sng strategy

[lrlslo 0]

For all you SNG players I wanted to know what strategy, if any, you employ in your SNG play.Everything you read on SNG, and most people who talk about their strategy say "play tight early and get aggresive when it gets down to the bubble". Well I would normally consider myself a tight-agressive player, but I also like to react to how a table is playing and adjust my play accordingly.If most of the tables strategy is to play tight early, I find it to be a good time to pick up numerous small pots against the players who obviously don't want to get to involved.Now there are some maniacs who I try to avoid in the early stages (they usually finish 7th-9th). But you can pick up on who is waiting until later to risk chips and accumlate a chip lead for when the blinds get high and the all-in fest comes.These 'play tight' guys will also usually let you know quickly if they have a hand they are going to play. If I raise pre-flop and get played back at or am called and my flop bet (which I will always bet the flop if i raised) is called or raised, I get out- unless I have a real hand-. These guys don't want to mess around, if they have a hand they play it strong-easy to read- and if they don't they just let it go.Personally, after reading everyone say 'play tight early' I have adjusted my game to accumlate chips in the beginning rounds.Let me know what you think.

[screech 0]

Play tight early is probably the best advice. I like to mix this with positional play. If I'm in late postion and everyone folds to me, I will usually raise to around 3bb's if I have any sort of holding. I will also call raises with position with suited connectors and other marginal holdings if my stack is large relative to the blinds and antes. If it is checked to me on the flop, I'm gonna bet between 1/2 and 2/3 of the pot most of the time. If I get involved in a pot OOP, I will vary between check/bet about 50%. Of course I only follow the above if the pot is heads up. With more players, I usually make my decisions based upon my hand strength and the flop, but will bluff if the situation warrants it.As the blinds get larger compared to stack sizes, you have to play less small suited connectors and small pairs, since the implied odds for these hands go way down. High cards that are normally dominated become far more valuable. You have to play more aggressive during this stage and take more gambles (especially on party)Hope this helps. :-)

[lrlslo 0]

It doesn't really help, no.What it says is 'play tight early' which is exactly what I wasn't talking about in my post. I don't think that is the correct strategy simply because it is so widely employed. If everyone 'plays tight early' who the hell is going to be picking up all those pots.

[PT0077 0]

I guess I am different than most because I look to take alot of flops early if I have position. I feel like early in the tournament is the best time to take advantage of the bad players and build your stack. Why not take a flop with suited connectors to a raise when you have 1500 in chips and the raise is to 100. If you can out flop them, and they can't get away, you're going to be in command of the sng for the whole thing. I normally will start out with this style until I am down under 1000 or over 3000, and then I will tighten up. By playing this way, you are also guarunteeing action later when you smooth call with a large holding (ie. KK, AK, AA). I guess it really depends on your style and how you feel comfortable.

[lrlslo 0]

I guess I am different than most because I look to take alot of flops early if I have position. I feel like early in the tournament is the best time to take advantage of the bad players and build your stack. Why not take a flop with suited connectors to a raise when you have 1500 in chips and the raise is to 100. If you can out flop them, and they can't get away, you're going to be in command of the sng for the whole thing. I normally will start out with this style until I am down under 1000 or over 3000, and then I will tighten up. By playing this way, you are also guarunteeing action later when you smooth call with a large holding (ie. KK, AK, AA). I guess it really depends on your style and how you feel comfortable.

Why would you tighten up when you get over 3000???? I see people doing this all the time and it makes no sense. People will double up off some idiot in the first three hands and then not play the next 2o. While you sit out the rest of the table catches up and you get blinded off and soon you are average stack.If you get the big stack early, and you know play like to 'play tight early' the correct strategy is to push. Like many pros will tell you, if the big stack at the table is aggresive, people don't want to get into pots with you unless they are fairly certain they are going to win. That makes it easy to recognize when to get out.I think you should be pushing the action early and dwindling those players who are waiting until the bubble to 'get aggresive'.

[PT0077 0]

I guess I am different than most because I look to take alot of flops early if I have position. I feel like early in the tournament is the best time to take advantage of the bad players and build your stack. Why not take a flop with suited connectors to a raise when you have 1500 in chips and the raise is to 100. If you can out flop them, and they can't get away, you're going to be in command of the sng for the whole thing. I normally will start out with this style until I am down under 1000 or over 3000, and then I will tighten up. By playing this way, you are also guarunteeing action later when you smooth call with a large holding (ie. KK, AK, AA). I guess it really depends on your style and how you feel comfortable.

