Is Tight really Right?

[johnnyBuz]

I know tight is right. I can always get down to 5 or 6 playing tight. But it seems like the guys who make it to the Top 5 with the big stack play way too many hands and usually end up lucky on a few.

I am unintentionally only seeing 16% of flops over the past few days. I just don't get the cards. And by the time it gets down to 5 or 6, the blinds are at 50/100 and 75/150 and I have to fight to steal every blind I can. I'll usually steal a couple then get called on a coin-flip and lose.

What is a better way to combat this? ie: How to make it to the Top 5 or 6 with a middle of pack chip stack or being one of the leaders?

[nogenius]

I play tight is right and usually double off of a big hand - like QQ - AA, or a big flop from the blinds.

[IslandAK]

[edit]

[johnnyBuz]

I play tight is right and usually double off of a big hand - like QQ - AA, or a big flop from the blinds.

I don't get QQ, KK, AA. Hence I can't double up.

[Halv]

I play tight is right and usually double off of a big hand - like QQ - AA, or a big flop from the blinds.

I don't get QQ, KK, AA. Hence I can't double up.

Seriously dude, you need to stop whining about your cold cards and your suckouts. If you go in with that attitude you might as well quit poker before it is too late. Whining about the cards not coming because you are on a bad streak won't get you anywhere. It happens to everyone and will continue to happen to everyone until the world comes to an end.

That being said, I too am in trouble when the cards just don't come and I am a shortstack when short handed. Any advice to handling this situation is very welcome.

[johnnyBuz]

I play tight is right and usually double off of a big hand - like QQ - AA, or a big flop from the blinds.

I don't get QQ, KK, AA. Hence I can't double up.

Seriously dude, you need to stop whining about your cold cards and your suckouts. If you go in with that attitude you might as well quit poker before it is too late. Whining about the cards not coming because you are on a bad streak won't get you anywhere. It happens to everyone and will continue to happen to everyone until the world comes to an end.

That being said, I too am in trouble when the cards just don't come and I am a shortstack when short handed. Any advice to handling this situation is very welcome.

I think, by nature, everything I say usually comes with a sarcastic tone to it. I guess it's just something I do without really noticing. I just meant, when a situation doesn't present itself to double-up, are there other ways to keep yourself in a healthy position in a tourney, or is it cut and dry that you are out?

I guess I need to do a better job of explaining things rather than using sarcastic comments.

[samsonite2100]

I just meant, when a situation doesn't present itself to double-up, are there other ways to keep yourself in a healthy position in a tourney, or is it cut and dry that you are out?

That being said, I too am in trouble when the cards just don't come and I am a shortstack when short handed. Any advice to handling this situation is very welcome.

Steal blinds in position. I mean, that's the obvious answer, but it's also the only answer. Yes, it's nice to get AA when you're shortstacked, but if you're waiting for premium hands to build your stack with, you're screwed 90% of the time. Stealing once every time around the table will keep your stack static and twice often means basically doubling up. It constantly amazes me how unwilling people are to steal from position during bubble time--(I mostly play the Bodog 11s and don't know how PS or PP action compares).

Anyway, I'm sure you've heard this stuff a million times, but I can't think what else to say.

[Halv]

I guess I need to do a better job of explaining things rather than using sarcastic comments.

Didn't detect the sarcasm, probably because I have seen quite a few of your posts regarding bad beats etc lately. But enough on that.

On topic; I think the strategy for this type of situation depends very largely on the other players' playing styles and stacksizes.

For instance, I just played a 5,5$ SnG where I made a mistake with AKo early that cost me around 1/3 of my stack. After this, the cards went completely cold on me, I got a couple of low pp's to limp and thats it. When the blinds got to 50/100 we were down to 6 people, with two ~30BB stacks, one more ~5BB stack like me and the rest at around 10BB.

At this point most of the players were getting more aggressive, and because of this I decided to try and just limp into the money. After a few hands we were on the bubble, with me, the two big stacks and the other shortstack remaining.

The other shortstack was probably going for the same strategy as he was tightening up significantly. This led me to steal one of his big blinds from the small blind, so that I could outstack him by around 100 chips. When the blind steal succeeded I decided not to play anything but pocket pairs until I was ITM, hoping that the other shortstack would be pressured to make a bad move. After a while the lucky pr*ck went all in on a dominated hand but managed to double up.

