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JesperTP's picture
New to HU SNG - Improving my game

Hi allI just recently started playing HU SNGs and I'm very eager to learn the ropes. I downloaded the free e-Book from mers but I didn't understand much of it.I signed up on a HUSNG.com deal that should allow me to get the standard membership so i can watch some videos. However, this membership probably won't start until the end of next month as I'm playing very low limits and not playing a huge volume yet.Can you guys recommend something else to get me started on my learning curve before I get acces to the videos? I'm a longtime 6-max NLHE player so I know the rules etc but you should regard me as a complete newbie with regards to both the HU and the SNG aspect of the game. Best wishesJesper

Barrin's picture
There are free videos on this

There are free videos on this site. Also, if you do not understand the ebook, feel free to post questions to it in the forum.The SNG aspect of HU SNG is very little. Basically it just describes: you cannot run from it, you have to play the match. Forget about other things which are typical for normal SNGs. There is no ICM or the likes. The math is equal to cash games.Once you play you will need to have a basic strategy (vs unknown) and once the opponent is not unknown anymore you will need to know how to counter his strategy. I would strongly recommend you use a HUD for that purpose.Also kept your eyes open on 2+2. There is sometimes something like a coaching tree going on. Just sign up for the lowest level. That way you will be coached but do not have to coach someone yourself.Other than that; just fire your questions, do not hold back and be not 'ashamed' of not knowing something to start with.Might also be worthwile to take a look at the free ARTICLES.

Hi.

JesperTP's picture
Ok, I found the coaching tree

Ok, I found the coaching tree thread on 2+2 and I guess I'll sign up for that and I downloaded the two free katipo leakfinder videos. Next step is looking at the articles!

Barrin's picture
You can look on much more

You can look on much more free videos. The important thing is that you do not 'watch' them (it is not a movie!) but work with the video. You need to understand WHY he choses a certain move. Ask yourself WHY does HE think that this action is correct while f.e. Rypac13 in his leakfinder video does chose another way.Also: just because it is a video from a coach does not mean that he never ever makes mistakes (this is especially true for live videos) - check the comments! they might even admit some mistakes or the likes.

Hi.

JesperTP's picture
It seems that two things that

It seems that two things that would greatly improve my game are: Note taking: Learning how to take notes and using them in a productive way. I play on ongame and a lot of the time I end up playing the same players over and over and over. C-Betting: Which textures are good to c-bet, bet sizing. Basically everything about c-betting. I find myself being floated a lot, or maybe people don't float at the 3$... Maybe they just call much. I think I'm losing a lot of chips c-betting. Do you guys know of any free litterature covering these specific parts of hu sng?

RyPac13's picture
Some of my free leakfinders

Some of my free leakfinders should talk about c-betting based on board texture as it is a common theme in my videos (mostly low to mid stakes videos where c-betting decisions come up a lot, therefore board texture is discussed as an important variable in cbet strategy).I don't believe we have any free note taking videos off hand, but try the site search here (and try a 2p2 heads up sng forum search as well).Off the top of my head, I regularly took notes for years that were of little use, maybe even useless in the greater scheme of things. I wouldn't worry about notes in the lower stakes games, you won't play the same guys often. If you see something totally crazy, like a guy just bluffing his stack off multiple times in a small amount of games/hands, then make a note "crazy guy that was often bluffing off his stack" as that would likely be a very useful note if you ever ran into him on average.But stuff like "opens A2o for 3x, cbets 876 flop" may seem like useful information, but without more context, without more detail, without a lot of stuff you either don't know or don't have reasonable time to note down, that won't be a useful note if you come across it in the next month.So stick with little to no note taking in the lower stakes, except in extreme situations where you are sure the info is quite valuable if you ever face this guy again. A good rule of thumb: never take notes on anybody in the lower stakes you are facing for the very first time, if they aren't accepting rematches and you've never faced them, the odds you play them again are greatly decreased, as you'll plan to move up and have success over time and non rematching opponents are the types you won't play repeatedly for the most part.This isn't a bad idea for a video though, I'll see if I can think of some more useful points, as this is a question that does come up semi frequently.

JesperTP's picture
Thank you Barrin andn Ryan

Thank you Barrin andn Ryan for taking time to help me out. Right now it seems more like it's a test in not tilting. Started the month going up by 10 buyins in a matter of very few games and now I'm down two buyins haha. Try sharkscoping BigPussy85 on ongame. That should give you a laugh ;) Oh well, just gotta keep on going. I'm sure I'll improve soon so I can beat the 3$ HU SNGs.

