Discussion: DavSimon's SnG Strategy Guide

[iwa]

RE: http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...pic.php?t=8202


I smell the beginnings of another great strategy post, keep it going dav ......




{Edited and split by Xianti}

I LIKE.

Dav I am very glad you have made a post specifically referring to SnGs, FTR needed one. Good job and keep up the good work man!

[soupie]

This is gonna be great.

[Spook]

Keep it coming, I like your methods, and I like your style.

[mike4066]

Great start Dav, been looking forward to this.


Xianti, any possiblity of this being split up into a topic/discussion thread like the others?

[Joke]

awesome man! This is the one thing I have been waiting for ^^ it cant be more accurate because I just blew a little roll trying to play where you are. Make this one really creamy.

[a500lbgorilla]

I just made a mess in my pants at the idea of this.

I need to do laundry.

-'rilla

[r8ed]

I play the same exact way and have success. I look forward to more content so I can see where we differ or concur.

I play very tight until I get down to 3 people (unless I have a big stack and call some small stack AI when I have Ax or better). Once I"m down to 3, I liike to raise almost everything (same amount) for three reasons. One, the blinds are higher and people have to pay to play. Two, if both opponents are in and you fold, they will fight over the larger pot and know eachother out. Three, they never know the strength of your starting hand.

I got a little ahead...sorry for the post highjack. I started to think about where you were headed. I'll wait. Good start though.

[G_host]

Nice post! Keep it coming!

[DrumzCT]

Excellent post. I was doing the whole "limp to catch a big hand" and I found myself in the same problems you described. looking forward to more posts

[JShoreCards]

Great article. I can't wait to read more.

You hit the nail on the head...I like SNGs because there is minimal investment for a big(ger) payout. Plus, it hones my skills for MTTs.

Keep the articles coming.

[Staresy]

Excellent post Dav. As a player who is focussing on SnG play at the moment, I found this a great read.

I have also been to-ing and fro-ing between the limp-and-see early approach and the "tight is right" and can't seem to find my niche. Was good to see what u had to say.

[Spook]

I just finish reading sections 2 and 3. Your a very good writer. The advice all rings true, and comes across smoothly. If you were to clean up the grammatical errors, this could be something fit for publication.

Please note, I'm not knocking you at all here... just offering some constructive critism. Please keep going with the project. Don't let my comment slow the creative process, but perhaps have someone go over it once you are through. A second pair of eyes can make a big difference.

-Spook

P.S. If you like, I'd be happy to PM you with specifics.

[DavSimon]

Spook, and anyone else please give me your suggestions. I am not a very technical writer, I write as I would speak....kind of stream of consciousness style. That is why I use several periods in place of commas on occasion to emphasize pauses and breaks. If there are things that I can change to make the material more interesting or understandale I am all for it. Thank you for the feedback thus far. -Dave

[Spook]

Would you prefer them in PM's or added here?

[DavSimon]

I suppose PM would be the best option since it would limit the "clutter" here in the discussion thread.

[a500lbgorilla]

Aww... He called me his friend.



-'rilla

[dbs]

great post
here is one subject i hope you adress later the difference betwen 6handed sng and 10 handed sng since i feel there is a quit big difference at least at the lower buy ins where i play5,5 to 22 buy ins.

keep it going waitng for your next post

[DavSimon]

I was asked a question, over the PM system and figured I should address the concern here.

You are just starting out and have funded your poker account with $100 (IMO, the minimum anyone should start with) and you decide to play a good bit of poker this month. After 100 games you will have paid $50 more at PP than PS….that is nine more $5 SnG tourney buy-ins you would have had in your account, let me say that again…..that is nine more $5 SnG tourney buy-ins you would have had in your account……over time, pennies add up.

How are you playing 100 $5+1 games when you bought in for $100 dollars? One lucky newb.

If you look at the 100 games as a whole, there is no way to buy-in to 100 $5+.50 SnGs with a $100 bankroll. However if you break the play down weekly this is not an unreasonable task. $100 will buy you eighteen tourney entries at $5+50 each with $1 left over. For simplicity sake lets say you play 18 SnGs per week, at a 39% ITM..at a relatively even distribution of: 2 @ first place, 2 @ second place and 3 @ third place.....and 11 busts out of the money.
At Stars:
1st place pays: $22.50
2nd place pays: $13.50
3rd place pays: $9.00

At this win rate (reasonable) and payout structure for every 18 games you enter you are investing $99....and in the end you are winning $99. Therefore at 39% ITM at the above distribution you are an exactly break-even player and can play indefinately on the original $100 investment. With the above variables, all you have to do to show a profit is increase your ITM% which will happen as you improve your game or maintain the same ITM% and increase the number of 1st and 2nd place finishes, while decreasing the number of 3rd place finishes. In the end, my whole point was to demonstrate how significant a $.50 difference in rake can be over the long haul. Something that seems so small and insignificant can make the difference between being a winning player and a losing player when you are first starting out.

Great question....if I say something that does not make sense please bring it to my attention and I will try to clarify, or if I'm wrong I will correct it. Thank you again for the responses so far. -Dave

[Legendash]

All good so far, just one point from me...

