Hi Tilty,

tournament exits for all players from beginner to expert so don't be too disheartened.

A lot depends who you have in the BB, and an aggressive player can simply be a nightmare (someone that

likes to re-reraise our preflop raises, defend light and float post-flop). Playing from the SB, you

will always be playing OOP and it's just so hard to make good decisions and play profitably from

there.

Early in an MTT (with around 100BB effective stacks), I tend just to play quite passively and get a

feel for how the BB responds. I am not looking to create big pots out of postion. Stealing the blinds

is not quite as vital at this stage. That said, if I think the BB is playing too tightly or weakly I may

raise my top 50% of hands every time it's folded to me and c bet the flop.

when you have 35-60BB effective stacks. Completing in the small blind offers great immediate odds to

call because of the antes, so calling here with a WIDE range isn't terrible. However, it does have one

pitfall which is 'reverse implied odds'. That is to say that if you limp in with a hand like Q8, you

may have kicker trouble if you flop top pair and may have trouble getting away from your hand (with

that stack sizes being what they are). So maybe check calling the flop (as only a King or Ace is bad

for you hand and he may have raised your limp preflop with those) might be a good defensive tactic.

preflop poker. with like <15BB I am often just open shoving 95% my hands preflop to win what's in

there already (as it's so much, and not often folded to you). With the top end of those BB (like 30),

I may opt to limp reraise allin sometimes, or still raise/fold if I have total garbage.

Raise/CALL all in (along with your very strong hands) is always going to be the best play.

Like, I said before, just tread carefully with these hands (esp 88 on K 2 3 boards) when you are a bit

deeper stacked.

sample of MTT's and good play will show a profit in the end.

There is no easy answer in the blinds as soooo much depends who you are up against and how THEY play.

Hi Elway7,

Open. (Un)Luckily, my first round exit will allow me more time to answer questions...

go, you will start with 1500 chips and starting blinds will be 10/20. This is really the only point in

a sng where you will be adopting a similar strategy to a cash game (positional awareness, starting

hand selection, and playing through the streets).

well as adjusting your calling range when others push all in) in the key to being successful.

Understanding your equity in the sng and the 'worth' of your chips underpins how these games are

played.

potential to win big pots against opponents that might have (big) one pair type hands (implied odds).

Having these hands in position is valuable and can prove very proftable under the right circumstances.

The same can be said for small/medium pairs. These hands can flop sets and win big pots in cash games.

They are quite straightfoward to play, as if your 22 does not improve on the flop, you should normally

fold. You can profitably 'set-mine' for 5% of your effective stack to beat a big pair and up to 10%

under the right circumstances.

As a rule of thumb, if you have greater that ten times the pot in your stack, and you have TPTK or an

overpair, be weary of an opponent trying to get all in with you. If you have a small Stack-to-pot-

ratio (SPR) like 5, then you can comfortably get all in as your hand will be good so often.
 
Understanding your position is important to in cash games. Make sure that you tighten up your preflop

range in early seats and avoid 'trouble' hands (like KJ), and try to come in with a raise if you are

first in the pot with a hand that you want to play. Raising and having the pre-flop 'initiative' will

allow you win pots post-flop and force your opponents to make THEIR hand. Many pots will be won with a

continuation bet. In late postion, you can make up for your (early position) tight/passive approach by raising more and more hands, and use your postion and aggression to create difficult decisions for your opponents (and more profitable ones for you).

selection and position are two KEY areas that provide a good starting point. Let me know your thoughts

on these areas and the situations that you find, and then maybe we can expand on this.