Barrin's picture
Haha. The laugh is not about

Haha. The laugh is not about you, Jesper, but it is just funnied because Ryan and I are involved in this topic and I have just wrote him a couple of week ago that this site REALLY could use an article about how a newbie should measure his results.I have sharkscoped you. It is all right.One of the hardest truths you have to realize in HU SNG (or any kind of double up for that matter), is that in the short run your graph is build up like this: WIN-LOSE-LOSE-WIN-WIN-WIN-LOSE-LOSE-WIN-LOSE-WIN-LOSE-WIN-WIN-WIN-LOSE-LOSE-LOSE. For 10 man SNG this is different because you makeing the first place usually grants you a gain of 5 bi. So your graph goes 5xBI UP and then you lose the next 3 games (10th place f.e.) and still are up.As a newbie one often is looking at the graphs of the pros and sees how they are going up continually, but what most do not realize is that this little hink where the graph goes down is not as good visible on a 20k sample size graph but the way the graph is built (WIN-LOSE-LOSE-WIN-WIN-WIN.....) is exactly the same, but it just looks like a 0.1 cm downmovement when a loss over a 100 games sample size looks like it is going down to 1 to 3 cm.There is a tool called variance calculator on this site: http://www.husng.com/content/husng-variance-calculator . Play with it a bit. Give yourself, instead of the negative -5% roi you have, a positive 5% ROI. Press the button 50 times and you will see that there are scenarios where you are up more than you should and some where you are even down like 10 to 20 bi.If you wanna improve, you need to do the session aftermath (post hands, ask questions, do theory) because this really is work and will improve you. Watching a graph with a sample size like yours is just entertainment, no more, no less. Cash out $12 and go to the cinema instead. It should be more entertaining. CheersBarrin

Hi.

JesperTP's picture
I'm not so good with picking

I'm not so good with picking out hands and reviewing them so I thought about filming a HU SNG or two. Do you guys think anyone on the site would have time to just skim through such a video and point out my hugest leaks?

JesperTP's picture
I tried recording this video

I tried recording this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxFcNpBlUqk&feature=youtu.be of me playing a 3,3$ turbo hu sng on ongame. It's 12 minutes and 15 seconds long.I have a few situations I'm not sure I played correctly:3:38: Opponent was generally a passive player which didn't raise much preflop, didn't c-bet much and he had never clicked any of my bets. I guess this suggests a strong hand? Top pair atleast? Looks like I just got really lucky hitting my trips on the river.5:49: Am I missing value by betting pot on the A T T flop with my AKo? I'm thinking I am... But I'm also thinking that I'd puke if the jack of spades hits the turn.6:16: Well played? I didn't raise it preflop cause I don't like playing big pots out of position, is this a 3-bet preflop every time?7:17: Probably the hand I butchered the most, is that call pre too loose?8:08: A little spazzy with A9o? Or no? In hindsight I didn't think he was capable of 3-betting KTo, he seemed too passive.Late game: I suspect that my late game play is exploitable but I'm not sure.. What do you guys think? I'm open to criticism :)Thanks in advance to anyone who dares spend 15 mins helping me!

crstn's picture
I just took a quick look at

I just took a quick look at it. I might watch it closer later and send you my feedback, but in general you have many many leaks in your game.It's not only about the big hands, but a lot of decisions you make in small pots that are not really good (it was a good idea to link a video). You really have to start from the scratch, means preflop play. You check back KQo oop after opponent limps, you openfold 76o, you flatcall KQs 10BB deep etc etcYou also don't recognize spots where to stab at pots, where more than one barrel is good.Don't want to be mean here, and the good thing this is all stuff you can learn.IMO if you have the chance to clear the membership do it as fast as possible (and maybe with a form of poker you are more comfortable), study the free videos, read everything you can find on 2+2. You have a lot of work to do!And hopefully you have a rakeback deal on ongame (I never played there), but if you have not 10% rake is a lot   

JesperTP's picture
Hi crstn Don't worry, I'm

Hi crstnDon't worry, I'm fully aware that I am no poker god. I recognize what you say about my preflop play. The only thing I can say is that I feel that I'm losing chips left and right playing out of position. People at the 3$ SNGs play very crazy and you can't bluff them off a hand. Mostly it feels awkward at best playing a big pot out of position.Openfolding  76o is the same reasoning from my side, I lose too much money raising rags and being called down by bottom pair on the wettest board in the world.What I've learned so far is to play few hands, valuebet them hard and don't try to bluff really ever.I really appreciate you taking the time to watch the video. You say I have a problem preflop, but I actually think that my problem is postflop. The reason I play such a tight range of hands preflop, is because I'm not good enouguh postflop to make this 'bad' hands profitable.