Though i've mentioned this elsewhere and i feel like some VC stooge, you can find SNG's for much less than $5 at VCPoker, i created my bankroll from scratch playing 10c,25c,50c,$1 SNG's and there are similarly cheap MTT's. People who only want to invest $20 will get loads of value playing these, and the competition aren't too hot either. Maybe worth a mention at some point.

[DavSimon]

I have accounts at about 12 different sites although I have never played at VCPoker, the smallest SnGs I have run across were the $5 variety.

If you have major budget constraints and are wanting to play poker and tornament poker at that....then the microlimit SnGs would be a great way to go, just as microlimit ring games are a good starting point. It would give the beginning player some "exposure" to the SnG tournament, so that they can begin developing thier skills.....thanks for mentioning it Legendash.

[mcclintok]

Great stuff so far and looking forward to further posts. Often wondered why people like yourself, Soupie, Rada, Rippy, Rilla etc. take the time and effort to write such good articles for the benefit of our fellow FTR members(much thanks BTW).

I think and hope that the clarification and focus on your thoughts are good for the writer as well. Also, presenting ideas can of course lead to further discussion, even disagreement which leads to even greater insight and perhaps adapting of strategy and general approach. In that light, I would like to respond more than in the past to some of the insightful and thought provoking threads such as this one. I certainly encourage others to do/continue to do the same (even some of my fellow semi-lurkers).

[mcclintok]

Here are some thoughts on the game variety/selection topic.

I agree that the 6 max can in fact be more of a crap shoot. Another point is that if a common playing error is -playing too many hands- it seems that 6 max is more forgiving in this regard. In other words people who are too loose with hand selection are perhaps punished more in the 10-20 player standard SnGs. This means solid play is rewarded.

For 10 handed then, I also prefer 2-3 table SnGs for several reasons...

Perhaps with 20-30 initial players there is a greater potential that you will see more weak players who contribute to the prize pool but have little chance of winning. There is a likelyhood that the bigger payday attracts a higher % of weak players but maybe it is a sheer number thing.

Also, as DavSimon points out the 2-3 table games go through various stages of being full-short. The varying of strategy or shifting gears as things develop adds complexity to decision making for optimum play. I believe this benefits the player who adapts as the game goes from full to short to final table-full to end game short again. Adapting your play to your stack size thoughout these stages is of course another advantage over opponents who either don't adapt or do so poorly.

Hope to provoke further discussion and am interested in the comments of others on play quality of 2-3 table versus single table.

[poskid_1982]

I would like to put out one thing for the tight is right attitude. Extrememly tight is right. First bit of a tourney I play nothing but pocket pairs. Establishes a beautiful table image and gets me into less trouble early with the miracle players.

[DBL0SVN]

'tight is right' seems to be a good starting tactic but when do people start to loosen up? When blinds are level 3/4 etc or when you are right down to the bubble?

It would be really good to get input from some of the more aggresive players out there (Rippy, Rada ....?) since these guys seem to crank up the aggression early so that by the time they hit the bubble - they are ALREADY dominating the table with a large stack and pushing people around. Or am I misunderstanding their strategy??

[Sed]

'tight is right' seems to be a good starting tactic but when do people start to loosen up? When blinds are level 3/4 etc or when you are right down to the bubble?

Assuming all is going well and I am still sitting on a 15-20xBB+ stack, I let the table determine when I shift gears. If the table is uncharacteristically tight in the beginning I'll loosen up early. If there are maniacs throwing chips around I'll usually have to wait until they have busted to get aggressive. SnGs are all about taking advantage of the situation you are in.

- sed

[BreakfastMan]

Sed's point of letting the table determine when to shift gears is a good one. In addition, if you are looking for a general guideline, I like to play more aggressive when the BB reaches 10% or more of my initial starting stack. This gives some value to a blind steel.

[DavSimon]

Great stuff so far and looking forward to further posts. Often wondered why people like yourself, Soupie, Rada, Rippy, Rilla etc. take the time and effort to write such good articles for the benefit of our fellow FTR members(much thanks BTW).

I think and hope that the clarification and focus on your thoughts are good for the writer as well. Also, presenting ideas can of course lead to further discussion, even disagreement which leads to even greater insight and perhaps adapting of strategy and general approach. In that light, I would like to respond more than in the past to some of the insightful and thought provoking threads such as this one. I certainly encourage others to do/continue to do the same (even some of my fellow semi-lurkers).

Excellent post.....I will speak for myself, although I am sure Soupie, Rada, Rippy and everyone else who shares thier experience feel similarly. I genuinely enjoy helping people, and I have seen so many questions regarding SnGs that I figured it would be helpful to put down, in as much detail as possile, how I play them. FTR has been extaordinarily helpful to me and I thought this would be a good way to "give back"
All benevolence aside....this is a very good way to solidify thoughts and strategies you instinctively "know". When you are forced to articulate skills you have just developed over time you examine the way your do things.....but more importanly you examine WHY you do things.

