Countering Taggy SnG Play

[JeffreyGB]

At higher level SnGs (on Stars), I've a number of times run into a table full of players who (surprise, surprise) have a clue. In these times, following my standard game often leads to an average stack and a near-full table when blinds get high enough that I (and 5 or more of the rest of the table) reach push-fold mode. At this point, it's all about finding spots to steal and, to some extent, getting lucky. I'm relatively fine with that, when it happens. However, I can't help but think there must be a better way. Surely one could exploit the tightness of the table and the skeptism which meets all continuation bets on a blank board.

The obvious answer is to take a page out of Michael1123's book and raise a wider range to throw off your opposition and capture the dead chips on the table. So I'd love to hear details about what kinds of plays are made when. What kind of starting range selection are you raising with in this type of situation? Calling with? To what extent does position factor in to each?

Further, once your image is decidedly taggy, how do you handle increases in playback? To what extent are you giving someone credit when they play back at you? Previously I relied significantly on my tight image to lead people to play back at me with fewer hands - beyond playing my big hands into the action, I'm not sure how to play the Laggy image. Suggestions?

[JeffreyGB]

Oh, and I'd assume that, to a lesser extent, these plays would be effective in the MTT arena, given the same Taggy conditions?

[zenbitz]

The hard part about this is that by the time you realize that the blinds are 75/150 and everyone is still in... you missed your chance.

You don't really have the info in the early stages that your opps are all taggy and you can runover them. Compound this by the fact that if you Lagg it up early, you MUST chip up early or catch cards late. Because ain't no one respecting your blind steals.

MTT arena I think this would be more effective (lag early) because you simply have more time to shift gears back and forth. You are going to have to chip up/catch cards to get anywhere in the MTT anyway, so whether you do it playing taggy or laggy matters not that much you just have to use whatever image you create.