Early level metagame question

[BvlyHls90210]

In the grand scheme of your SnG strategy, does your level 1 (and level 2) profitability matter at all?

I'm trying to think about optimal level 1 (and level 2) looseness and tightness. Is the answer to this that it doesn't matter as long as you survive, or should I be taking some risks and trying to accumulate chips? What do you think the "right" VPIP is for these levels?

[AnthonyV]

Interesting question.

One thing (by no means a holistic response) to consider is that in the long run, worse players give away their chips earlier than good player. Therefore, one could inuit that it may be advantage to engage early (perhaps in spots that you would not typically enter) with a player you know to be terrible.

Looking forward to what folks have to say about this.

[Cactus Terry]

I play very tight at those levels. sometimes not even a hand. and if i do play a hand it will be me doubling up with nut flushes or straights that i saw a cheap flop with. i might risk 15% of my chips trying to flop monsters. i have found at these levels it is best to just let the loose cannons fire at eachother until 2 or 3 bust out. its also nice to watch who the bad players give their chips out to because it is usually other bad players. and then you can collect from them.

[Nicok7]

I play at your tables a lot and do not wish to tell you the right answer [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Just kidding I'm not sure myself but I tend to enter when donators enter the pot and get some of that dead money. No huge move though standart solid poker unless I'm in a mood or find a good spot.

[blackize]

[ QUOTE ]
One thing (by no means a holistic response) to consider is that in the long run, worse players give away their chips earlier than good player. Therefore, one could inuit that it may be advantage to engage early (perhaps in spots that you would not typically enter) with a player you know to be terrible.

[/ QUOTE ]

Very true. There is a lot to be gained by being able to play postflop in the early levels.

To the OP: Of course your play in the first two levels matters. If you can arrive at the bubble or near to it with a larger than average stack you will get more opportunities for stealing and be in better shape to finish ITM and win.

[el_dusto]

I don't like to get mixed up in very many hands in L1/L2. Barring premium holdings or recoculous odds for a draw, I fold fold fold away, letting the bad players duke it out over speculative hands and river bluffs... then I punish them for their insolence in L4/L5 ^_^

[AMT]

in my opinion, of course you should play very tight in the first couple of levels. that said, when you do pick up your playable hands, whichever they are, you should not be afraid to play aggressively to accumulate chips, and especially with your AA/KK/QQ hands, playing big pots with them. in a nutshell its important to stay solid in the first couple of levels but just as important to not back down from a big hand when warranted. find your medium.

[curtains]

matters a little but probably not too much.

[Paul B.]

This is one of the things I think about a lot. Almost everyone doesn't play optimally in the first few levels. Donks don't fold enough and multi-tablers don't defend enough, so I think there's a ton of value in the early game as long as you're very aggressive and tricky. But for a lot of us who play 8 or more tables at a time, it's not easy to maintain the necessary aggression/trickiness to stay optimal. Also, the stack sizes have to be right or you lose "double up versus donk" value.

It's also a shame that the first two levels are only 5-7 hands long. If they were longer it would matter much more.

[blackize]

[ QUOTE ]
It's also a shame that the first two levels are only 5-7 hands long. If they were longer it would matter much more.

[/ QUOTE ]

Very true. I love playing pots in position against donks with SCs or just cards they won't see coming.