SnGs vs. Ring Games

[moiraine57]

Hola all!

I play at UB, 90% of the time ring games. I want to understand the attraction of SnGs/tourneys vs ring games.

I will occassionally fire up a tourney/SnG on UB for a change of pace, but here are the last few experiences I've had with them:

1) $1 SnG, people play a NL game as it was limit. Folding to all raises 3xBB or more. (It was as if we were playing for a million bucks, vice 5) After 45 minutes and having only elimated 2 people, I start contemplating sticking pencils up my nose.
2) UB Freeroll. 2500 people, I finish approx 125th. Win .40 for 4 hours worth of effort. Did not catch any cards in last 2 hours. Whooh-hooh.
3) Another tourney (paid 3 bucks for this one) I am set to go into the top ten chip leaders if I win the following pot. I have pocket Ks, bet heavily pre-flop, flop comes down with a J and all low cards. The schmuck goes all in with TPTK (A-J). I lose all my money with a rivered Ace. When I ask why he went all in, he said, "Well, I did have top pair, top kicker..." Me: "Well duh. I forgot TPTK is the best hand there is! "

I guess the real point I'm trying to make is that at the low "Beginner" Level there is quite frankly not enough money to make it worth the time and effort. Plus you seem to get morons who think that TPTK is the best hand there is...which is fine in a ring game, because even if they suck out on you, you'll get em next time. But in a tourney, there is no next time. It all just seems too random for me at the $1 SnG and Freeroll to $3 tourney level.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[vqc]

Supposedly SNGs have lower variance.

SNGs also offer many facets of poker all at the same time. IE full ring all the way down to short handed and then to headsup.
You can learn how to become a push artist.
You can only lose a set amount of money at any one time.

You should be specializing anyways, if you like ring more, then jus tplay ring. Im a horrible ring player so I focus on SNGs.

The answer to issue number 3, is, no bitching allowed, they make you money i the long run, whether its SNGs or Ring games.

[a500lbgorilla]

SnGs reward aggression more than ring games. If you just played super aggressively in all your SnGs, you'd do well. Also, it has lower variance but takes more patience.

-'rilla

[DeanCarl]

Thought 1: UB is well known to have the tightest tourny players on the net. And some of the best at all levels. What playing there does FOR you is to give you some realy good experience for a small buy in. I played the $1 and $5 sngs there for about 6 months then dropped back over to Pacific. Could not believe how easy the SnGs on Pacific were after battleing UB.

Thought 2: What happened to you is why I NEVER call an all in with unimproved KK or QQ unless I'm up against a REAL short stack and am not risking my tourny life. If I'm going to call an all in at ANY point in a tourny I'm going to be as sure as I absolutely can be that I have the best hand. I figure if that joker is so axious to loose his chips I can wait for a better time.

Dean

[moiraine57]

Thought 2: What happened to you is why I NEVER call an all in with unimproved KK or QQ unless I'm up against a REAL short stack and am not risking my tourny life. If I'm going to call an all in at ANY point in a tourny I'm going to be as sure as I absolutely can be that I have the best hand. I figure if that joker is so axious to loose his chips I can wait for a better time.
Dean

This makes sense to me--although I figured I couldn't go wrong, putting my money in with the best of it. But in a tourney game, is the best strategy to play tighter?

[WhooFleuryScores]

Ryptide had a nasty article on how he conquers the SNG's.I tried it and it worked.