One thing many people don’t understand about playing pots in SNG’s is that they are heavily raked. Yes, that’s right, even after taking your initial entry fee, the scumbag money-hungry poker sites continue to take a percentage out of each pot. Well, actually, it’s a little different than that, and in fact, you aren’t paying rake to the poker site at all, but instead, all of the players at the table who have already folded. Let’s take a look at an example from Ace Flush Poker’s five man SNG structure and this ICM calculator.
Player Chips Prob 1st Prob 2nd Prob 3rd Equity
Player 1
0.000000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 $0.00
Player 2
1000.000000 0.2000 0.2333 0.2667 $22.33
Player 3
1000.000000 0.2000 0.2333 0.2667 $22.33
Player 4
1000.000000 0.2000 0.2333 0.2667 $22.33
Player 5
2000.000000 0.4000 0.3000 0.2000 $33.00
(Tables are broken in wordpress, how hard can it be? Joke software.)
Here we have an example of a $20 five man SNG where one player has bust
In part 5, Short Stack Strategy - Facing a Raise I discussed correct preflop move-in strategy against a single open raiser. But often there will be a raise and one or more other calls or raises preflop. Making the correct decision in these spots is one of the biggest keys to a successful short stack poker strategy. The same thought process explained in part 5 is used, but now there tends to be more of an incentive to move in due to the increased likelihood of being able to contest for “dead money” in the pot. Here I will go through a hand that illustrates how to decide when to commit your short stack in this sort of situation.
Hand 1: Tight-aggressive middle position raises 4x and average button calls. You are in the big blind.
A tight-aggressive middle position raiser is probably about top 10% here. The button’s range is a little looser than that, but more importantly, we can rule out the top hands from the button since most people will reraise with them. The button
In part 5, Short Stack Strategy - Facing a Raise I discussed correct preflop move-in strategy against a single open raiser. But often there will be a raise and one or more other calls or raises preflop. Making the correct decision in these spots is one of the biggest keys to a successful short stack poker strategy. The same thought process explained in part 5 is used, but now there tends to be more of an incentive to move in due to the increased likelihood of being able to contest for “dead money” in the pot. Here I will go through a hand that illustrates how to decide when to commit your short stack in this sort of situation.
Hand 1: Tight-aggressive middle position raises 4x and average button calls. You are in the big blind.
A tight-aggressive middle position raiser is probably about top 10% here. The button’s range is a little looser than that, but more importantly, we can rule out the top hands from the button since most people will reraise with them. The button
In Part 2 I discussed the some of the advantages of playing a short stack. Here we will talk about preflop raise sizing, a very important concept in short stack poker.
The most common situation preflop in texas hold’em is to have the action folded to you. And the most common action for you to take in this situation is to fold. Deciding which hands to play and how to play them in this situation is key to short stack no limit hold’em strategy, or for that matter, preflop strategy in any game.
The first thing that needs to be considered is how much to raise preflop. With full stacks it doesn’t matter that much. Any amount between two and a half to 5 times the big blind is reasonable. A smaller raise gives you more action, which you may or may not want, and lets you play more hands since you are risking less. A larger raise gets more money in the pot with good hands and increases your equity from blind steals, but means you have to play tighter to make up for the time
In Part 2 I discussed the some of the advantages of playing a short stack. Here we will talk about preflop raise sizing, a very important concept in short stack poker.
The most common situation preflop in texas hold’em is to have the action folded to you. And the most common action for you to take in this situation is to fold. Deciding which hands to play and how to play them in this situation is key to short stack no limit hold’em strategy, or for that matter, preflop strategy in any game.
The first thing that needs to be considered is how much to raise preflop. With full stacks it doesn’t matter that much. Any amount between two and a half to 5 times the big blind is reasonable. A smaller raise gives you more action, which you may or may not want, and lets you play more hands since you are risking less. A larger raise gets more money in the pot with good hands and increases your equity from blind steals, but means you have to play tighter to make up for the time
Position
The first thing to consider is position. In general you should play more hands the closer to you are to the button. Being in position lets you win more on your good hands while allowing you to check it down with your weak hands, substantially increasing your profits. You also have the advantage of seeing if the pot has been raised in front of you. You should play tightly when facing a raise, as a raise often indicates a strong hand, plus you are getting worse odds on your call.
Hand Strength
The other key to texas holdem preflop strategy is of course the strength of your hand. In general the bigger your cards, the better, and it also helps to be paired, suited, or connected. A common mistake however is playing a hand that only has one of these going for it, such as ace three offsuit, ten five suited, etc. With these hands you are either playing for an ace, which only hits one time in six, or a flush, which only comes in 5 to 6 percent of the time by the river. These hands simp
Position
The first thing to consider is position. In general you should play more hands the closer to you are to the button. Being in position lets you win more on your good hands while allowing you to check it down with your weak hands, substantially increasing your profits. You also have the advantage of seeing if the pot has been raised in front of you. You should play tightly when facing a raise, as a raise often indicates a strong hand, plus you are getting worse odds on your call.
Hand Strength
The other key to texas holdem preflop strategy is of course the strength of your hand. In general the bigger your cards, the better, and it also helps to be paired, suited, or connected. A common mistake however is playing a hand that only has one of these going for it, such as ace three offsuit, ten five suited, etc. With these hands you are either playing for an ace, which only hits one time in six, or a flush, which only comes in 5 to 6 percent of the time by the river. These hands simp
Position
The first thing to consider is position. In general you should play more hands the closer to you are to the button. Being in position lets you win more on your good hands while allowing you to check it down with your weak hands, substantially increasing your profits. You also have the advantage of seeing if the pot has been raised in front of you. You should play tightly when facing a raise, as a raise often indicates a strong hand, plus you are getting worse odds on your call.
Hand Strength
The other key to texas holdem preflop strategy is of course the strength of your hand. In general the bigger your cards, the better, and it also helps to be paired, suited, or connected. A common mistake however is playing a hand that only has one of these going for it, such as ace three offsuit, ten five suited, etc. With these hands you are either playing for an ace, which only hits one time in six, or a flush, which only comes in 5 to 6 percent of the time by the river. These hands simp
