Playing the 180's
I am without a doubt a tournament donkey. I'm not very good at them, but I'm better at tournaments than anything else. With that in mind, I've decided to write up some generic advice on probably the softest tourneys (which are also immensely profitable) out there. The $20+2 180's on Stars. I haven't played many lately, because the low buy-in hasn't really kept my attention as well as I'd like, but I have somehow managed to donk my way into a lot of money in these things. I paid for Christmas, Vegas, and a lot of car repairs with these things. Nevertheless, use this guide at your own risk, I have been berated for my tournament play on numerous occasions..
The fact of the matter is that these SNG's are filled with the worst players I've ever seen. There are all manner of calling stations and maniacs that are complete dead money without a miraculous run of luck. This guide is designed for when you run into this type, which will be the majority of the time. If you somehow hit a very tight tournament, just apply this guide but loosen up and steal the blinds at every stage.
Because these tourneys are so maniacal, I am tighter early on than I would be in a regular tournament. Observe your table, unless you are sure someone is a tight player DO NOT TRY TO BLUFF THEM EARLY, they will call you down with incomprehensible hands. Play a very solid strategy. Conversely though, push your big hands hard. Do not be so afraid to go broke in these that you can't build a big stack. You will go broke more often than you cash, but your objective should be to cash big and make up for your losses and more. With that in mind it is not necessary to make huge strides through the first 130 people or so, as long as you can maintain an average stack you should be fine.
Where I find I have the most advantage is with around 45 people remaining. You have to feel it out based on your table, but somewhere around this area players start getting ridiculously tight. Look for big stacks looking to insure their place in the money, playing very few hands. When this stage arrives, your objective is to be as aggressive as possible. Whenever in position with a remotely playable hand, you must raise. When you think you can steal a pot from a weak raiser in the blinds, do it. Do not be afraid to go broke here. This style of play does not work for everyone, but if you can pull it off you will have a good stack for ITM play.
The money comes at 18 players, be very aggressive in the last few bustouts up to this point. When you get into the money, however, you will have to tighten up a bit at first. Do not try to push around small stacks in the blinds with weak hands, they will be willing to gamble. You should remain aggressive, but with much more selectivity. The final table bubble, starting at generally ~11 players is the next great opportunity to get extremely aggressive. Once again players are looking for the prize money jump, and you should not be afraid to exploit that.
Once you've reached the final table, you have to play based on your stack size. If you are a big stack, steal the blinds from players you know to be tight and looking to move up, but don't gamble too much early. There is no need to as the blinds will usually not be absurdly high. Medium stacks should play a very tight game early and try to let the gamblers knock themselves out. Short stacks should be willing to push with any position and decent hand. Bumping up the first few places isn't really worth it, you need to try to build your stack back up to make a push for the final 3. Once down to 5 or 6, aggression is key, no matter your stack size. Don't play truly bad hands, but always try to put the decision to the other players. Don't play a hand you aren't willing to completely commit to unless you have a huge chip lead. You don't want to give away half your stack only to have to fold.
The final 3 is almost always relegated to push or fold poker. Obviously in this situation, position, stack size, and relative idiocy of your opponents is key. Don't be too tight here, you will likely have to gamble a bit to win the damn thing. Remain aggressive and try not to call all-ins if you can. Play hard, play fast, play solid, don't bluff into calling stations, and make sure you always put the hard decisions to your opponent.
The fact of the matter is that these SNG's are filled with the worst players I've ever seen. There are all manner of calling stations and maniacs that are complete dead money without a miraculous run of luck. This guide is designed for when you run into this type, which will be the majority of the time. If you somehow hit a very tight tournament, just apply this guide but loosen up and steal the blinds at every stage.
Because these tourneys are so maniacal, I am tighter early on than I would be in a regular tournament. Observe your table, unless you are sure someone is a tight player DO NOT TRY TO BLUFF THEM EARLY, they will call you down with incomprehensible hands. Play a very solid strategy. Conversely though, push your big hands hard. Do not be so afraid to go broke in these that you can't build a big stack. You will go broke more often than you cash, but your objective should be to cash big and make up for your losses and more. With that in mind it is not necessary to make huge strides through the first 130 people or so, as long as you can maintain an average stack you should be fine.
Where I find I have the most advantage is with around 45 people remaining. You have to feel it out based on your table, but somewhere around this area players start getting ridiculously tight. Look for big stacks looking to insure their place in the money, playing very few hands. When this stage arrives, your objective is to be as aggressive as possible. Whenever in position with a remotely playable hand, you must raise. When you think you can steal a pot from a weak raiser in the blinds, do it. Do not be afraid to go broke here. This style of play does not work for everyone, but if you can pull it off you will have a good stack for ITM play.
The money comes at 18 players, be very aggressive in the last few bustouts up to this point. When you get into the money, however, you will have to tighten up a bit at first. Do not try to push around small stacks in the blinds with weak hands, they will be willing to gamble. You should remain aggressive, but with much more selectivity. The final table bubble, starting at generally ~11 players is the next great opportunity to get extremely aggressive. Once again players are looking for the prize money jump, and you should not be afraid to exploit that.
Once you've reached the final table, you have to play based on your stack size. If you are a big stack, steal the blinds from players you know to be tight and looking to move up, but don't gamble too much early. There is no need to as the blinds will usually not be absurdly high. Medium stacks should play a very tight game early and try to let the gamblers knock themselves out. Short stacks should be willing to push with any position and decent hand. Bumping up the first few places isn't really worth it, you need to try to build your stack back up to make a push for the final 3. Once down to 5 or 6, aggression is key, no matter your stack size. Don't play truly bad hands, but always try to put the decision to the other players. Don't play a hand you aren't willing to completely commit to unless you have a huge chip lead. You don't want to give away half your stack only to have to fold.
The final 3 is almost always relegated to push or fold poker. Obviously in this situation, position, stack size, and relative idiocy of your opponents is key. Don't be too tight here, you will likely have to gamble a bit to win the damn thing. Remain aggressive and try not to call all-ins if you can. Play hard, play fast, play solid, don't bluff into calling stations, and make sure you always put the hard decisions to your opponent.
posted by Gamecock at 1:43 PM
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