Beginning with HU SnGs

[iLike]

Hey guys.

So, I'm thinking about starting to play HU SnGs and I would love to have some starting points. Of course, I looked into the HU Digest, but with only 2 links and none for SnGs, it wasn't much help.
So, my question is: are there any good books and/or some must-read articles out there? Do you have any other tips for micro HU SnGs?
Also, what would be considered solid BR management? My current roll is $30 which I won by playing freerolls only and the lowest HU SnGs available are 1.80+0.20, which means I have like 15 BIs.

Thanks a lot in advance.

[Shotglass]

You can expect a metric fuck-ton of variance in HU NLHE, especially sng's. You'll need about 100 BI to be safe. If you can re-load easily then 15 is cool.

Start by raising preflop to 3x every time you're in the SB. If your opponent is weak-tight then you can drop that to minraise. Polarize your flop c-betting range to include TP+ and air - ONLY. Constantly adjust to your opponent.

[baudib]

I got into micro HU SNGs before BF, lots of fun.

I have played almost every form of poker at some time online but I've never seen the incredible spew you see in $1-$5 HU SNGs.

Some general tips:
1. I do it the opposite of what shotglass suggests; I start out by minraising 100% OTB and if they call too much I adjust by raising larger (depending on the blinds) and/or by folding once in a while.
2. Play reasonably tight in the BB. A lot of players at this level will open limp their entire range; feel free to check raggy A-high hands and tiny pairs.
3. Probably 95% of small stakes HU players slowplay. I'd recommend playing reasonably straightforward. I think you bet for value wider than just TP vs. most players (who will call down with A-/K-high or bottom pair) but if you flop a monster, go ahead and bet it.
4. No one folds a pair of Aces, or, for that matter, any top pair, heads up. If you can beat top pair, try to get all the money in.

[rpm]

i think the above is good advice. though im nowhere near "experienced" in any form of HU play. in what limited experience i have, the key skills would be learning to value bet thin and how to plan your hands accordingly, and also learning to play wide ranges in position (which i guess entails learning to value-bet thin and handread pretty well etc). personally, i'd recommend grinding through a few levels of FR or 6m cash and getting a grasp on the fundamentals before playing HU. but do whatever floats your boat.

[Shotglass]

I got into micro HU SNGs before BF, lots of fun.

I have played almost every form of poker at some time online but I've never seen the incredible spew you see in $1-$5 HU SNGs.

Some general tips:
1. I do it the opposite of what shotglass suggests; I start out by minraising 100% OTB and if they call too much I adjust by raising larger (depending on the blinds) and/or by folding once in a while.
2. Play reasonably tight in the BB. A lot of players at this level will open limp their entire range; feel free to check raggy A-high hands and tiny pairs.
3. Probably 95% of small stakes HU players slowplay. I'd recommend playing reasonably straightforward. I think you bet for value wider than just TP vs. most players (who will call down with A-/K-high or bottom pair) but if you flop a monster, go ahead and bet it.
4. No one folds a pair of Aces, or, for that matter, any top pair, heads up. If you can beat top pair, try to get all the money in.

Both strategies for pf raising seem to work pretty decent. Like you wrote...I have a hard time believing some of the crazy spew.

Constantly be observing your opponent and adjusting to his tendancies. If he's folding too much pf then a minraise will prolly take it down. If he's calling too much then I'll start folding some of the worst trash, so on and so forth.

I also play reasonably tight when in the BB (forgot to add that), calling with hands that can play well post flop: suited broadways and the like.

What I meant for c-betting the flop was top pair or better and complete air, but I run that about 70/30 with a c/r. Normally if I've got 2nd or 3rd pair, strong draw (like >8 outs) I'll check back the flop. IMO it's a decent way of mixing up your strong and weak hands.

And defo get the $$$ in if you can beat TPTK.

The guys I HATE are the ones that open shove most of their BB.

[Nekrogovner]

15BI is kinda marginal, but if you are not spewy you could handle it with no problem. There are some books and stuff ofc, but I haven't read any. I suggest if you want a quick start to watch a few HU videos (small stakes, not that nosebleed stuff like 2200$ HU ), to see how a common HUSNG player thinks.

[iLike]

Allright guys. Thanks a lot for your answers.
I've read somewhere about the SAGE system and nash equilibrum and from what I understand, they are push/fold charts which are unexploitable (whatever that means^^). Are those some good guidelines for the lategame or are other ranges on the micros against total fish better? WHat about calling ranges, couldn't find anything about that.
Also, where do I find HU videos, as suggested? husng.com is mentioned a lot but seeing as I don't even have money to deposit and had to play freerolls, I cant afford a suscription there. Yet...

Thanks a lot in advance.

[Nekrogovner]

Those are fine I suppose. But as always, you have to adjust to your opponent. Your calling range should obviously be stronger then shoving range.
HUSNG.com has some free videos, you can watch those at least.

[Shotglass]

So called unexploitable plays are the mathematical "perfect" play. meaning that if you know for a fact that your opponent will call a shove with only 4% of hands then it would be profitable to shove ATC (just a bad example). It's a strategy that can be used to keep your opponents from exploiting you at the tables.
The Nash equilibrium is the basis for the push fold charts in "Kill Everyone" and prolly a few other MTT strategy books. The problem with the Nash equilibrium is that if your opponent is not playing the so called optimum strategy then you are either missing value that you could extract or giving value to your opponent.


If you are unsure AT ALL about push-fold strategies then I would suggest avoiding HUSNG's for a while. If your roll is $30 then I'd recommend playing 2NL FR until you get a larger roll built and learn some HU strategy. There are a few good websites that have some free videos. Try doing a google search for HU NLHE videos or maybe take a look at the tagpoker site (I've NEVER used that site, but I've heard decent things).

Edit: Also check out the sng section here at FTR.com. Sit-n-Go Tourney Tactics - FTR Poker Forums
Nakamura has written some excelent stuff on push-fold and basic strategy for sng's in general.

[iLike]

Hello again.

After reading some articles and watching a few videos, I finally played my first 2€ HU SnG, which I won. The result doesn't really matter, because I came to realize, that I really don't have any clue on what to do in a lot of spots. Would someone be so kind and review the handhistory? It only lasted 25 Hands, so it wouldn't be a lot of work. If interested, please PM me.

[Shotglass]

Why don't you post the HH from a hand or two that you found yourself left without a clue?

[Numbr2intheWorld]

I suggest you post some hands and we can help you. There isn't really one tip to beat hu sngs (Just like there isn't one tip to beat any form of holdem). With short stacked HU in the HU SNGs there are many different optimal strategies and some things that look terrible can actually be pretty good. The best way to learn how to beat them, imo, is to start out trying to perfect you 25bb and under game and then work from there.

You may find Nash and SAGE charts confusing. To help solve HU sngs short stacked, I used a program called Cardrunners-ev that allows you to make those type of calculations. In general however, if you play TAGG late you're gonna do fine.

[Numbr2intheWorld]

If you post hands we'll be able to help you out a lot