I am thrilled that people are finding this helpful and are appreciative...but in the end this is a product of so many different people's work over time. While this is a general strategy I have turned into my own, it stemms from many peoples strategies and ideas they have posted here over the 6 months or so. If you can take just a few ideas from my posts and incorporate them into your own system....then share it with others, it will perpetuate the cycle and we will all become better players for it.

[DavSimon]

Just to clarify topics, discussions and even disagreements should definately be discussed in this "discussion thread" The question you have may be one that someone else has as well and just has not articulated it yet. The only reason I wanted Spook to PM me was because he was going to quote large sections of the main documents and I figured it would clutter things up having so much of the main guide in the discussion thread.

Of course if you need some personal or specific advice that you would rather not be public feel free to PM me -Dave

[Staresy]

Hey Dav (and everyone else!)

Just thought I would pitch in with a bit on the player notes bit and people can do with them what they like.

I can safely say from experience that taking player notes has helped my game lately. I still see some notes where I have obviously just taken a bad beat or some dumbass has just busted my UTG Kings with crappy QTo and my notes simply read “Mug” and it gives me a chuckle for a few seconds. However, as Dav mentioned in his main post, as amusing as they are, they don’t really serve a purpose unless you can remember precisely which hand he acted like that on which prompted you to take those notes in the first place!

Anyway ……

I have sometimes found it difficult to keep notes and keep my head in the game all at the same time. Or sometimes I just find myself overly focussing on a few players and ignoring others – then you are suddenly faced with a big decision against one of these “mystery” players and it’s tough.

I cannot stress how much taking player notes has helped though. I have had decisions against players that I have played before and taken notes on made for me solely on the strength of my notes.

However, I have found that some of my best notes have come sometime AFTER I have finished the SnG. I have lately taken some time to reassess my performances a couple of days after I have played. It gives you an opportunity to look back at certain hands and think “I should have bet the turn”, “Why did I get involved in this hand”, “I wish I could stop bleeding money out of the blinds calling with crap and hoping for miracles”. But, crucially, I have found that this allows for much clearer and honest assessment of your own play and for note taking on others (it also avoids the potential for ‘tilt comments’ like “Player A is a complete turd” that u might make immediately after your Aces have been nobbled by 74s hitting a flush despite the ridiculous pot-odds).

The other reason I analyse after the event is that, when u are playing in the SnG this happens ……

You are focussing on a Player A …
OK, he’s limped in from middle position …
He bets on the K74 rainbow flop …
Q comes on the turn and he checks …
2 on the river and he bets …
Other player calls and flips KQ …
you are waiting for confirmation at the showdown that Player A has something like 56 and …………

BAM! ...... Player A mucks their losing cards!

Were you right or not?! You are probably close, but who knows?! At least when u go back through the HH’s after the fact, you get to see PRECISELY what Player A laid down (his bottom pair, his busted inside–straight? his busted flush? his total bluff?!).

It is also useful to pick up on things that even the most ardent observer may well miss. I have been noting with interest that Player Y plays an awful lot of pots, but always seems to lay them down to a bet. Player X will play any two connecting cards from any position. Stuff that can just pass you by or you notice once because they hit the straight and he shows them down, but you haven’t noticed the three other times he’s mucked them at showdown when they’re beat.

I think the crucial thing, though, is finding a noting system that you will understand. My personal method is to make notes on what TYPE of cards a player plays and from what position etc, do they limp or bet, do they chase against the odds, how well do they understand the concept of position, the general kind of thing, but I also like to give those reads a score. The higher the score, the stronger the read. Usually this is based simply on how many times I see a certain player doing such-and-such play.

Anyway, that’s it. Feel free to question, critique, massacre (!) at will…..

[Dunk]

Quick question Staresy,
You mention that where you play the hand history shows mucked cards? I haven't seen that in other histories, so I'm curious.
thanks,
-dunk

[Staresy]

hey Dunk

I play at PokerRoom.

Although, just to confirm, when it says it shows mucked hands, I just means that it shows the cards that are mucked at showdown. It doesn't show cards that are mucked pre- or post- flop or on the turn. Sorry, if I gave that impression.

[Aces]

Thanks for taking the time to write this guide, Dav. Very informative to me as I prefer SNGs.

Don't know if you can cover this but do you multi-table SNGs, and if so how do you keep up with them all and how is that different from multi-tabling ring? I've gotten more comfortable multi-tabling ring, especially when bonus-whoring, but I tend to want to pay closer attention in SNGs.

[Rockymv]

Section 6 is a breath of fresh air for me, Dav. I have a bankroll $850...there's no reason for me to be playing $10 sng's when I know I can beat the $20 ones. It's amazing what a bad run of cards will do to your mind...

[DavSimon]

Don't know if you can cover this but do you multi-table SNGs, and if so how do you keep up with them all and how is that different from multi-tabling ring?

Yes, I do multi-table SnGs. I have been two tabling for quite some time now...either 1 MTT and 1 SnG or 2 SnGs. Recently, in the last 3 weeks...maybe a bit longer I have been experimenting with 3 tabling. Iv'e found that 2-tabling is no trouble whatsoever, I can easily watch the action on two tables, take notes and get reads....and when I comes down to it I can play two hands simultaneously. I do try to stagger the starts a little bit or I will play a single table and a two table. The point is to avoid being HU on two tables at the same time, as you can imagine that can be very hectic.

