SNG Strategy - 10 Early Game Tells
1-table tournaments are hugely popular online, and incorporate some significant strategy adjustments when comparing to a standard poker money game. With the later stages, and particularly the 'bubble' (when only 1 more player must bust ahead of the paying places) so important, it is key that you predict how different players will react during this stage of the game.
Below is a list of 10 vital things to look out for during the early stages, when chips are plentiful and the pressure low - along with what these signs can tell you about a particular players late game capsa susun and bubble strategy.
- Early Game: Take note of any hands which players call raises with, this is a massive clue regarding the kind of hand they will appear with down the road at the bubble.
- Check-Raises: Look for check-raisers, some players use this typically when out of position and others check and then fold. Exploiting a serial check-raiser is very easy, you get to simply take free cards in some situations and these players will often help you develop a big pot too! Check-raisers are used to playing backwards, so expect more late game bluffs too.
- Unusual Bet Sizes Early / Mid Game: Note players who make 4x or bigger open raises, this could be the mark of an inexperienced online player or can be a hint that they have a hand they don't really want to view a flop with, such as a mid-pair. Inexperienced opponents tend to call 'light' at the bubble.
- Open Limpers: Again, inexperience frequently leads to a lot of limping in to the pot. These players are unlikely to be carrying out a tight-early / push late strategy and will make classic bubble errors. Watch for players who often raise then suddenly limp-in, this is often a big hand.
- Super-Tight Players: Make a note of those who play hardly any hands for the first few levels, they can easily be good players employing a 'Pushbot' kind of strategy.
- Shows: When a player gets a walk in the big blind and shows his trash hand, bets and then shows a bluff or shows a strong hand after everyone folds the turn - you should definitely make a note. Again there's a high likelihood that this player is inexperienced, especially showing rags in the blind and revealing bluffs. Experienced grinders understand that SNGs are too short for such non-sense and also have seen enough of pokers variations that they do not have to show you their cards.
- Bluffing Dry Side Pots: Most players in SNGs will check a hand down whenever a player is all-in. Those who bet when there is no second pot to win (only the one that the all-in player can win) and then show a weak holding are often inexperienced... provisionally assign them the 'Push too tight, call too light' bubble ranges.
- Bubble Calls, Hopefully that one is obvious, when you see a call at the bubble which looks 'light' immediately take a note that will allow you to put this player on a better range of hands the next occasion around.
- Bubble Raise / Folds: When you see a player with 12 blinds or less raise 3x and then fold to a re-raise you can be pretty certain they do not understand the facts of prize-pool equity (based on the fact that they cannot really understand pot-odds! ).
- Push-Bots: This term refers to players who are pushing all-in at nearly every opportunity, frequently good players! You can assign these types a huge range, if you know you still can not call with no premium hand, right!