Now I had to change my strategy. I started playing like a maniac, pushing three consecutive crappy hands hoping to steal the blinds to be kept alive for a bit longer. On the fourth hand I was planning to take a break from the blind stealing as I was sure to be called with almost any two, but then I was dealt pocket jacks. So I pushed again, and was called with Jxo and doubled up. Thanks to this lucky break I ended up in 2nd place.

This post got to be a bit longer than I intended, but the main point is to never ever give up until all your chips are in someone elses stack. Adapt your play to the table and make well thought through decisions all the way, even if you only have 1 chip left (in case you ran into dwarfman and his super evil "all his chips but one"-raise ). If you lose you lose, but don't give in without a fight.

--
More specific tips will be very welcome, so come on all, what are your thoughts on these kind of situations?

[Halv]

Aww crap.. *delete me*

[johnnyBuz]

Usually I like to steal blinds in position when I have an average hand, but do you recomend stealing blinsd in position even with absolute shit?

I shoot for ace-high. But when short-stacked, is raising in position with hands like 5-7 a good strategy?

[Blinky]

When you're short stacked, trying to steal blinds and don't have time to wait for cards, your (relative) stack size is your only weapon.

It's easier if the people to your left are very tight and can become more profitable if you have loose people to your right (who will limp to see a flop but won't or can't call your AI).

Don't forget about the possibility of restealing:
If there's an opp that is _constantly_ stealing blinds to your right, there's a good chance that s/he is stealing with crap. You can try to push over top and resteal their steal. This can be highly profitable but is somewhat read dependent.

[JeffreyGB]

Honestly, I can't comment much with the stack-sizes in Party SnGs. I'd say playing a bit Laggy IN POSITION could help, but that's just speculation (and is quite a bit more difficult than playing tight, as a warning).

With deeper stacks (a la Pokerstars/UB), I like to limp a lot with small pairs and even call small raises looking to make a set. I also like to play pots with a wider range in late position, looking to pick it up post flop if there's no interest (and/or hit a fairly hidden hand). Even incorporating that, I'm still pretty darn tight, however.

[samsonite2100]

Usually I like to steal blinds in position when I have an average hand, but do you recomend stealing blinsd in position even with absolute shit?

If it's the only way to keep from getting blinded out, yes.

[konahead]

It sounds to me like you're not playing enough hands in position. In the early-mid blind levels, you can play a lot of hands from the button or CO, which IMO is the best way to grow your stack for later in the tourney. Even if you don't hit the flop, it's stealable in many cases. ie - you limp on button w 9To and four players see the flop. You are last to act. Blinds 30, pot's now 120. Flop comes Q72 mutisuit. If everyone checks it, throw out 70. You'll take it down more often than not.

Not sure you have enough experience to make these types of plays, and you may be better off just playing tight for now.... but the only way to get good at it is to try it occasionally...

[samsonite2100]

If everyone checks it, throw out 70. You'll take it down more often than not.

This is a good point.

Also, one more piece of advice I thought of re: blind stealing:

I'm not sure what the blind levels are like at the other sites--at Bodog there's a 30/60 level before 50/100. Anyway, I find that it pays to go into atomic blind-stealer mode in the 30/60 level. Most players, if they're even aware of the fact that they need to steal blinds on the bubble, tend to wait until 50/100 or even 100/200 to make their move.

[zenbitz]

Usually I like to steal blinds in position when I have an average hand, but do you recomend stealing blinsd in position even with absolute shit?

I shoot for ace-high. But when short-stacked, is raising in position with hands like 5-7 a good strategy?

Harrington advocates having OK hands in position so you have a chance if you get called. It also randomizes his stealing rate. I think this is fine as long as the stacks are relatively deep. Most of the time in a single-table SNG there's no post flop play to worry about having a decent hand. Even if you are not a/i stealing pre-flop, you or caller is probably a/i on the flop if someone bets.

On tight tables, as long as you still have folding equity, you can steal in position with any 2. Your timing, your stack size (relative to blinds and opponets) and your opponents' calling ranges are WAY more important than your cards.

On thing I like to do when stealiing is to have a slightly better hand than the previous steal (if they are within < 1 orbit of each other). Every time you raise and get the blinds (whether you have crap or AA) loosens your opponents' range a little...

In reality - what they have is way more important then you have.

When your stack gets REALLY short (more in respect to players left in play and their stacks rather than blinds), then you must have cards to "steal" with because your fold equity is so low, you have to presume you will be called with average+ hands. Here is where high cards are important, AX becomes gold when BB will call with QT, but 78s is worthless.