Three tables at once is a bit different, I have not experienced a decline in my ITM% doing it....but it requires complete and utter concentration for me. When I am on Ventrillo or IRC and I am being exceptionally quiet or don't respond to a question it is likely because I am 3-tabling. Overall it is becoming easier with practice....you mind learns how to adjust and you develop "habits" for managing them....but it is far from easy (for me anyway) I would be lying if I said my notes were nearly as good when I'm 3-tabling...however my reads do not seem to have suffered noticably. You get into a zone and the skills you have developed over time essentially take over. In the future it may bite you in the butt, because you may not have time to make a note on a particular player and the next time you sit down with him....you will not have that information unless you have a eidetic memory. In the end I have not decided whether or not I like 3-tabling, I just don't have enough experience doing it yet....I'm sure there are people who regularly 4 and even 6 table SnGs and think it is easy....I'm simply not that talented.

As for how it is different then muti-tabling ring....I have never multi-tabled ring so I don't really know. I imagine that muti-tabling ring is a bit easier, since you can camp a bit more for cards and are not under constant pressure from the blinds....if you don't optimize a hand in a ring game you simply do not make so much on that pot...if you don't optimize a hand in a SnG or two...that could cost you on the bubble....the difference between making the money or not. All of this is speculation though. Well, I hope I answered your question.....and thank you for the feedback, I have been wondering if this information has been useful...or if I am going into too much boring and agonizing detail in some of the things I describe.

[Aces]

As for how it is different then muti-tabling ring....I have never multi-tabled ring so I don't really know. I imagine that muti-tabling ring is a bit easier, since you can camp a bit more for cards and are not under constant from the blinds

That's kinda what I was thinking. I may experiment with 2-tabling some $5 SNGs and see how it goes. I normally play $10-$50 1table SNGs with my current BR. I had a little trouble at first w/ring mutitabling until I got the hang of it, probably be the same w/SNGs.

Another challenge I have is switching between PP 800 chip 10 hand-per-level setup and PS 1500chip 10min-per-level. For some illogical reason I'm more comfortable on PP, but I think it's just because I've logged many more hours there, but switching back and forth between the two does require an adjustment that I don't always make well.

[DavSimon]

Section 6 is a breath of fresh air for me, Dav. I have a bankroll $850...there's no reason for me to be playing $10 sng's when I know I can beat the $20 ones. It's amazing what a bad run of cards will do to your mind...

You absolutely have the bankroll for $20+2....you actually have the bankroll for $50+5. My question would be where did you start from? Did you deposit $100 or $200 and work it up to $850....or did you start with something like $500 and work it up to $850. Obviously the differnce would be experience....as it would take longer to work up to $850 from $100 than it would from $500. You seem confident that you can beat the $20 SnGs so you should absolutely be playing there! A bad run of cards can wreak havok on your self confidence, but that is what post game analysis is for. I wouldn't do it directly after a bad session....I typically wait until the next day to look at my play and results with a fresh mind and a little perspective. As Soupie says ; protecting your headspace is absolutely critical. So you have to find a way to deal with bad beats, bad sessions...and even extended "slumps" in a constructive way. 'Rilla and Soupie wrote some wise words on the subject of bad beats here: http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...pic.php?t=8530
Nobody is perfect...and we all have self doubt and bad attitudes from time to time, how quickly you rebound from these episodes is directly proportional to how successful a player you are....or will be.

[DavSimon]

Another challenge I have is switching between PP 800 chip 10 hand-per-level setup and PS 1500chip 10min-per-level

That is another good topic, you really do a good job of inspiring me to write. I will have to get more in-depth with this at a later time, but I have the same trouble. I don't think one structure is better than another...it is simply what you are used to. I do not like playing at PP for this reason....although Mike4066, a very successful SnG player, prefers playing at PP...the starting chips and blind structure do not affect him at all. My style of play lends itself to 1500 starting chips and slower blind increases that is why you will find me at Stars, UB, Absolute, Pacific (1000 chips) and Paradise most of the time.

[Rockymv]

Well here's some background Dav, I started with a free $2 at paradise, won that up to 300 dollars. That took half a year. When I checked out pokerstars I decided I really liked the sng structure better there. I moved there 3 weeks ago. In three weeks I increased my BR to 900. I thought to myself, "this is ridiculous, I'm moving up." So I tried the 20 dollars and suffered a horrible streak of cards. I moved back down and started doing well again. I'm convinced that it was just the cards, though. I'm gonna give the $20 ones another shot.

[boost]

Id just like to thank you for taking the time out to write this up. I have been playing mostly 5$ 1 tables since I started playing poker in october of '04, and occationally Ive mixed in some 25NL. Ive busted my bankroll of 50$ over and over, and I just did not understand it, thanks to FTR I am starting to learn bankroll management skills, and I am improving my game 10 fold. recently I quit my job to move to another state, that failed and now I am back home jobless with a small bankroll, but this time I am taking it very seriously and finally I am showing some consistent BR growth:


date.....itm/sngsplayed
3/16...........3/4...........1st:1 2nd:1 3rd: 1

3/17...........4/7...........1st:1 2nd:2 3rd:1

3/18...........4/7...........1st: 2nd:1 3rd:3

As you can see I have just started to keep track of my play, this is something I strongly recomend for anyone playing sngs.

