9man sng 3handed strategy

Hi, MisClick!

Can you meanwhile post your top 3 finishes? I think it will be a good help for our analyses if they are based on a good sample.

To sum it up- a lot of people take it as a free roll once they finish ITM as they know they have covered the initial BI. They loosen up a lot, start making really wide calls just because:

A-they don't care that much as they finished ITM already

B- they play for first place and they think risk:reward ratio is justified

I don't think that should be your approach though. ITLR if we don't play good ITM, we won't be winning the maximum amount. One first place is better than 2 thirds, because of the 50:30:20 pay out, but that doesn't mean we have to be reckless and play ultra loose style. To get to the point though: there is risk aversion when we are ITM.I would suggest that you play with Wiz/Nash and adjust to the new ranges. ICM, ICM, ICM. It's a huge topic to be covered in a single post, but you do the improvement step by step.

Preparation for 3-handed play starts earlier imo. When we are 5-6 handed f.e.-we have to adjust by opening a wider range, stealing and re-stealing more, increasing our aggression in general. A lot of people don't do that and fold AJ from EP when we are 6-handed. Or don't re-steal vs regs wide enough with 15-20bb eff. Or don't steal enough from BU/CO when risk:reward ratio is better. If we do it right, we often will be the chipleader or a comfortable midstack that will give us much better chances to finish first. So you need to find the balance between completing your main goal-finish ITM and get as many first places as possible.

Once we get to HU, forget about ICM though. It's all chip EV and it's all about how to win maximum chips, there is no risk aversion etc. As as the jump between 30% and 50% of the prize pool is big, we have to make sure we play a decent HU game.

Cheers!

Hey kurrkabin, thanks a lot for your post. I will look into it.

I am usually getting ITM with a decent stack, which is a great improvement from my early play. (And many times I mess up at the bubble, as I fail to change gears or simply I don't want to let go the opportunity to get into the money which a good stack )
Anyway, I found I am having problems playing 3-handed when I have a decent stack and it is not push/fold. I feel in this zone all becomes blurry for me. This is the zone where we are under pressure, with a reasonable stack (but not big enough to feel we can get it wrong many times in a row), and with blinds going round quickly.

I don't think I have a decent sample, however I will post it.

The following graph is for 616 $1.5 turbos at PS. (While uploading I noticed that compared to my early play, I have increased my 5-7 finishes, which could be the problem too? I suppose I need to sort out one thing at a time...)

Stats over those tournaments:
ITM% 41.6
ROI% 0.63

256 cashes
avg. finish 4.36

1st place 57
2nd place 100
3rd place 99

(And not doing very well at the moment )

(edit: by the way, I forgot to clarify. I am not looking at being crazy at 3rd place to pass them to 1st, I completely understand what you are saying. The problem I would like to sort out is the times I actually become too passive (for whatever reason). I feel I don't want to to go mad, and I either end up losing my whole stack to the other two as I get to the stage where I have to push/fold as I bled my chips along the way, or I end up 2nd with a very small stack what means I have to start taking flips and be lucky few times in a row to make it to first...Other times I play fine. But I realise that I am not sure I know what I am doing here!)

616 is unfortunately not a big sample at all as you know. Don't be way too anxious imo as that might burn you out. If you knew how to play close to optimally in every situation, you would've been crushing the high stakes. I play 22$-54$, mostly 33$s and 54$s and I see so many mistakes made by regs. Daily. I do mistakes daily as well. Actually, sometimes even stupid mistakes. Things that I know well.

Your knowledge will be based on a lot of work, discipline and constancy in time. Everytime when you run hot you will feel good about yourself, confidence will be at your highest peak and you will drop most of your concerns. And everytime you run bad, you will start questioning yourself and doubt everything you did so far. Balance this whole process to get it working in your favor.

I am sorry that I turned this into more of a psychology discussion, but from your last post I mainly see lack of confidence. Be confident, man. But be confident, because you know you can do it, but there is always room to improve. Don't be confident with nothing to back it up. Post hands, watch vids, make session reviews with your poker buddies.

From this graph, I don't wanna judge too much(small sample), I can only say that imo first and third place finishes should be both higher than second place finishes. And third and first place finishes will be often close to one another. Of course, your aim is to make first place finishes more. I think the increasement of 5-6 finishes is normal due to your increased activity/aggression. When we steal more, re-steal more, open a wider range, there are much more situations to go broke.

Originally posted by kurrkabin
I am sorry that I turned this into more of a psychology discussion, but from your last post I mainly see lack of confidence. Be confident, man. But be confident, because you know you can do it, but there is always room to improve. Don't be confident with nothing to back it up. Post hands, watch vids, make session reviews with your poker buddies.

Thanks a lot for your reply. Don't be sorry about that at all, because that is what I also know it is all about here. It helps a lot to read your last post, thank you I was just thinking this morning when I woke up fresh, that actually it is like most things: you come from downswings full of new stuff, because we tend to battle it out. I don't know how it is for the rest of the good players out there, but as you cleverly said, when we are in an upswing we don't worry too much, when we go in a downswing, that is when we see what we are made of, and if we need to become stronger. (Sometimes it is hard to keep on the sunny side of life though, it takes skill ) Thanks again

You are welcome, bro! Just keep on improving and don't give up!