S&G advice...

[kevod85]

I really want to up my online game in 2013 and play alot more volume than i have this year to see if i can actually be profitable. My thoughts at the moment are that grinding the low stake mtts and spending 4/5 hours to get a min cash is not the way forward.

So that brings me on to the S&Gs.

really looking for guidance / advice on where to start. 

$3.50 45 man seems to me as a good starting point?

looking at around 100 a month?

All feed back appreciated

 

[GiMac]

You are starting a bit back to front imho.

Firstly be honest with yourself and ask yourself 3 questions:

1.   What are you actually good at, and I don"t mean what do you enjoy I mean what suits your game better, i.e. STT, SNG, small field MTT, large field MTT, cash (because nobody likes grinding for hours and hours for a min cash thats why its called a grind, but if thats what you do well.....)

2.   What game do you think is your best i.e. , NLE, PLH, PLO etc etc?

3.   AND MOST IMPORTANTLY what bankroll do you want to work within?

I think once you have the answer to those 3 questions, then you can start to look at game selection etc etc.


p.s. You have already started well by looking ahead and looking to formulate a plan for 2013, that already puts you ahead of 90% of the player playing online.  

[dwh103]

Gordon"s post - perfect.

Grinding STTs is even more soul-destroying than MTTs imo! However, that"s opinion, for bankroll stuff give this article a read:

http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/jennifear/

P5s is down atm it seems but it links to a BRM article, which includes an mechanism that ensures your game selection gravitates towards a level where you are profitable. Whether you follow it or not it"s well worth a read.

[kevod85]

Thanks for both comments was exactly what i was hoping for, will give the pocket article a read and have a think.

[AMRN]

If you"re considering a change because you"re bored of the MTT "grind", which is how I"ve read your OP, then SNGs is not the best idea in my opinion. I spent just over a year grinding endless SNG STTs almost exclusively, but after 8000 of them, my poker game, such that it was, was destroyed.   I learnt a lot about push/fold ranges which helps my end game in MTTs now, BUT the boredom is pretty intense - and it took me a while to get used to "playing poker" again.

My advice - figure it out on two fronts.... identify your best game which makes you money consistently and where you feel confident.... but also identify that which gives you most pleasure when you play - the online grind is an awful concept if you"re not having fun doing it.   I"ve found that sticking to one format rather than playing a bit of everything is much better if you want to increase your ability in that given format, however it can get boring at times.    Nowadays my play is strictly for enjoyment, with a bit of pocket money if I do well - and I am playing anything and everything dependant on my mood..... much more fun.

[kevod85]

Its not so much that im "bored". I think what i am after more than anything is structure. This year i have just played what i feel like playing when ever it suited me. I haven"t had any kind of BR just deposited as ive wanted to play. I know in myself this is the worst way for me to be playing. The idea behind the S&Gs was that i can have a managable BR and structure to what im playing, increase my volume of games and hopefully make a profit. After the excellent advice i have been given so far i am now rethinking this.

Have read the P5 and found that very usefull.

I am determined to have a plan to enter 2013 with...

[hi_am_chris]

Sng"s CAN be a fairly safe way to build a bankroll though, you don"t have the swings that you will get playing 5/10 cents cash. You only need a meager bankroll to start playing them but volume is going to be key at the micros. Great point made by AMRN is that it really doesnt help you play "poker", i would say in the longer sngs you can get away with playing some poker at the start (maybe against convential advice). In the turbos the blinds are 25/50 before you know it so not much time, i would say tho if you do decide to play sit n gos play the 18 mans / 45 mans. The 18 mans fill up pretty fast and from my experience you dont have the same percentage of "regs" in each one. If you just play the 9 man sit n gos then half your table are probably going to be regs who are 8 tabling and are usually pretty solid which makes the games harder to beat.

[adilong1]

Sng"s CAN be a fairly safe way to build a bankroll though, you don"t have the swings that you will get playing 5/10 cents cash. You only need a meager bankroll to start playing them but volume is going to be key at the micros. Great point made by AMRN is that it really doesnt help you play "poker", i would say in the longer sngs you can get away with playing some poker at the start (maybe against convential advice). In the turbos the blinds are 25/50 before you know it so not much time, i would say tho if you do decide to play sit n gos play the 18 mans / 45 mans. The 18 mans fill up pretty fast and from my experience you dont have the same percentage of "regs" in each one. If you just play the 9 man sit n gos then half your table are probably going to be regs who are 8 tabling and are usually pretty solid which makes the games harder to beat.

I play the 18, 45 and 180 player Sngs on Stars quite a lot and seem to cash a good percentage of the time.