[DBL0SVN]

Section 8 - on mental state/focus is PRICELESS !!

Dav, this is the one of the best and deepest pieces of poker advice I have ever seen. Everyone should read this and think about it. These issues apply to all aspects of life - work and play - but it obviously applies to poker too. I just hadn't thought of it that way until you pointed it out.

[DavSimon]

Boost that is great...very nice stats, try to keep a daily log or diary of things you did well or poorly each day to go along with the stats you keep. That way you can look back over your previous sessions to see if you are make the same mistakes or all new ones

DBL0SVN - thank you for the high praise! Sometimes I think I come off too preachy...but there are things I feel very strongly about and that is the only way I know how to express it.

[boost]

yah I seem to get in ruts where I lose a fare amount, like 7 in a row, then I pop out of it and win like 10 in a row placing first in about half. Im trying to figure if I am playing solid and just am getting bad runs, or if I play really well, then fall off, then play really well, and go into a cycle.

I think its the second one. I think I do very well, and then I kinda get lazy, or over confident?

[rapples]

On the subject of multi-tabling...

Whilst playing a SNG (usually a $20 two-tabler), I also play two ring tables at $50 NL. I play both the ring games extremely tightly, basically just waiting for premium hands. This allows me to concentrate mainly on the SNG, but also alleviates the boredom - SNG's can be very slow early on. Once the pace starts to hot up, I dump one of the SNG's. When the pace slows down again (the two tables have been combined), I will join another ring game. I will then drop the ring games depending on my progress i.e I will probably have dropped both by the time I reach the last three in the SNG.
Using this approach, I generally find that I have earned the entrance fee for the SNG at the ring games. Also, by playing the ring games so tightly, I find that I have plenty of time for analysing the play in the SNG and reading/writing notes on the other players.

Dav, thank you very, very much for your posts - I am finding your advice both invaluable and valuable, if you see what I mean!

[stewartkev]

Boostnslide, I had your problem too. I've found that trying to stay focused and staying tight until the late stages has helped me get over it.

Example...$5+0.50 SNG, down to four players. Top 3 pays. I have $200-300, blinds are $100 and other three players are sitting on ~$2500 each. By keeping tight, playing good hands and semi-bluffing (i.e. AI on top pair post-flop) I stayed in the game for 10 minutes. In the meantime, two big stacks wiped each other out and I finished 2nd!

Another good tip in this position is...take your time! Use all of your time and you WILL put others on tilt through frustration.

Thanks Davsimon for the tips. I've only been playing for 6 weeks and they've helped no end. I've picked up the game quickly and always showed a profit (ITM ~40%, ROI 25%). I think reading your posts has re-inforced some ideas that I knew I SHOULD have been doing , but didn't always. Over the past 30 $5+0.50 SNGs I've managed ITM ~65% and 150% ROI. Again, THANKS!!! It's nearly time for $10+1 as my bankroll of $0 has grown to $150.

[soupie]

Essentially you are trying to hide, or escape from the out of control feeling or poor decision making instead of dealing with the issue head-on. Sure, people take breaks…cool off after taking a beat, and come back feeling better, but what have they actually learned? Have they learned to control their emotions or separate their future decisions from their past results…..no all they have done is swept the emotions or bad play under the carpet. Sure you come back feeling better for a while, but I would be willing to wager that you will tilt much easier the second, third, fourth….or hundredth time.

This is the gem of the whole post.

Just like someone who goes on a diet, they cheat once and they feel bad, cheat twice not quite so bad, rather quickly they drop the whole diet and pig out.

Go on tilt once and blow some money. Feel really bad. Do it twice and thats not quite as painful. Pretty soon you are are tilt permanently and you dont even know how you got there. Blowing money left and right telling everyone how rigged it is.

[boost]

yah I definately need to work on tilting, Im getting better, sngs I normally brush it off just fine, I hate it more though when Im itm but only get 3rd or 2nd when I am constantly outplaying them, but things just aretn working out. but even so I dont worry too much. My tilt problems come from MTT's I think. So much time invested, and one bad play or bad beat takes you down. However I am working on this too.

[Zangief]

DavSimon, thanks for a great post. I think it was very well written. I enjoyed how you also shared some of your philosophy as it applies to poker and life in general.

I was just wondering if you could post a few examples of the player notes you have on people. I try to take notes but find that those I take are lacking in any real insight. I think a real example or two could help me out.

Thanks.

