing drugs. :-) I've played many, many sng's in my time, mostly low limits and I've been able to come up with a few ways to play in them. Early on in sng's, maybe til the blinds are 30-60, I don't play anything worse than AJs and if i'm in early position with a low PP, I may not even call to see a flop. With this philosophy, i usually end up on the bubble of the money with about 50% more than my original stack, and still sitting ok. Now we come to blind-stealing. You cannot steal blinds if ppl have come in before you. This is very important, because someone who called coming in, usually has a hand because they want ppl to stay in. It might mean a drawing hand, but ppl don't like putting chips in when the blinds are significant with those types of hands. Don't try to call out a blind-stealer unless you have a legitimate hand. You're just putting too many chips at risk. When 5-handed try to avoid blind-stealing from UTG, unless there are 2 very tight players behind you, too much risk. Don't be afraid to shut down if you get raised pf. If you just get called pf, lead at the flop, if you get raised, just drop it. Remember the gap concept is at work here. Almost every time you get called on a blind-steal you are behind, but they are giving you a chance to beat their good hand. So look at getting called as an opportunity to eliminate someone because your hand is disguised.Play your good hand steals the same as your bad hand steals, you don't want to make your opponents suspicious that you might have a good hand when you make a smaller raise. If they see you make a different play depending on your hand, they become more likely to call you when you make a standard raise. I know it's not as easy when playing online, but you don't need to look at your cards in many situations late in sng's. I kinda went all over the place with that, but I'm not that great of a writer. If you have anymore questions about sng play, let me know. I hope this helps you. Good Luck!!!!

[Wily]

Hey Aseem,As someone who plays tournament games almost every day for profit and fun, I think it's great that you're finally tossing your hat into the tournament ring. Proper aggression is great when you have a large chip stack and it's late in a tournament or a SNG, but the most important thing to remember is that the aggression should come for strategic purposes, not just for the sake of aggression itself. If you have 1/3 of the chip stack already, you can tone down the aggression a bit and change gears - there is no real reason for you to keep building your chip stack at great risk with weak hands, when you could just wait for the smaller stacks to battle each other out and turn up the heat again inside the bubble. Furthermore, there should be SOME hand selection for your steals - I usually "steal" (as opposed to actually having a strong hand a raising, which can be a steal also) with weak aces, broadway cards (Q 10, etc.), small pocket pairs, and suited kings. Nothing else - hands like your weak jack simply don't have much ability to hit a flop well, and you have to expect getting called down some of the time when you're on a steal. Don't count your steals based on how often per round you're making them, especially when you don't have a pressing need for the blinds. If you've been stealing a lot and it's becoming clear to the table what you're doing, the best thing to do is to change gears and wait until you have a playable hand, and then raise the same amount as your steals. Then when you hit a flop, you are likely to bust out another player who thinks you're just playing them as usual.Also, don't steal-raise with marginal hands (like K 10s !) when there is already a limper before you! So many bad players will limp in with high pocket pairs, and you are just playing into their hands by raising, especially if they are very tight as you said they were. Remember always that the favorite play of every aquatic creature is the SLOWPLAY - always be on the look out for those, and use it to your full advantage. Let them slow play their high pockets or AK until you have a made flush or straight, and then bust them out. Don't use aggression against rocks (and rocks often slow play, since they want to maximize value the few times they come into a hand) when you sense trouble - smooth call them, act weak, and sucker them into letting you draw. In my other post here about suited broadway cards, I go into this strategy in length. Flop bluff betting is a play that I love and hate. It works so well in many situations, against tight players or scared players, and I certainly use it to full advantage in late stages of a tournament. However, there are two types of players that you should be wary of doing this to - the maniac and the short stack. The former, who often also have a large stack due to their aggressive and luck-based playing, will not respect any bet, and you should just let them hang themselves when you do have a hand. The latter will go all in with very weak holdings (second pair, even a pocket pair that that's a third or fourth pair to the board) because they are desperate, and think their all in bet may have some fold equity on an aggressive player. Don't try to bluff them - you'll hit a lot of all ins that you'll be forced to call due to pot odds with nothing, which will injure your big stack. Finally, consider playing multitable tournaments if you really want to work on your late game strategy. The late games last much longer than in SNGs, and there is a definite purpose to keep stealing and maintaining a large chip stack, because you want the best position on a final table. In an SNG, sadly, often the correct play with a large stack is just to button up and check fold every hand until there's 3 or 2 left. In terms of risk vs reward, that is the correct play for late-game SNGs, which are so formulaic and similar every time that I've stopped playing them because of how unexciting they are. MTTs also have a much larger purse to reward you for your excellent play. I've managed to place in final tables a lot more in the last month from improving my play, including so far 4 first-place wins, and I'll continue to discuss these on the forum.Gluck-Yang

[Erudis]

Akishore, i read the post but skipped the hands you posted.The only thing I think you're having trouble with is the second gear-switch. Generally, you have the strategy down: tight, opportunistic poker at first, then get aggressive when the blinds get significant and the table is short. But you also have to remember the next gear-switch and that's after you've come at them for a while and built a significant stack, you have to switch back and be patient letting some of them fight it out for a while. Go back for a time to tight, opportunistic poker and you will get paid off because of your earlier aggression, put yourself at minimal risk, and move up slots as some of the others who grew impatient with your bullying are now trying to make up for lost chips. I see great players bust out far too early for their talent level because they try to play table captain the WHOLE way through(when it gets short-handed), and honestly, that's not usually possible to get away with in online poker. People will wait to trap you and they will tighten up even more to the point that any hand you're in, y ou're gonna be a dog.You've got the general SnG strategy down for the most part, it seems to me, just don't overdo it and outplay yourself.

[Wilderness]

Well, it seems to me that you know your problems and mentioned them in your post. The best way to consistently win and do well in SNG's is to play tight early on, then open up and play aggressive as the blinds increase, especially if you have the stack to make people think twice about getting involved with you. However, you have to change gears more than that. Once you think people have really noticed what you're doing and played back at you some, then you should switch it up and play like a rock for a bit. If you get a good hand at that point, you'll get action because of your previous style of play, and if you don't then you're fine to lose a few rounds of blinds because of your stack size. Changing gears multiple times throughout the whole SNG is important, not just switching to aggressive mode in the middle stages of the tournament.Another problem that you have, as you said yourself, is not letting go when someone makes a play back at you. You've said that you raise the one guy b/c he's a rock and he has just been letting go of his hands easily but that means that when he calls your raise, alarm bells better start going off in your head and you need to step back and really evaluate how to play this hand carefully. The one hand where you re-raised with the two jacks on the board is a good example of this, you had notes about his play, but I think you should let go of the hand to the min-raise because your re-raise is likely losing you chips in the long run even though it worked in this case.The last thing is being careful about what you do when you're on the bubble, which helps to avoid disasters like the last hand you posted. Its fine to be aggressive and use your stack size against the small stacks, especially if their play indicates they are just trying to get to the money, but you don't want to tangle with another large stack unless you've got the goods, there is just no reason for it. Don't throw your whole stack around as a bluff or steal attempt against someone who could take a large portion of it by trapping you b/c of your aggressive play.Basically, mix up your play but be careful about who you get aggressive with at the bubble. But then, you knew that as you were posting your mistakes