To turbo or not to turbo...?

[at BK 88]

Hey guys,

I originally posted this in Beginner's Circle but was told this might be a better place to post it, so here goes:

I was wondering what you guys thought of turbo tourneys. I play really low stakes, like $1 or $2 tourneys, usually 45 man or 180 man. I like the fact that turbos go faster, but I think I probably do better in non-turbos as I'm pretty patient... although in my PokerTracker it doesn't say if it was turbo or not so I can't really tell which I'm better at.

Which do you prefer? Are there different strategies for each?

Thanks
-BK

[hopeful]

turbo formats rely on a good push and fold game for a larger percentage of the tournie. If you play the larger SNG turbos you will quickly get to the situation where most players are short relative to the blinds. If you are good in that area, and enjoy push or fold, then you should play them. Personally I find variance higher in them but winnings pretty good.

[revolvingiris]

Your hourly rate should be higher in a turbo vs a regular speed. I personally enjoy turbos more as it allows me to get deep and play for bigger money more often.

However, for learning the game I prefer the regular speed as they will allow for more unique situations to come up. Plus you will learn post flop more which is where a ton of great players say the real game is.

[Arjonius]

If your results are the same, you'll make more per hour playing turbos since they take less time. But you'll probably experience greater variance and will need to play a more active style, which means playing more marginal hands in marginal situations. So, I think the main factor is how much you enjoy or at least can accept this higher variance. I've found I usually prefer regular structures, but I'll play turbos when I'm in the mood.

[DrStrangeShove]

Good question. They do seem to be popular. I used to hate them because, lets face it, its not poker. Theres no nuance. Its, like hope said, a push/fold game. But I started to see it as a good way to practice your push/fold stategy. Just as HU sngs can help you improve your HU game and single table sngs can help you practice your short hand stategy.