[DavSimon]

I try to take notes but find that those I take are lacking in any real insight

I suppose I am a little confused by what insights you may be looking for. If you are two tabling the notes should be short and concise, just enough to convey the information you want to remember. I believe Fnord actually has short-hand symbols that he uses, I just didn't want to have to remember even more stuff so I use normal language. As for examples....no problem:

My general notes range from simply writing down what hands opponents are playing and in what position (obviously it has to go to showdown or they have to show to know this so pay attention)
Zangief: Played K-To from EP for a minraise....Played A-2 from CO for 4xBB raise (steal attempt)....Slowplayed A-A from SB with 4 limpers in the pot

I also note tendencies in thier play:
Zangief: Likes to over-bet 2nd pair trying to get a weak top pair to fold....He always reps the flop, no matter what cards fall....limp chases flushes with any 2 suited cards will call up to 2xBB all the way to the river....Aggressively plays top pair middle kicker - if you smooth call his turn reraise you can steal it by jamming the pot on the river

Even personal information:
Zangief: Has a dog named spot....wife just had a baby.....goes on tilt easily look for opportunities to jab him
Sometimes personal information can be extremely valuable, if you ask them how thier new baby is doing...because they were talking about being a new parent 3 months ago they tend to like you and feel they know you.....meaning they MAY lay down to your steals more easily and not bet into you as strongly.

If you know that someone is very sensitive about being called out for making questionable plays or sucking out use that against them. Having them hate you (as long as you know they do) can also be valuable because they may make calls and mistake just to "get" you.

Does this make sense? If you have a more specific direction you want me to go I will be happy to go into further detail.

[Zangief]

My general notes range from simply writing down what hands opponents are playing and in what position (obviously it has to go to showdown or they have to show to know this so pay attention)
Zangief: Played K-To from EP for a minraise....Played A-2 from CO for 4xBB raise (steal attempt)....Slowplayed A-A from SB with 4 limpers in the pot

This is the stuff I usually get.

I also note tendencies in thier play:
Zangief: Likes to over-bet 2nd pair trying to get a weak top pair to fold....He always reps the flop, no matter what cards fall....limp chases flushes with any 2 suited cards will call up to 2xBB all the way to the river....Aggressively plays top pair middle kicker - if you smooth call his turn reraise you can steal it by jamming the pot on the river

This is the stuff I meant by "insight". I usually miss these important details of post-flop play.

Do you sometimes find yourself calling on the river or calling the turn and bluffing the river specifically to find this type of stuff out?

BTW, you really captured my playing tendencies.

[DavSimon]

I will occasionally pay for a bit of information if it is not too expensive or if I am getting good pot odds to do so. If you are paying for information be sure to not waste the money and take advantage of it if possible.
I have made calls and laydowns that I would not have otherwise made because of notes I had on someone....however your notes and reads mat not always be correct. People can and do change up thier play, but if you get in a spot they can certainly help you make the correct decision - every little bit of information helps. As for your play, I was just trying to think of things I have written about people in the past....I'm not psychic or anything....although that would make this game a hell of a lot easier to beat

[SavX]

I am playing $5 + $0.50 10 player SnGs at Royal Vegas, and I'm playing tight until it gets down to a few players. I read everything you've said and it worked well, at first. After finishing outside the money 8 times in a row.. 4 times 4th, I read it again and noticed what you said about turbo SnGs.

At Royal Vegas the blinds go up every 10 hands. Is this bad? I think this makes it harder to wait for good cards. Royal Vegas doesn't have any SnGs for my ~$240 bankroll where the blinds go up every 10 minutes. Does this make your strategy harder to play?

[dino]

Kudos on the post on the SNG's. I started with $100 at my site (110 after bonus) and now have $1000 (though I've been taking losses lately) made almost totally through SNG's. Generally I follow a very similar strategy to that posted but I occasionally make a couple of moves in the middle stages trying to move people off hands. Watch for weak bets post-flop (1-2xBB), you can almost always move people off their hand if you have position.

I find that if you can get to 150% of a starting stack you can almost always have a great shot at making the money if you start 'maniacing' at level 4. When this time comes I generally let people off the hook if they play back at one of my raises unless I have a big hand. Pot odds are a factor occasionally, but odds have little play in a tourney situation, I feel because I feel that calling off money is a huge leak, and why call anyways when you can pick up the lost money you raised with in the very next hand with an uncontested raise? The later the stage, the worse the hand with which I'll call the all-in RR.

If you are lucky enough to double up early on then you can pretty much autofold until level 4 or 5 - I don't recommend becoming a table bully because you also become a target, and that's never a good situation. There's no worse feeling, IMO, than losing a lead because you tried to bully a sucker. Wait until the 50/100 level starts, then be the bully - the suckers are often gone by then and the ROI is better.

Also, watch for the big stack who limps a lot - I LOVE these guys because they're just looking for a semi-hit on a flop at which to bully or make a play and I LOVE being the guy they try and bully because I can double through them.

As a further note, whenever I feel like I may be going on tilt, I like to go over to the play money tables on Poker Stars (where I have several million chips since I was a beta tester) and just go off like a maniac. It's especially fun at the lower limit play tables since people there are trying to learn by playing properly and you can drive them crazy. Then you give them your Tilt. Tilt is like a baton - all us poker players are just passing it around the universe (occasionally you get the red one - then you're like, "oh man, not only am I on tilt but I got the RED tilt - I suck!!")

