Sit 'n Go Strategy study group -- Part I: Low Blind Play

[anibalk]

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How I view blind levels,

Early: 10/20 + 15/30
Middle: 25/50 - 100/200/25
Big: 200/400+

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i know it can be stupid question for a lot of people in 2+2, but i don't know when i can play early, middl or High.

i'm playing in Full Tilt, and the this is the structure:
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15/30
20/40
25/50
30/60
40/80
50/100
60/120
80/160
100/200
120/240
150/300
200/400


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Start with 1500
Early:15/30 * 25/50 ¿?
Middle: 25/50 - 120/240 or 150/300
High: 200/400+

Time level is 6 min in normal and 3 min in turbo.

Thx

[MASTERHOLMES]

i am apphrensive about limping in with small pocket pairs, and suited ace up to late postion,, for it would give predictablity to my oppponets about my style.
i only raise with aces and kings and limps in with anything else ??.

it could be a hole in my game but i bet pot early postion,,
3 times the blinds middle position.
with both aces kings,,
and also ace big or ace little suited (not ace 6 to 9)
and pocket pairs.

only in late postion button/blinds do i want to play suited connectors, or speculative hands like king jack, jack 9.

is there anything wrong with my strategy?>
with pocket pairs ,, i either hit the set or release,
with ace suited, i either hit a four flush, with a pair, or
straight to go with my flush.

with specualtive hands like 67 suited or king jack..
i can hit a 6 on 9 6 king board and bet it in a c bet,, and get called and i wasted a bet trying to take down a pot where someone with a higher card and good chance they hit must of called right ?
with king jack,, i am facing domination problems,,
like when the other night a person went all in against me with queen jack and i called them with ace jack as it was top pair and top kicker and they were eliminated.
in that case i did raise 3 times the big blind with ace jack in the middle postion.
i forgot that if i hit an ace,, i would be facing domination. ?.

sure i saw 85 flush take down a pot ,, and loose people will play any suited flush then lost a big pot to king high or ace high flush.

so the two loose person will to bigger straights, bigger flush, bigger domination.

am i too tight for the small blinds?

[Slim Pickens]

MasterH,
There isn't really a "correct" early strategy because any style can be profitable if played skillfully. People have very different goals when playing SNGs. Some people are playing 20 tables and want to make as few decisions as possible while still being not unprofitable. This maximizes their $/hr because they're making their money in the later rounds with superior push/fold strategy anyway and need their mental bandwidth for that. Others want to play as profitably per table as possible. They will play more hands prelfop and face more complicated decisions more frequently, but they can be very profitable if they make those decisions correctly. SNG strategy experts aren't necessarily the ones to ask about deeper-stacked play because there edge is elsewhere.

All in all, just understand that the razor-thin +EV plays available in cash games with strong drawing hands aren't often +$EV in SNGs because of the prize pool equity implications on losing all your chips versus doubling them. Master that and any strategy you play will work.

[Rodolphe]

Hi,
I have some questions about some hands in the book.
Hand 1-11
Do you like betting the turn (and the amount) and folding to a raise ?

Hand 1-18
Do you like betting the draw with 3 players after ?

In general, do you like the concept "if you will call a small bet, make that bet instead" ?

[Slim Pickens]

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Hand 1-11
Do you like betting the turn (and the amount) and folding to a raise ?

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Overall, I like his advice on this hand. Given the read on the opponent as loose-passive, his flop call doesn't necessarily mean a strong hand, most likely a 6 or 7. Also, that read does let us bet/fold the A on the turn. There is some argument to be made for checking the turn to induce a call on the river from K7/K7/65 or whatever stupid hand he called the flop with, but then you have to consider folding to a river bet, and it becomes a much more read-dependent play. Since we're not likely to have a very strong read (more of just a general one), I think the straightforward play is best.

I would like to point out something about bet sizing. In this hand, he raises to t180 at 30/60 blinds, then bets almost the full pot (t350 into t390) on a 762 two-tone board. After getting called, that leaves t1410 behind in a pot of t1090, which is kind of an awkward ratio. It forces him to make a choice between three weak-looking turn plays: making a 2/5-pot bet, overbet shoving, or checking. Say the initial opening raise was to t150 instead. That would create a pot of t330 on the flop, where a flop bet of t200 would put t730 in the pot on the turn, with t1590 behind. The board is not particularly draw-heavy and also not likely to have given your opponent a made second-best hand, and as such doesn't warrant a large flop bet. With 2x pot left in your stack, there are many more play options available. Now, a turn bet of t400 looks consistent with the strength you've been showing throughout the hand. He's much less likely to feel priced in by the size of the pot. You also would have the option of making a weak-looking play if that's what you wanted to do. If your opponent shoves the turn, you aren't getting as favorable odds to call, so you have to be right less often to make a fold mathematically correct. Overall, smarter bet sizing on the earlier streets can make a huge difference in the options available later.


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Hand 1-18
Do you like betting the draw with 3 players after ?

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Eh, sometimes. I think bet, check/call, and check/raise are all viable options on that hand depending on exactly how it plays out.

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In general, do you like the concept "if you will call a small bet, make that bet instead" ?

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It's not a bad way to stay aggressive. It's also why holdem players suck at O8 most of the time [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]. Especially at lower levels, most opponents don't know anything about blocking bets, so they'll work. If some of your opponents are sophisticated enough to bluff-raise weak-looking bets, I like the concept less.