If any of you have time, help a newb out with 2 sng questions?

[MikeR]

I decided to play 100 $5 sngs over the weekend as kind of a fun thing to do, I usually just play limit ring games.

I finished 7 straight out of the money, and while I did suffer some bad beats, the problem is I was so low stacked by those points that I got knocked out.

The problem I'm having is that I'm trying to play good cards, but I just seem to bleed chips until the blinds are so high they're like 10 times or less of my stack, making me push in unraised pots with sometimes less than stellar holdings where I get called with better hands, or by several big stacks.

Another problem I seem to be having is with continuation bets. I'll raise 3xBB, fire a pot size raise if I'm first to act, but when I'm called it'll cost me a substantial part of my stack to fire another one on the turn.

I'm a relative NL newbie, and obviously a sng newb, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

[AnthonyV]

It's likely that you're playing too loose early. In the beginning levels, stick to premium holdings, loosen up around the bubble.

As for continuation bets, Curtains wrote a great article discussing the conditions when cbets make the most sense, including # of opponents, flop texture, etc..

Seven OOTM in a row is not at all unusual.

[Shilly]

Part of the adjustment you need to make when you start to play SNGs is getting used to the idea of playing a stack of less than 10BB. This means that you're going to need to open up significantly, often making pushes with hands that you wouldn't even consider playing in Level 1. Post hands here or check out SNGPT for more info.

Continuation betting is a bit tricky. I think Curtains wrote an article about this a while back, if someone would link it I'd like to check it out also.

[MikeR]

[ QUOTE ]
As for continuation bets, Curtains wrote a great article discussing the conditions when cbets make the most sense, including # of opponents, flop texture, etc..

Seven OOTM in a row is not at all unusual.

[/ QUOTE ]
I will definetely search for the continuation bet thread, as that's really messing me up, and glad to hear about 7 ootm not being unusual.

[Guthrie]

[ QUOTE ]
The problem I'm having is that I'm trying to play good cards, but I just seem to bleed chips until the blinds are so high they're like 10 times or less of my stack, making me push in unraised pots with sometimes less than stellar holdings where I get called with better hands, or by several big stacks.

[/ QUOTE ]
You really only have one adjustment to make: Stop bleeding chips until you have less than 10 BB, then PUSH.

Buy SNGPT and read the blind stealing lesson, then use it to analyze your hands after each set.

Once you are down to around 10BB or so, you want to start pushing, especially from the SB or button, when no one else has entered the pot, and when you have enough chips left to have fold equity against the players down range.

For example, four or five players left, the big blind is 200, you have 1500 chips in the SB, and the BB has 1200 chips, you can push with nearly any two cards and the BB will likely fold unless he has a monster hand, or if, as you have probably already discovered, he's a complete idiot.

Once you get really short stacked, anybody will call with anything, sometimes more than one.

The trick is to steal enough blinds like this to stay alive while someone else busts out.

Finishing out of the money seven in a row is nothing. All of the winning players on this forum can tell horror stories worse than that.

Someone else will have to give you advice on continuation bets. I hate them at the lower buy-ins because the donks will always call. At the higher buy-ins, with more skilled players, you might have better results.

[Onaflag]

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I decided to play 100 $5 sngs over the weekend

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Party or Stars? Stars rake is less at this level.

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I finished 7 straight out of the money

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Not bad. I wish that were my worst streak.

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I'm trying to play good cards

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In the first few levels, yes, good idea.

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until the blinds are so high they're like 10 times or less of my stack

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This is the point when we START playing, not where we get frustrated. Anyone can play decent starting cards with deep stacks. The secret to success is around the bubble. Don't think of a 10BB or less stack as being crippled. You must think of it as your opportunity to use your skill to beat your opponents.

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making me push in unraised pots with sometimes less than stellar holdings

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Your getting closer to discovering the secret, young tadpole.

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I'll raise 3xBB, fire a pot size raise if I'm first to act

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Position, position, position. I'm interested in seeing the hands you're doing this with.

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to fire another one on the turn.


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OMG! You're playing post-flop poker? You must stop this right away until you get to the much bigger buyins.

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and obviously a sng newb

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I've been playing these stupid things for over 2 years and I still feel like a newb, so don't feel bad, just be eager to learn. Fix one mistake at a time.

Onaflag.........