Best sng field size??

[michaelkozlowski]

I play 99% of my time online at SNG's. I was wondering if players have favorite size fields. With larger fields, such as 90 and 180 player SNG's, the payouts are larger of course, but length of time to get to last table takes it's toll. By this I mean more time to get donk'd out, sucked out and generally pistol-whipped. My opinion is that the 45-player SNG is the ultimate. If you can afford the 6 dollar, it is very nice (at Pokerstars). The play is real. I played one yesterday and did not get any cards and finished out of the money, but the play was top-notch compared to the lower buy-in amounts. In the entire time I played that 6-dollar SNG, I witnessed ONE all-in - and it was legit, AA vs. KK.

As for strategy, the 45 is nice -- have patience. I fold A-x when the bets are raised and I am in poor position and 90% of the time, my fold gets a smile on my face because I would have lost. Same is true for small pairs. The trend lately for many foreign players and US donks is to go all-in with ANY pair. And, yes, I do see 2-2 beating AK, AQ, etc., but it is not sound strategy. With patience and waiting for your hand, you do not have to win many to hit the last table.

Opinions appreciated.

Mike

[xxmommaxx]

I haven't played at PS for awhile. I tried to build a free bankroll there and didn't have a lot of success, so I can't really comment on the PS SnG's.

At Full Tilt, I occasionally play the 90 person SnG for $1. You start with a double stack of 3000 chips. Patience works wonders for this SnG (along with a little luck). Most people go in thinking, it's only $1, so they often try to double up as fast as they can. They either do it, or don't. Most of the ones who do it, keep trying to double up and end up losing all of it... to the patient players usually. It takes 2-3 hours, but it's a fun game once the crazies are out and top 18 are in the money. I'm happy to make my money back and a little bit more. 1st place is around $22 bucks. Not too bad for $1 and a fun game.

On Carbon (or Merge network) I sometimes play the double or nothing 10 person SnGs. I usually enter the $10 game and half the table wins $20. Again patience works well here and within an hour you can double your money. A quick game and a good chance of making something from it.

[hojediade]

According to my view, i really appreciate the 8 player sHORSE game at Tilt, even though i didn't get lucky lately. The number one point is that it pays top 3 plus i appreciate mix games more than just holdem. It's much fun.

[Alnoble]

There are few games on PS which don't take time if you want to win any money. I quite like the 90 seat sng as they usually take no more than 3 hours. The turbos are quicker but you do get more crazies in them because the blinds go up quickly and you can soon find yourself short stacked.

Patience is the key to the none turbos. If you can win a couple of hands in the first hour and keep above average stack when you get to the last 36 you can then play for the money.

Some swear by the $4 180 player sng where only the top 10% get paid even in 18th you are close to doubling your stake plus fee and 1st pays $200 +. You do need 4+ hours though

I started at PS so got use to long tournements early on, however I now find them a bit boring but I'm not a multi table person so to win decent money I will have to play them. Just at the moment I haven't the time so just going to play as many of the 4kp games as I can as I like the play and the regulars.

[Logan]

all depends in how much time you got to spend in a game.

I usually do not play MTT games with fields bigger than 100-200 players, i play the Aced depositors freeroll games that have that many players and i did ok cashing in 5 of 6 games, but do not like that much time and field, so 180 S&G even the 90 S&G are too long for me.

I mostly play private games with fields of 20-50 players, so best S&G for me i guess are 27-45 fields, i play in $2 buyin sits, usually play the 10max sits in Bodog or 18max in Hollywood, yesterday try one in fulltilt when was playing also a private game, win the private game and end in 2nd in the S&G, 27 sits pay top 5, for the 2nd i win $12 and first place think win $24, game takes only 1 hour 30min or less so is great for me, will try to play more there.

[Poker Orifice]

My suggestion... become a really sound player in STT SNG (9-plyr). After you've researched/studied the game (found leaks, learn optimal play/strategy, check out HH posts, review games via auto replayer, read Collin Moshmann's Book SNG Strategy, etc. etc.)... then move onto playing some of the 27's. My experience has been that the play in the 27's is particularly soft..... perhaps alot of players who weren't able to profit in the STT's. Majority of players are pretty bad but there's a small minority who play these and do really well in them, with very large profit (hi ROI from multi-tabling the 27's). It's like they're on to something, lol.

I don't particularly care of the 'turbo' 45's on Stars. Again there's a small number of players who seem to profit well from them, but is just a mass bingo fest imo - blinds escalate rapidly & game becomes push/fold fairly early... players also seem to call down really light in them so you end up having to have cards when you're in shove mode.

The 45 reg. speed are SNGs that are often played by MTT players as their 'bread & butter' game (something to keep the bankroll going between decent MTT cashes). The games I've had most experience with in the 45's is Fulltilt $10 buyins. Around 1/3 of the players are real bad, another 1/3 half decent and another 1/3 who are very good (you'll see some players in these who are up net profit of over $20K). It helps to know who are the regs. in these games but doesn't take long to know them as they'll be in most of the ones you reg. for if you get into them.

It's possible to sustain a higher ROI by playing the multi-table SNGs but at the same time, one must be prepared for going on dryspells between cashes (losing 10 in-a-row is pretty normal and 20 in-a-row is not uncommon either). There's actually a poker forum where the members of it play mainly the 45's (alot of them at the $10 - $24 buyin level). A bunch of them are also MTT players. The info. I posted here saying "expect to lose 10 or 20 in-a-row" is stuff I've viewed while on that site, written by players who are regularly winning players with alot of experience.

Multi-table SNG's have the neat thing of having your table become short-handed on a few occassios during the game. Being familiar with (and good at) short-handed play is pretty essential for playing these.

I could try to dig up some articles/strategy on playing 45's if anyone is interested.

[eberetta1]

I am pretty impatient. So a sit n go with less than 90 people does not work out to well for me.

I usually need 1,00 players in a tourney and coming in the top 50 is easy to crack 1/3rd to 1/4 th the time with my style of play.

My twin loves the 6 and 9 person sit n go's , but he is still playing play money, though he had over 600,000 play money chips last time I heard. Good luck finding your optimum sit n go size.

[Poker Orifice]

I am pretty impatient. So a sit n go with less than 90 people does not work out to well for me.

I usually need 1,00 players in a tourney and coming in the top 50 is easy to crack 1/3rd to 1/4 th the time with my style of play.

My twin loves the 6 and 9 person sit n go's , but he is still playing play money, though he had over 600,000 play money chips last time I heard. Good luck finding your optimum sit n go size.

Just curious here... if you say you're 'impatient' type of player, then why would you prefer SNG with avg field size in excess of 90players? Wouldn't it just be the exact opposite?

[illphillllllll]

looks like poker orifice and i think alike, not sure where the connection is. when deciding which size sngs are best not everyone is going to agree. there are different types of players in poker and your personal playing style should dictate which sngs are best suited for your game. i enjoy private added tournys which are somewhat like a sng but with extra money, i don't see the point in playing regular sngs unless i'm trying to grind up a small bankroll.

[hojediade]

I felt the same as PO.
It seems like you would need more patience to master bigger fields than smaller ones. Or maybe i missed something.