Why would you tighten up when you get over 3000???? I see people doing this all the time and it makes no sense. People will double up off some idiot in the first three hands and then not play the next 2o. While you sit out the rest of the table catches up and you get blinded off and soon you are average stack.If you get the big stack early, and you know play like to 'play tight early' the correct strategy is to push. Like many pros will tell you, if the big stack at the table is aggresive, people don't want to get into pots with you unless they are fairly certain they are going to win. That makes it easy to recognize when to get out.I think you should be pushing the action early and dwindling those players who are waiting until the bubble to 'get aggresive'.

I'm not saying that I play extremely tight, but I will be more choosy of my spots. When I have a bigger stack early, I can sit back and pick up on styles and patterns without having to worry about getting involved in a pot where I don't know the style of the player. I guess that's the reason I tighten up. Or, it's just that I prefer to cash over playing to win, I like to get my money in with as big an edge as possible.I'm not saying that my strategy is sound, but it works for me. I work kinda backwords from alot of people in the way I approach tournaments or sngs. I like playing the short-mid stack because that's where my comfort zone is. That's why I can go deep in a MTT, but have never made a final table. I lack the aggression towards the end because I don't want to put it in the middle pre-flop. That's probably also why I have made final tables in limit tournies because I prefer playing post-flop.

[potpumper43 0]

Play tight early doesn't necessarily mean hand quality, tight as in avoiding large pots w/out strong hand. In the first 2 levels I will limp in after multiple limps w/ small pairs (anything under JJ), suited connectors, suited aces and broadway cards if i feel that no one will make a shutout raise behind me, if raised I just give it up. After the flop I play for a small pot unless I flop a monster. Once the later levels come, or 5 headed, I play looser if my stack is 7BB or under (all-in pusher), tighter if my stack is comfortable.

[HoosierAlum 0]

Personally, I think going into a sit and go with a preset strategy is a bad idea. I used to go into every sit and go I played with the mindset that I would play tight early and get aggressive late. However, this is not always the correct strategy.Watch the table and see how people are playing. There is nothing wrong with getting involved in a large pot with a donkey early on in the tourney. Usually there will be one or two donkeys that get married to top pair early on, and will not be able to let go of it regardless of the action. Pick on these players and double up early. Sure, once in a while they will suck out, but more often than not you will double up and then be able to control the table.As most of you know, if you double up early, it is very hard NOT to cash. You will be in control of the table and be able to run people over. I think it is best to evaluate each sit and go differently. Each table you play at will be different, so adjust accordingly.

[lrlslo 0]

Personally,  I think going into a sit and go with a preset strategy is a bad idea.  I used to go into every sit and go I played with the mindset that I would play tight early and get aggressive late.  However, this is not always the correct strategy.Watch the table and see how people are playing.  There is nothing wrong with getting involved in a large pot with a donkey early on in the tourney.  Usually there will be one or two donkeys that get married to top pair early on, and will not be able to let go of it regardless of the action.  Pick on these players and double up early.  Sure, once in a while they will suck out, but more often than not you will double up and then be able to control the table.As most of you know, if you double up early, it is very hard NOT to cash. You will be in control of the table and be able to run people over.  I think it is best to evaluate each sit and go differently.  Each table you play at will be different, so adjust accordingly.

You are right, each SNG is different and the same strategy should be applied all the time. What I am saying is that the 'play tight early' strategy is so common amongst other players that playing aggresive early is a better strategy when you see it.And yes, if you double up early you can make the money a fair amount of the time, but getting blinded out and taking 3rd is not a profitable strategy. To be a consistent earner is SNGs you MUST take 1st for a good percentage of your ITMs.

[screech 0]

It doesn't really help, no.  What it says is 'play tight early' which is exactly what I wasn't talking about in my post. I don't think that is the correct strategy simply because it is so widely employed. If everyone 'plays tight early' who the hell is going to be picking up all those pots.

I think you need to read my post again. I advocate playing tight OOP, but loosening up quite a bit in position. The point is, that with such deep stacks, you are pretty much free to choose any style that works for you. That being said, it is very difficult to play as loose as you seem to want to in SNG's, because in the early rounds, your opponents have very loose calling standards. You seem to think the opposite, but I have never encountered such games. I find that if you raise in EP with small blinds, you will usually get several callers. That's why it is better to wait for your positional advantage before you try to outplay everyone.

