Push/Fold Decisions

[hasanthadon]

My biggest problem with SNGs, and probably same thing goes for most newbies, is deciding what to push/fold with. I'm sure this subject has been beaten to death, but honestly, besides reviewing hands and getting a "feel" for the game, how can you seriously figure out what hands to push/fold with and when? When SNGWiz says I should have pushed all in with 52o heads up when blinds were 300/600 and both of us had nearly even stacks with more than 10 BBs, i feel completely lost.

I have SNGWiz, PAHud, Pokertracker, Pokerstove... not that the last three are of much use in SNGs. How can I use these tools to make +EV push/fold decisions? Reviewing tournaments in SNGWiz really isnt helpful because im not able to make all ICM, EVpush, EVfold calculations in the head of the action at the table.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[alex-star]

PAHUD is VERY useful in SNGs. Generally speaking, when you have <10BBs and it is folded to you in the SB, ATC is a shove unless you somehow figure that the BB will call wider than usual. Beyond that you really need to play with SNGPT/Wiz to get a feel for different situations.

[stevematador]

There is no magical way to figure out what hands to push/fold, it comes from experience and your acceptance of risk that comes with pushing a hand like 52o. You can't use calculators etc. in the heat of the action as you say, it's done by trusting your gut and experience. The more you play the better you will get a feel of when to push/fold. I started out like you, totally confused and unsure when to push/fold, but as I played 100's of SNG's and MTT's I began to learn and understand when it was +EV to push etc.

My best advice is to keep playing within your bankroll, this isn't something you can learn to do overnight, it takes 100's of SNG's to keep tweaking your skills, but you will slowly see these decisions get easier and easier to make with experience.

[RexWoo]

You have to do some ICM calc. by hand to understand how it's done (see FAQ).

Once you have understood the process, SnGWiz is gold.