Barrin's picture
#10 is right. But I still

#10 is right. But I still would recommend that you learn step by step. Multi barreling as a bluff is something one should not get to before he is fully aware why he selects to play the hand in the first place. Also; in the beginning your theory time should exceed your play time.

Hi.

JesperTP's picture
Earlier today I had an idea.

Earlier today I had an idea. It might be a silly one.I got the idea that I could offer up a swap of skills. I have a lot of experience with personal training, weightloss and so forth. Do you guys think it would be feasible that I could get someone from this forum or 2+2 to do a couple of tournament reviews weekly in exchange for unlimited questions answered about training, health and the like?

Barrin's picture
You might wanna give it a

You might wanna give it a shot. All tough I still do not get why you do not wanna buy the standard membership instead.^^

Hi.

JesperTP's picture
The answer is that I'm a poor

The answer is that I'm a poor grad student trying to hustle my way through life. Jobs are hard to come by and living isn't exactly free. I don't have money I have experience and knowledge (albeit not the knowledge needed to be a winning HU SNG player lol).As long as I can't even beat the 3$ sng's I can't afford husng.com membership, HEM or sharkscope membership.

Barrin's picture
There is no need for

There is no need for sharkscope on the $3 BI. As for HEM there is a 60 day trial version I think? Bought it 2 years ago, so I am not sure about it. If possible, I would suggest you use HEM1 for the time being, there is lots of negative feedback about HEM2 and I never tried it myself.I did quit (it is more of a long break ;-)) poker about one month ago (too less time, too much tilt ;)) but I see no problem in teaching you in the basics. Send me your skype details trough the private message of husng.com if you are interested.

Hi.

RyPac13's picture
I would go for just utilizing

I would go for just utilizing the free resources + playing games for now. If this game is for you, you should be moving up a level or two eventually and have a bankroll to afford the $25 standard membership or any other affordable resources you might want to use by then.

JesperTP's picture
I made the post on 2+2 but it

I made the post on 2+2 but it got moved and I don't know where to.

RyPac13's picture
The Heads Up SNG Regs Thread

The Heads Up SNG Regs Thread (When you click where your thread was it should redirect you).

JesperTP's picture
Yeah thanks, I somehow didn't

Yeah thanks, I somehow didn't think you could move a whole thread into another thread so that's the reason I got confused. I've decided to move to regular speed sngs for a while and see if I can grind back my loses with a little less variance.

Barrin's picture
Less speed = less

Less speed = less variance.As crstn all ready pointed out you have leaks, so while variance still might have influence on your results (for better or worse) it might not be the best of choices to move to regular speed HU SNG. Why? The rake is often higher and with you haveing leaks in the basics this should reduce your ROI instead of increasing it.

Hi.

JesperTP's picture
On ongame the rake is the

On ongame the rake is the same for both regular speed and turbo. Also, it gives me more seconds per turn to think about my decisions. I'm well aware of my leaks but they're most definately also there when I play turbo haha!We will see how it goes! If nothing else, I'll lose my money at a slower pace and get more hours of fun in before I bust the bankroll ;)

JesperTP's picture
I downloaded all the free sub

I downloaded all the free sub 100$ vids that are turbo or regular speed. Do you guys think I should grab the HT ones as well or is it an entirely different thing?

RyPac13's picture
Hyper turbos should offer you

Hyper turbos should offer you a lot of insight into end game concepts that you can utilize in any heads up structure. There is a lot more edge in the 10-30bb area of the game than most players think at first, so it's a good idea to get familiar with that area of the game (and no better way than some hyper turbos). You don't need to focus on it, but I would at least watch a few videos and get more comfortable with decisions in that area of the game.

JesperTP's picture
Ah yes, that makes sense. I

Ah yes, that makes sense. I guess I will add a few hyperturbos to the mix once I get more familiar with the array of other regular speed / turbos that I have already. I think that makes more sense as my problem right now is that I'm not making it to the endgame... ;) I might have a deal with a 2 + 2 user who will coach me in exchange for personal training. His username is 'TakeHerOnACruise'. Anyone familiar with this person?

RyPac13's picture
Aside from the French Kido

Aside from the French Kido thread, "THOAC" has been regarded as a fairly solid thinking regular in the community.

JesperTP's picture
Thanks for your tips

Thanks for your tips Ryan. How about borg7 from 2+2, do you know him? He also contacted me.