[PT0077 0]

I don't see why you want to play tight pre-flop early. Why not take chances on semi-ok hands and bust someone who is married to their high pair. You have to assume online at least that you have 1-2 donkeys that are at your table (at least I assume this in a $5 sng and I think I have been wrong twice out of a good 200 sngs that I have played). Take some flops and outplay the donkeys.

[lrlslo 0]

I don't see why you want to play tight pre-flop early. Why not take chances on semi-ok hands and bust someone who is married to their high pair. You have to assume online at least that you have 1-2 donkeys that are at your table (at least I assume this in a $5 sng and I think I have been wrong twice out of a good 200 sngs that I have played). Take some flops and outplay the donkeys.

I guess I should have mentioned that I didn't mean $5 SNGs. I am mostly talking about $20-50 SNGs which may be quite different.

[harvey 0]

The $20 dollar sit n goes I have played have been quite loose. So I am not seeing the everybody- plays-tight-early scenarios that you are describing. Most people watch tv, they don't read about strategy.That being said,In an early-tight sit n go, loosening your starting requirements seems kind of silly. You are either going to pick up a very small pot on the flop, or you are going to be up against a hand much stronger than yours. Against tight opponents, you should still start with quality hands and make more 'plays' to push opponents off a better hand when you miss. There isn't much time to make winning many small pots very useful. The idea that you should usually play opposite of what the table is playing is largely incorrect. If you feel that you are skilled enough to see the flop with worse hands than your opponent and still be successful than so be it. But, most people will be vastly rewarded by dropping poor hands in the early rounds when the hands are cheap, and fighting tooth and nail when the blinds escalate and the hands are expensive. There is a reason most successful sng players have a similar strategy that you see written everywhere.In a loose sit-n-go, you can loosen up a bit, but maintain a better hand than the average, and punish the fish with your best hands.And finally, Just for future reference, when you ask all sng players to give their successfully employed strategy, and then respond that it wasn't helpful, you come off sounding kind of jerky. Perhaps you didn't intend to, but just so you know.

[lrlslo 0]

The $20 dollar sit n goes I have played have been quite loose. So I am not seeing the everybody- plays-tight-early scenarios that you are describing. Most people watch tv, they don't read about strategy.That being said,In an early-tight sit n go, loosening your starting requirements seems kind of silly. You are either going to pick up a very small pot on the flop, or you are going to be up against a hand much stronger than yours. Against tight opponents, you should still start with quality hands and make more 'plays' to push opponents off a better hand when you miss. There isn't much time to make winning many small pots very useful. The idea that you should usually play opposite of what the table is playing is largely incorrect. If you feel that you are skilled enough to see the flop with worse hands than your opponent and still be successful than so be it. But, most people will be vastly rewarded by dropping poor hands in the early rounds when the hands are cheap, and fighting tooth and nail when the blinds escalate and the hands are expensive. There is a reason most successful sng players have a similar strategy that you see written everywhere.In a loose sit-n-go, you can loosen up a bit, but maintain a better hand than the average, and punish the fish with your best hands.And finally, Just for future reference, when you ask all sng players to give their successfully employed strategy, and then respond that it wasn't helpful, you come off sounding kind of jerky. Perhaps you didn't intend to, but just so you know.

Nice post. Just to clear up, I didn't mean to sound like an ass when I said the post didn't help, however my post was about not always employing the 'play tight early' strategy and the first sentence of his post was "Play tight early is probably the best advice."I understand that this is the strategy widely written about, which is why there are some players who you can tell are using it and take pots off of them. There are TONS of maniacs in almost all levels of SNGs, and clearly they are to be avoided early. But you can usually peg those that are sitting back and waiting for a hand. With these players it can be profitable to steal their blinds, make pre-flop raises and bet the flop (where they will fold unless they really hit it, in which cases you give up that pot). I am not advocating playing a loose style overall, just that in most SNG their will be players who are taking the advice of "tight early" and they should be taken advantage of.

[screech 0]

in most SNG their will be players who are taking the advice of "tight early" and they should be taken advantage of.

Any time you can easily identify an opponents strategy you should take advantage of it

[Rocketwadster 0]

A good player must be able to adapt to how the table in general is playing in order to maximize your chances of increasing your chip stacks. 8)

[macphec 0]

I think Screech gave some excellent advice in his 1st post. I agree 100%You cant go in saying "I'm gonna play tight first then loosen up".