Each has it's risks and rewards. If you can maintain 70% ITM then SnG's look like this. Taking an average of 2nd in $10 SnG's 70% of the time (which is unsustainable, believe me, but we'll leave that open for the moment) for 10 games = 210 - 110 = $100 profit. Most SnG's last an hour if you're ITM So you're looking at about 8-10 hours of play, maybe more for $10/hr. At the same time you're capping your investment to a maximum loss of $11 per game or for your ITM % a little more. So you're looking at an average of $14 risked to win $30. But you're risking the entire amount of the buy in every time. (multi-tabling SnG's is an option that will increase your $/hour but may decrease your ITM%)

With NL Ring (first comparing $.50/$1 ring as an investment to $10 SnG's is a stretch because it requires a 5x larger buy-in, a better comparison would be .1/.2 NL ring) you're risk and payout are more speculative. With a solid tight game you can expect maybe +40% of buy in vs -20%. Although a few bad calls will make it -100% and a few great hands with callers can make it +200%. Of those two possibilities, the -100% is easier to hit than the +200%. So we'll stick with the 20/40 rule and base it on 90 minutes of play.

So, 10 hours is about 8 sessions. With an investment of $50 per session in money risked, and a positive session % of 66% or so. In 2 sessions you lose $10. In six sessions you make $20. For an average return of +$100, or $10/hour. However, you've risked $400 to make it as opposed to $110.

With all that said, I think with tight, smart play it's easier to have 70% winning sessions (of some sort) playing NL Ring than it is to maintain 70% ITM in $10 SnG's. However, to make the comparison accurate you have to pop down to .1/.2 NL ring, not .5/1. And a good run of cards early on a ring game can give you a big boost in a very short period of time.

When I was really on my SNG game I would make an average of $120/day playing 3 table $30 SnG's. With a mix of .25/.50 ring and $1/2 ring I make about $75/day. However, I feel like I risk less. Because I could lose $200 in a day easily with the SnG's, and I've only lost $200 in a single day once playing ring, and I was really off my game that day.

I can't attest to the accuracy of any of these predicitions or calculations. I just use it as a way to give you another angle on the problem. Here are a couple of realities, however. 1. I've experienced 70% ITM on SnG's and it's unsustainable. For the ring game you're talking about you need at least a $600 bankroll. See the bankroll management posts for more on that. Nobody wins all the time.

Good luck. It sounds like you're beating the band on SnG's. Good Job!!!