Lesson 8: Playing when you're in the money

sngtrainings.jpg You're finally in scholarships. You played a solid game so far. You've been very patient and have made good decisions. Now it is time to open up your game a little more to see if you could not WIN the sit'n'go tournament. In this lesson, I will try to give you some tips to complete in scholarships.

Congratulations!

You're finally in scholarships. You played a solid game so far. You've been very patient and have made good decisions. Now it is time to open up your game a little more to see if you could not WIN the sit'n'go tournament. In this lesson, I will try to give you some tips to complete in scholarships.

First, look at the distribution of scholarships. You already have 20% of the total gain money. Your goal at this point should be completed 1 and not only try to survive until a second. Although third place is beneficial in any sig'n'go a table, if you finish 3rd in 50% of your tournaments for example, you will remain still a losing player. Here mathematics that show taking as an example a sit'n'go $ 10.

Entry Fee: $ 10 + 1 = $ 11 total.
Award for 3rd place: $ 10 x 9 players = $ 90 x 20% = $ 18

So if you play two sit'n'go and you make a grant 50% of the time by finishing third, it will cost you $ 22 entry fee and you will win a prize of $ 18 leaving you with a net loss of $ 4. Therefore ...


The first place is your goal

Many players, especially when they are short stack play very conservatively once visited money. They say that they are able to hold out time another player gets taken out, they will finish second in perhaps having a small chance to finish first in the heads-up. However, there are two problems with this way of thinking.

First, your profit is finishing 2nd only 2 times higher than a 3rd place. However, your profit for first place is greater than the benefit of a second and a third combined! Your profit ending 1 is about 5 times that of a third. In sit'n'go $ 10, your profits will air:

  • 3rd place = $ 7 profit
  • 2nd place = $ 16 profit
  • 1st place = $ 34 profit

So the message is simple ... when you're in the money, your goal should be to WIN the tournament and not survive long enough to make a 2nd place.

Second, if you play conservatively when you're in the money, the blinds boufferont your stack too quickly. And if you finally find yourself heads-up, you will not have a large enough number of tokens to play correctly against the big stack. So build a good stack is essential during the early stages of the game in money.

Adjustment for preflop strategy

In my article about the preflop strategy, I focused on this formula to select starting hands:

If (EV x 100)> M, raise! Otherwise, fold.


When you're in the money, you still want to select starting hands strong, but you still need to slightly open your game Generally, you want to play any hand with a positive EV, depending on your stack . There are some things to know about which I will soon. But the key to this time is to be involved in pots to give you the opportunity to hit a big hand out and thus smaller or double stack on a big stack.

The small stack

If you are the short stack at your table, your goal is to double down on one of the two players. They will be particularly cautious in this stage because they expect you to be out so play heads-up. Each of them will be hoping that the other player you kind of sit'n'go tournament. Usually, the player with the average stack will be more cautious than the big stack. You want to accumulate chips with the average stack.

In his book, Harrington speaks of "first in vigorish." (NDT: fold equity). When you are first to bet, you have two ways to win. The first is that your opponents lie so win the pot uncontested manner. The second, if you are wedged, is that you have the best hand at showdown. When you are short stack, this is your weapon - put your money in the first in the middle. If someone raise before you, you lose the "first in vigorish" and now you need a really strong hand to caller. But if you are first to act, you can push with one hand low starting as your "first in vigorish."


So, as a small stack, if you have a positive EV hand, consider the possibility of pushing all in when you are first to speak. Obviously, if you have a big hand like a big pocket, push, no matter what is played before you. But your strategy as a short stack is to put your money in the middle of the table before the flop; you want to pick up the blinds so unchallenged.

The average stack

As a way to stack a table, you are in a difficult situation. You must be wary of the small stack that you try to fly your blinds (as described above). In addition, the big stack means you look out of the tournament. The strategy here is quite clear. If you are first to act and the small stack is next to speak, raisez 3x the big blind or half the number of chips short stack, whichever is more, with any hand over EV. The aim is to build enough for the short stack is committed if call. If using the strategy outlined above, it will lose its "first in vigorish" and Callera with a strong starting hand. Want to put pressure on the small stack by forcing him to commit his chips.

If you are first to act and that the big stack is after you, keep playing your "normal" as discussed in the lesson on the preflop strategy. When the short stack you see both in one hand, it usually exclude the hand (unless you have a big hand) hoping that the big stack you kind of tournament and finished 2nd. Do not be afraid to play against the big stack because he wants to defend his lead to better perform heads-up. Your best opportunity to raise chips will be against the big stack.

The big stack

You're in the money and you have the big stack at your table. There is nothing better than that! The small and the average stack will want to build a solid stack and you will be their prime target for both the short stack as the stack means. Many players want to be sitout time one of the two remaining players is eliminated. However, as a big stack, your job is to put pressure on the medium and small stack. The average stack is concerned to be heads-up with you and wants to survive long enough to see her get out the small stack. The small stack meanwhile wish you to kill the stack way he can slip in 2nd position. Neither one nor the other (unless they use the strategy described above) will want to be in confrontation with you, the big stack. So use this fact to your advantage.


If you are first to act, raisez with ANY two cards. You want to put pressure on the other stack. About 2 out of 3 times, they folderont, giving you the blinds. If callent, decide what you will do when seeing the flop. If one of them or pushes you reraise all in and you have a low starting hand, and foldez simply repeat the process to the next hand. If you are able to take the blinds 2 out of 3 times, your Raises your folds and remain profitable. Obviously, if you have a big hand, callez and push all in when needed.

Conclusion

I pointed out the basic strategy for the game "in the money". There are several changes that you need to perform depending on the profile of your opponents and situations in which you are involved. I will cover these points in future advanced lessons. For now, when you make money, your goal should be to WIN and not just to survive long enough to get a scholarship one step higher. So play aggressively even if it means you'll sometimes finish in 3rd place.

As a small stack, "first in vigorish" is your main weapon. Use it. As average stack, put pressure on the short stack and play a basic poker against the big stack. As a big stack, put pressure, pressure, pressure; this is what you should do.

Again, congratulations to be in fellowship. Now I will focus on the strategy for the heads-up.

Source: http://www.sitngotraining.com