Online Poker Forum - Altered strategies for Turbo (and Ultra Turbo) SnG's?

cchappa · Two Pair Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 57

Generically, is there any other strategy adjustment for any tourney situation where blinds are sped up? I mean, besides the obvious raise of agressiveness? I can't seem to find anything pertaining to this, and frankly, is one of the reasons I stray away from turbos. I've decided that for most players, "turbo" means "turn up really bad offense", which vs one sucker can be nice, but vs 5 can be a nightmare (at least for me, that is).

Sankaverimuch.

BOYNAMEDSUE · Moderator Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 9111 Location: Mypos

I play in live turbo tourneys several times a week (blinds almost double ever 20 mins.), and I've noticed a few things:

1. The overall caliber of play is weaker than normal tourneys, because many good players don't like turbos. Turbos are perceived to be more about luck than skill. Which is true.
2. All good hands go up in value, because you'll often be called by weaker hands. Value betting is good.
3. Never fold AK before the flop. Always get as many of your chips in the middle as possible.
4. Raise big with AK. You will always get called, or reraised by AQ, or AJ.
5. Bluffing works less.
6. Your opening raises have to be larger. Raising only 3x the BB won't scare enough people away.
7. You need to gamble more. Pot odds mean less. The blinds go up too fast to sit around and wait for premium pairs. If you have the nut flush draw, calling an all-in bet isn't so stupid.

gigadebt · Pair Joined: 12 Aug 2005 Posts: 29

BOYNAMEDSUE · Moderator Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 9111 Location: Mypos

Pfffft!

Turbos favour the better players because they can win more per hour? Does anyone who plays serious poker, for a living, say to himself, "Hey, I can win more money per hour playing turbos?" Turbos are crapshoots. No doubt, knowing how to play is to your advantage, but luck plays a bigger part in turbos. You need to get good cards, and you need them often to win. When you're not getting the good cards, you need to take chances.

Sklansky argues that you're never really in bad shape getting all your chips in the middle pre-flop with AK, unless you�re up against AA or KK, which is unlikely because you hold both an A and K. In the WSOP, where the blinds are slower, and the competition stronger, I'd fold AK to an all-in raise. It's not worth risking my whole tournament. But in turbos, where the blinds go up fast, and the competition is weaker it's definitely worth the risk. If you go all-in with AK every time, you�ll find you�re called more often by hands you can beat, than by AA or KK. Factor in the times you�ll take the pot without seeing the flop, and it�s clearly a winning play.

As for pot odds. If you were desperate in a slower tourney would you fold the nut flush draw on the flop to an all-in bet? Of course not. In turbos, you gamble. The blinds are high, and your M is usually under 10. If you aren't willing to gamble, you blind away.

GripHoldOn · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 2:11 pm Post subject:

BNS, what gigadebt is saying that in a $10 buy-in Turbo, a good player may only average making 8$ per hour whereas in a regular $10 SNG he makes $10, but if he can play 3 turbos per hour to two regular ones, he actually makes more playing turbos. In most cases, turbos do indeed prove to be more profitable too, just ask UrbanMeyer1.

BOYNAMEDSUE · Moderator Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 9111 Location: Mypos

The original post referred to turbo MTT's, at least I think it did, and that's what I responded to. Gambling more makes more sense in a turbo MTT's, where only 10% of the players are paid, than in turbo SNG's, where 30% of the players are paid.

And I stand by what I said in the original post. The caliber of people who play turbo MTT's is lower than the caliber of of people who play regular tourneys It only makes sense. A tourney known as being a crapshoot will be avoided by some of the better players, bringing the overall caliber of players down some. And my advice reflected that (ie. raising more to eliminate the junk hands, and value betting with high aces because you'll be paid off by lower aces).

As for turbo SNG's, I don't know. I've never played one.

GripHoldOn · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 2:51 pm Post subject:

I suppose he could have been referring to MTT's, but I'm pretty sure that gigadebt was talking about SNG's as was I.

gigadebt · Pair Joined: 12 Aug 2005 Posts: 29

this is the sng forum right?

BOYNAMEDSUE · Moderator Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 9111 Location: Mypos

HAHAHA,

I had no idea this was a sng forum until gigadebt brought it up. I'm addicted to the forum, and visit it several times a day, using the 'View posts since last visit, 'View your posts', and 'View unanswered posts' links.

Sometimes I don't even know which forum I'm in.

My bad.

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