Stars $4/180 SNG HHs
 

For those interested I have posted two full hand histories from two $4/180 SNGs today. In back-to-back sets I made 2 final tables ending up in a first and a third place finish. I'd appreciate any feedback people would want to offer and would love if people could learn from these as well.

http://www.pokerxfactor.com/HH23354/PS4180Win

http://www.pokerxfactor.com/HH23355/PS41803rd

Re: Stars $4/180 SNG HHs
 

In the first one, hand number 16 where you flop two pair, I think I'd play it a little faster than you did. It isn't a draw heavy board so you don't need to worry about pricing out draws, but if villan has a king I think you can get more by raising on the flop so you can induce a bigger mistake from him on the turn and/or river. Also, by playing it slow you risk letting a scare card (for him) come out that you are forced to represent when you actually do try to get some money from him. Like say an ace comes on the river and he has KQ- if you wait until the river to raise, he's going to probably fold, correctly, but for the wrong reasons. In fact, in the actual hand the river put a three flush on the board, but it was backdoor so I doubt if he folded a king for it. I like playing two pair fast on these flops because it lets me build a big pot that a second best hand might pay off, and I'd rather get the 2nd best hand to pay off big the one time he has it than win small pots the couple of times he doesn't.

That's my line anyway- I don't think he had a king so in this actual hand it is doutful you would have gotten much more than you did.

Re: Stars $4/180 SNG HHs
 

Thanks for the feedback Jeff. In the hand you're referring to it was SB v BB and there's no reason to let an overly-aggro SB who has shown to be VERY bad and willing to bet with nothing off easy. Either I have him KILLED or I'm drawing at two outs but there's no reason to raise before the river and make it easy for him to fold. I remember the hand very well and my thoughts during the hand were along the lines of "This guy is AWFUL and has been betting into people on total bluffs. There's no reason to raise until the river here."

I'm also a firm believer that chips won early in these 180 person SNGs aren't incredibly valuable but chips lost early in them hurt significantly. I'd rather play pot control early and accumulate chips slowly so that I can play it safe until the mid-game where my aggression levels are turned up. By raising earlier in the hand I feel that I lose more when I'm behind and gain less when I'm ahead because villain can fold a lot of the hands I am beating. As it stands he flipped over QQ which is a perfect example of a hand that he can fold if I raise before the river but he's happy to keep betting into me with until I show signs that I'm stronger than he is.

Re: Stars $4/180 SNG HHs
 

Cool- I get your line about playing the player here and letting him bluff at you. If you take this line though I don't like the river raise because there's a good chance he'll only call if he has a better hand, which could easily be the case even if he's been bluffing the whole way since you have no idea what he has (or I don't anyway). I think if I'd chosen to play this hand as a bluff catcher, I wouldn't raise the river for value because if he's been bluffing you aren't going to get called, but he will call with a better two pair, backdoor flush, wierd straight, etc. I'm not even sure a king pays off here, though if he's weak it probably does.

I am fairly passive (too passive?) on the river in general, though, so take that with a grain of salt. Just putting my thoughts out there, for what they're worth.

I'm going to look at more of the history later when I get off work. I really do appreciate you posting these.

Re: Stars $4/180 SNG HHs
 

Nice job!

Re: Stars $4/180 SNG HHs
 

Hand #20 I'd bet the turn and check the river. I think villan is on a flush draw here and he won't pay you on the river, but will pay to see it. I think if he had a T (which is the only hand that's gonna pay you off on the river), he'd have led out.

nh sir
 

Do you ever c-bet flops?
I felt like you maybe missed out on a lot of opportunities early on when you would raise with AQ and check/fold if you missed pretty much every time.
You played good, didn't bluff, got patient and waited for hands. Got pretty lucky with that AK, you quadrupled up on that hand.

Re: nh sir
 

Yeah I c-bet flops but not as frequently during the early stages of a tournament where I feel that 150 chips lost hurts more than 150 chips gained will help. The early stages, for me, are more about discovering my opponents weaknesses and strengths and attempting to get involved in pots with the players that I have deemed to be the weakest.

Yeah I play the early stages really really tight. Perhaps too tight at times. But that also sets up my image perfectly for the middle stages where most of the more observant players will give me credit for being solid and not stand up to my steals as frequently.

I can easily work with a ~2k stack starting at the 100/200/25 level but if I'm down to 1k by that point I'm in really bad shape. I prefer to keep my stack workable and let the structure in relation to my stack be a guide as to when I open up my play a bit.

As far as the AK hand being lucky - that's the case with just about every one of these I go deep. I sit around, pick up a hand versus a bad player (or a few) and end up sitting on a 2x average stack simply by being patient. I don't see a need to push marginal situations against players that play so illogically that it makes them difficult to read when they'll gladly hand over all their chips in one hand where you are fairly certain to have the best of it.

Re: nh sir
 

[ QUOTE ]
But that also sets up my image perfectly for the middle stages where most of the more observant players will give me credit for being solid and not stand up to my steals as frequently.

[/ QUOTE ]FWIW, I really think you are overestimating the value of image in these. First, most aren't paying attention. Second, you often get moved enough you aren't sitting with the same players when it would matter.

Re: nh sir
 

I'm on about hand 100 of the first tounry and my impression was that you were a little too tight. But that might just mean that you are tighter than me [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]