Just my thoughts, good luck. [/i]

[DavSimon]

the blinds go up every 10 hands. Is this bad? I think this makes it harder to wait for good cards. Royal Vegas doesn't have any SnGs for my ~$240 bankroll where the blinds go up every 10 minutes. Does this make your strategy harder to play?

It is not bad for some people, but Turbos or quick blind increases are not super compatible with my style of play....that is why I generally avoid them. I do play turbos from time to time to keep "limber" and practice flop stomping and out right aggressive power poker, it keeps the mind alert for any sign of weakness. I play a very patient game...if you watch me play a MTT I don't generall have a huge stack after the first hour....I practice slow and steady stack building, if you go back and look after the third hour I am often in the top 10%....I just didn't get it in 3-4 "big plays" it took 20-40 small wins and steals when I saw the opportunity. The same goes for SnGs (on a shorter time scale obviously) I will not push thin margins when when my opponent is showing strength, of course I will throw out a reraise...or smooth call an overbet when I feel like I can use it to set up a flop or turn steal. I enjoy and am comfortable with post-flop play. For turbo and rapid blind increases you will probably be better served by combining some of my overall philosophies for reading players with Ripptyde's aggressive style of play. He is very good at Turbos SnGs, they suit his stye of play perfectly.
http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...pic.php?t=9839

The funny thing is, that our strategies when starting out are miles apart....in the end are very similar. When it gets down to the bubble or even 3-2 opponents left....I get super aggressive. I'll give you 1 guess to where I learned my short handed play.......watching Ripptyde. The funny thing is....when we all sit down at a table together, it is a very challenging game. We have all learned from each other - constantly talking about our ideas has strengthened our own play....but it has also strengthened everyones elses as well. I know what a Soupie steal looks like....I know what a Rada reraise looks like....I know what a Rippy pre-flop punch looks like, and I'm sure they know what a Dav, smooth call flop - check raise turn looks like. We all develop in our own way, but in the end my play style is a conglomerate of all the players here at FTR.

[Robert]

Davsimon, I read your post, and I got to admit I love it!

As it pretty much suits my style of play, it would be awesome if you could post a handhistory or two, so I could get ideas on how to play in certain situations with this style of play. Preferably a singletable SnG with a buyin as low as possible - cuz I play at PacificPoker the $10 singletable SnGs, where the players are a bit fishy from time to time.

And another thing I wonder about: how do you play in the middle/late stage, when you havent got single good hand, or you got a couple of them but everybody folded to your prf raise? Cuz at that point (from my experience at least) you are pretty lowstacked and if something doesnt happen quickly you will be so lowstacked that even a double up wont help much against the increasing blinds.

[jmontis]

he's right about turbos, while skill can influence a win in those, they are primarily luck and whoever gets the best hands early will dominate.

[getottahere]

This is great!! I have only been playing for a couple weeks, but after reading this, I really worked on my player reads. I tried a couple 2T SNG and a Mini Step on Party Poker and won 2 of them!!! I didn't think I would be able to start reading people so quick, but all you have to do is pay attention.

I wasn't into studying so much after college, but Dav challanged me to do it and now I feel I can hold my own. (Hoping not just beginners luck ) I was only going to play a little bit for recreation, but now......

I'm Going All IN!!!!!!

[stunt]

dav, im in awe of that entire post
i definitely found that with the tight play early on, i get better results...especially when i double up early on. i have made the mistake of playing "bully" too early on, and recall paying for it. thanks for that insight dino.

[esattech]

Very Very Nice Guide that you have written Dav, has to be the best for SNG by far.

E-Sat

[future_proof]

Dav,

that section on tilt and emotional state is awesome. I totally recognise those symptoms, having blown off $40 while I was on tilt (and feeling completely stupid as I recognised it while I was playing .

Maybe I should have gone back the next day to tackle it again, but due to limited time to play I have had to take a couple of days off - which has given me time to reflect on my play and why I behaved as I did; I feel this has been extremely useful - sometimes you have to give your muscles a couple of days off after a hard workout

Loved the section on bad beat stories; can we ban them from the forum?!

Being fairly new to online SnGs, which game do you suggest starting on? I play on William Hill UK where they have $5+$1 (about £3.30 Sterling) no-limit for 10 players which has a prize structure of $25 for 1st, $15 for second then $10 for third - not too expensive but challenging. They also run $1+0.20, with $5 for 1st, then $3 for second, $2 for third which might be cheaper, but I feel the incentive to win is too low. Would this level just be to get used to the game?

Cheers.

[DavSimon]

You have to play at a level that you find interesting and engaging...but not scary. Judging by your comments winning thee dollars for an hour of your time may not be worth it to you. If the stakes are not high enough to keep you interested, then you will not play your best...I would certainly suggest to anyone who wants to start building a bankroll....play at the $5 or $10 level to begin with. If you are only playing for recreational purposes alone $1 and $2 are fine.
In the end it boils down to....what are your reasons for playing?

And thank you for the compliments everyone.....helps keep my mind thinking about possible fututre topics when I know someone is reading this stuff.

