My SNG strategy

[jskinn04]

The other day I was playing a cash game I made the comment that I had been owning the small buy-in party sit-n-go's. The guy asked me to send him the strategy. This was the content of my e-mail. What do you think?

Here's my SNG strategy. SNG's are not poker. They're just pure math and all-in steals in my opinion. Obviously tougher SNG's will require playing some poker when the blinds are small. However, $6's are not tough. :-) Here is the strategy as layed out in Kill Phil. Maybe I've added some original thoughts. I'm not sure. I just use the charts from the book.

Hand groups:
1: AA,KK
2: QQ, AK,
3: JJ, TT, 99
4: AQs, 88-66
5: AQo, AJs,ATs
6: suited connectors KQs through 54s
7: AJo,ATo,KQo
8: 55 through 22, A9s - A2s, A9o-A7o, KJs, KJ, KTs
9: 1-gap suited connectors QTs though 64s, A6-A2
10: 2-gap suited connectors Q9s through 63s, K9s-K7s,Q8s, KTo,QTo,JTo,K9o,QJo

chip stack index = Player's stack/(cost of blinds and antes)
i.e. Stacksize 6000. Blinds 200/400, CSI = 10.

Big stack: CSI > 10
Medium stack: CSI > 4
Small stack: CSI < 4

4-6 handed:
Big stack: In unraised pots, open shove groups 1-7. If there's a limper, shove groups 1-3. Otherwise fold. In raised pots reraise all-in with groups 1-4 (This is highly player dependent. I won't pay off a nit without AA,KK, maybe QQ.). Never call a raise. Pooosh or fold.

Medium stack: Shove groups 1-8. If a tricky nit limps, only raise monsters. Otherwise push as if the limp didn't happen. Reraise groups 1-5

Small stack: Open shove groups 1-10 in unraised pots. Reraise all-in with any pair and any Ax better than ATo.

Avoid the big stack as much as possible. If the big stack limps, he's probably calling. If he's in BB he's probably calling. Don't get too tight raising the big stack, though.

The bubble. I'm looking for who's desperate. If three are big stacks and there's one shortie, I'll be quiet and wait for shortie to bust or double. If I'm one of two short stacks, I attack the other short stack relentlessly. I'm in SB and it gets folded to me, I push ATC if I haven't shoved in an orbit or so. This is of course if I'm not pushing into a loose big stack. If I'm not the short stack of the four left, I don't want to be all-in and covered if I can help it. The bubble is so critical, though. If you're big stack, you can push into the 2nd and 3rd biggest stacks because they don't want to go busto. I treat raise amounts as if their stacks were mine. i.e. if their CSI is 10, I will only push into them, I don't want them to be able to come over the top of me. Otherwise, I raise 3BB or 4BB to steal the blinds when I haven't been active. That's when I'm chip leader though. I never try to make non-all-in raises agaisnt the big stack b/c he'll shove and I'll have to let my hand go unless it's a monster. Understanding who has the most to lose and abusing them, while on the the bubble, might be the single most important way to win SNG's.

Down to three people. If CSI is less than 10 and I'm small stack, push groups 1-10. Be discretionary against raises. Mostly always fold. I'll fold AJs to a raise and push A2o the next hand. If you're in a good position, abuse it. If you're chip leader and there's a big difference between 2nd's stack size and 3rd's stack size, relentlessly push into 2nd's BB. He has the most to lose. Force him to give you chips or risk taking 3rd. If they're close, but well below you, consider shoving almost every hand. Don't over do, but definitely be an [censored].

Head's up. When shorter stack has less than 10 CSI, I push every hand that isn't utter trash. If the guy completes and I've been pushing a lot, I'll check most hands that aren't in groups 1-10. I really never bet out of position. I'm more looking to make a big hand, check-raise all-in and hope he doesn't believe me because I've been pushing so much recently.

Until the blinds get high, I play ridiculously tight. As in, not even thinking about calling a min raise w/ AJ and probably folding AQ too.

I never complete the small blind the whole tourney unless it's multiway and I have PP or SC. I fold ATo-, KTo-. I'll complete with KJ, KQ. People just give away their money with marginal hands from the small blind.

Sometimes as a variation at bubble time I'll limp from button or CO in an attempt to bet half pot and steal the pot on the flop. Once again, if the blinds are weak I might try to steal a few blinds. I'm never in love with any hand besides AA and KK when my CSI > 10. I'll still open push with much less if the situation warrants but I'm just trying to get folds then. Even AK. Very good hand to be pushing but it's nothing special until you get short.

Pot odds. I got berated today for calling an all-in with 62s. I had better than 2:1 from a desperate shortie. I called. That did two things. People thought I was an idiot and they didn't mess with my BB. Doesn't matter though. I had odds to make money calling so I called.

Know who is a tightass! You know who it is that limps AA,KK, sometimes JJ,QQ, AK. Don't pay that guy off. Let him take the pot when he limps if you can't beat AA. Best way to defeat his style is to prevent him from ever making money with AA, KK, even if it means c/f 99 overpair. Just my thoughts, though.

Okay, that's my strategy. What about yours in more specifics? Anything I don't do that you know is gold?

Edit: I want to add another piece of wisdom I've acquired recently. When it's still pre-bubble (more than one person not getting paid), I take extra chances to ensure that my CSI > 4 for the next level of blinds. For instance, when the blinds are 100/200 but are going up to 200/400, I try to maintain close to 2400 chips in this situation. I'll limp from the button to try to steal a pot or I'll open push more from the small blind. No matter what, I take more chances here. If the steal fails, then I get super aggressive with all-ins to force someone to double me up to 2400ish or let me steal my way back there.