Sit 'n Go Strategy study group -- Part 2: Mid Blind Play

What's the most common mistakes the more experienced players out there see amongst the fish that we should learn to avoid during these stages?

1. I often see people making thin calls for a large portion of their stack that will often cripple them if they lose.
2. Playing Speculative hands badly and overcommitting with them.
3. Mistaking chip EV for Tournament EV.


Hopefully this should spawn some conversation even if it is flaming of me. Any other prominent mistakes evident in this level.

[mildeng]

I still see a TON of people overplaying things like AJ or KQ here. UTG or UTG+1 is still no place for these hands, and at mid-level we're certainly not in push/fold mode.

[shyturtle27]

I make the following adjustments during the mid-levels. First, I of course stop limping hands unless I'm in the small blind and it has pretty good implied odds. Second, all those hands like KQ, KJ, QJ, AT, AJo, JTs that I'll open-fold most of the time early on I will now steal with on the button or cutoff. My earlier range stays strictly at about 99+, AQ+, AJs. Finally, I'll observe late position raisers to get reads on rather they are value raises or steals and I'll look for opportunities to resteal from them. Any major leaks here because I feel this stage is the most lacking in my game? [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

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Second, all those hands like KQ, KJ, QJ, AT, AJo, JTs that I'll open-fold most of the time early on I will now steal with on the button or cutoff.

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I'm really interested in this as I have pretty much been open folding these late but I could be missing some value here. What do others think?

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My earlier range stays strictly at about 99+, AQ+, AJs.

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Get AJ out of there and be careful with AQ two I like limping AQ in EP as you iften get value out of hands you beat and can reasonable tell when to get away when ur behind.

[pineapple888]

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What's the most common mistakes the more experienced players out there see amongst the fish that we should learn to avoid during these stages?

1. I often see people making thin calls for a large portion of their stack that will often cripple them if they lose.
2. Playing Speculative hands badly and overcommitting with them.
3. Mistaking chip EV for Tournament EV.


Hopefully this should spawn some conversation even if it is flaming of me. Any other prominent mistakes evident in this level.

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That's a good summary I think. You really have to stop playing speculative hands completely because the implied odds aren't there. Reads and position become critical. The blind-to-stack ratio encourages conservative play because your risk-reward is poor when you try to steal (blinds are relatively low compared to your stack, but it is too easy to get committed), but at the same time, you have to try to maintain your chip position. So you have to time your steals well, and ALWAYS know ahead of time what you are going to do if you get flat-called, re-raised, etc. eg don't just say ZOMG I'm in the CO so I'm gonna steal and then you don't know WTF to do if it doesn't work.

You also have to know when to dial way back and let the foolios bust each other out for a while.

So, in summary, you gotta know when to hold em, and know when to fold em. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]