[Xianti]

{Unstickied}

[anarchoi]

As some of you already know i just started playing poker a couple of months ago. I only play 5 $ SNGs and I have been following DavSimons guide as much as possible. Im doing ok - my account is on 100 $ and i deposited 50 $.
Now my problem is i have been without internet for a month now, and therefore i havent played poker in the same time. I am really excited about monday because then i will finally be on the net again - playing poker ofcourse. But i must admit that im a bit sceptical because I know breaks from poker is very damagin to me. When i start up again monday ive probably forgotten everything i was taught just before i lost my internet connection....like continuation bet, and just being agressive.
I have ofcourse been reading and reading poker stuff but theory is deffinately not the same as practice.

What I am looking for is a little advice on how to get over breaks as fast as possible.

I would also like to get in to the "loosening up" thing. DavSimon says it depends on the table - sometimes he loosen up early and other times he waits very long before loosing up. I have not learned to loosen up early - I allways wait till we are only 4 or max 5 players left. Im not sure i understand the loosening up thing very well. Are you really playing poor hands like K-10 sometimes when the blinds are still at level 1/2/3 and there are still 7-8-9 players left???
I would also appreciate if DavSimon could be a little more specific about what hands he play - early on and later.
You say :"limp middle suited connectors from late position". Whats that? 8-9S and up? And do you already play hands like this in the level 1?

I will go on weekend now - reading and reading. And then monday - i will - HOPEFULLY - be back on the internet. Hope on some answers before that.

Best regards,
Anarchoi, Copenhagen

[drmcboy]

Well, I'm not Dav, but... my 2c:

KT is maybe a reasonable hand to look to steal in LP levels 3-4, but I would look more at connectors. The problem with KT is it's tough to figure out what you want the flop to look like to continue - it's easy to make a second best hand. With SCs it's easier to get away if you flop something like top pair and someone shows speed in the hand.

[Eric]

DavSimon,

Thanks for the outstanding guide! I put it on the http://www.flopturnriver.com/Sit-n-G...egy-Guide.html page of our html tournament section.

[bata_mija]

first i want to thank DavSimon for his great STT strategy guide...
it helped me in few various aspects of my play :
1. it improved my overall stt play
2. because i have a bit other strategy on my own this great guide opened me the possibility to :> ripp off many, and i mean many of young and unexpirienced players (even though, i still consider myself as a young and unexpirienced player) who are implementing this strategy by heart.
This is a good strategy but once you spot a beginer implementing it (there is actually an equal amount of beginers implementing ripptyde's strategy as well) their moves become almost obvious making them easy to steal and win pots from, and ultimately get them in the state of tilt.
Thanx again to DavSimon,
and if you are a begginer and reading this :> remember to "make a strategy of your own" or even better play holdem so that your moves dont become obvious.

[ThelVlaster]

Bump

I've read this strategy many times over - and I just recently decided to focus on my SnG Game.

I'm really having trouble with the ruthless on the bubble part. Most of the time I just end up getting called by the bigstack and get knocked out.

Are there any other tricks anyone could share with me about aggression on the bubble? I play 5+.50 on Fortune Poker.

Another thing is adjusting to the table dynamics. I remember reading a post about recognizing how many people bust out in X amount of time, relating to how loose or how tight the table is. I can generally feel when a table is tight and when a table is loose.

Tight tables I have no problem with.

Loose tables, I don't know when to open up. Seems like they will call my steal - so I can't go all in with any two on Button or Folded to SB.
Do you have to camp hands more in loose tables? What if cards don't come? Just pick your spot and if you lose to K8s then play another?

Hope I'm not rambling. I have just seen many people talk about success and commend aggression on the bubble, since most are just looking for 3rd place - but I can't quite get comfortable with it.

[Edit:] I guess I just have a problem with how vague the statements "attack on the bubble" and "once ITM become ruthless" are. Does he mean preflop aggression, postflop aggression? If you are medium stacked, I know you attack the bigstack and avoid the shortstack, but do you push or raise 3xBB. Do you limp/reraise or limp in position to steal pots? It depends? Of course it depends! I would just like to hear what some of you feel more comfortable, or feel more successful doing.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Punky99]

Sweeeet Table Man>>>


BTW I wont be going anywhere for christmas >>>


{I mean realy... who goes to Cancun for Christmas?}


check out spooks site...
LOL

[Riverhead]

Hi, I'm a new member, and I'd just like to mention that I really enjoyed reading your guide and I learned a lot from it.

Thanks

[calibrated]

Love the strategy guide. I kinda already do this, but I re-read this every now and then to keep me on track. Following this strategy will get one VERY deep into the SNG. However, my problem is that I'm only breaking even. I know you probably can't help without some hand analysis so I guess maybe I'm just venting. I usually play the $5 sng's on PS.

[taipan168]

Love the strategy guide. I kinda already do this, but I re-read this every now and then to keep me on track. Following this strategy will get one VERY deep into the SNG. However, my problem is that I'm only breaking even. I know you probably can't help without some hand analysis so I guess maybe I'm just venting. I usually play the $5 sng's on PS.

Post some HHs or even entire trimmed tourneys, that's the best way to get feedback.