 Icm
If you want to win at SNGs you need to look up Independent Chip Model (ICM) and use it. This is the only way to win at higher stakes SNGs and is an absolute must for anyone who multi tables. SNGs are a very high variance games, a good player can take a 50 buy in swing making correct moves, and in the long run over a sample size >5000 SNGs it is nearly impossible to have an ROI over 10%. While your description of playing tight early and opening up to be aggressive later is a good start, if you consider yourself a good poker player, or a student of the game you should not even play another SNG until you understand ICM, because in the long run you will not win without it, unless you are doing the right moves without understanding why. There will be plenty of people who read this and think I am a winner and I do not get ti, and the answer to that is, you either play stakes less than >10 where people are so bad you can win on instinct alone, or your sample size is not big enough. If you want to be a SNG pro you should research 3 things ICM, Skalansky numbers (S-C) numbers, and Nash equilibriums. The first two should be very easy to google and find articles which can give you a basic understanding within an hour or so, the third is a more advanced game theory calculator, but if you think you play with good players, it is worth it to google a nash calculator and mess around with that a little. ICM is what separates the winners, from the people who feel like I always get it in ahead in SNGs and lose and then claim to be unlucky. The OP has very good things to say, and seems to be just this one step away from being a very good SNG player, but as I see as a recurring theme on this forum, if you want to win in the long run you should commit a good amount of time to getting better through means other than playing, such as reading books, forums, talking to pros you know, and never should be afraid to ask for help. I like an 80/20 split of playing and learning through other means. Poker is a game that is played for money, yet so many people are always concerned with the bragging rights aspect of the game and get embarrassed to ask for help, or say they are a winner when they are not which essentially convinces them that they are just unlucky. It is not a bad thing to be a losing player, cause if you try hard a practice you will at some point become a winner through hard work, but if you are unwilling to be always trying to get better, even if you win now, you will eventually become a loser again as the other players learn and improve.  |