Poker Stars 180 Player SNGs Part #2 – 180 Strategy
Strategy Tips for Poker Stars 180 Sit N Go Tournaments Split
Between The Various Blind Levels / Stages.
The first article in this series covered the facts and figures for the Stars 180s. Here we will look at the Strategy for 4/180s 10/180s and 20/180s on Pokerstars.
Each blind level will be discussed separately with a note on the average stack for the number of players left at each stage – there are 180 * 1500 = 270,000 chips in play. This means that the average stack at the final table is going to be 30,000 chips – this article will walk you through the stages of getting from 1500 to 30,000, the final part of this series will look at the 180 SNG Final Table.
While the standard of play varies between the 4/180 and 20/180 we are going to assume that you are comfortable against which ever opposition you choose. The errors that opponents make are broadly similar for each of the three buy-in levels.
The Starting Levels – BB20 and BB30
The first half an hour will see you faced with a wide variety of opponents. This is your opportunity to gain chips from the weaker players at the same time as assessing the stronger opponents weaknesses for use later in the game.
You start with 75 Big Blinds at level 1 and thus have the implied odds to profitably play hands such as suited connectors and small pairs. Enough of your opponents will be willing to go broke with ace-rag when the flop comes ace high to make these hands very profitable indeed.
Unlike the scheduled tournaments in which you might play another 180 man is often no more than 15 minutes from starting. Bankroll permitting this should make you more willing to push any edge early in an attempt to get a big stack.
As you approach the end of level 2 you will have noted many of the other players styles. Use this information to relieve overly tight players of their blinds and to re-raise those who are raising light and too often. The key here is to use the early stages to accumulate chips – only 18 places get paid in the 180s so folding too much waiting for those aces will not give you the required leverage to make the money.
After 30 minutes we can expect 40 players to have been eliminated – this means that the average stack will be 1928 chips.
Levels 3 and 4 – BB50 and BB100
The second half hour sees the blinds increase to 50 and then 100. Pre-flop raises are now a larger proportion of your stack. Many of the players who started tight and who have seen their stacks shrink to 1200 or less will now start to worry – and may open up their range as a result.
At this stage you should start to notice the stack sizes of your opponents more closely. In particular those players who are to your left (and so act after you do). For example if you raise and a small stack to your left pushes all-in you may be committed to the hand – that is the pot odds you are getting make calling with any raising hand profitable.
This makes speculative hands like suited connectors and small pairs less profitable when the pot is raised. Your implied odds have gone down. Remember there will always be a proportion of weak players left – those who have make up a reasonable stack by good fortune rather than good poker. Watch for those who are still raising light and re-steal from them when the opportunity arises.
By the 1st break at the end of level 4 we can expect 90 players to have been eliminated – this means that the average stack will be 3000 chips.
Levels 5, 6 and 7 – BB150, BB200 and BB200 Ante 25
At this point in the 180 SNG there will be a decided shift between post-flop play and pre-flop play. This is particularly true when there are short stacks on your table (anyone with 1200 chips or less). A key strategy component of playing at these levels is the ability to put your opponents onto ranges and assess the chances of your own holdings against those ranges.
It now becomes more important to be the aggressor in a hand and not the caller. This is because the blinds now contribute valuable chips to your stack – stealing them outright is a decent result in any hand. As the stacks are shallow compared to the blinds calling on the flop is less attractive because it will cost you too many chips to get an accurate read on your opponents hand after the flop in comparison to your stack.
By this stage you should have a pretty accurate assessment of the style of each of your opponents (multiple table moves can affect this). Here is the time to start using that information to outplay people.
The addition of the Ante at level 7 makes stealing pots pre-flop even more valuable with each pot being 525 chips. Make sure you get more than your fair share of these without making it too obvious to your opponents that you are stealing light.
By the end of level 7 we can expect the field to be down to 50 players, the average stack will now be 5400.
Level 8 and 9 – BB400 Ante 25 and BB600 Ante 50
Short stack ninja time! At this point in the tournament the average stacks will be between 10 and 12 Big Blinds (of course there will be some large and some small stacks too). This means that there will very rarely be any significant post-flop play.
You need to assess the stack sizes of your opponents before making any play at this level. Re-stealing might be possible when two large stacks are involved in a hand but any short stack raiser may not be willing to fold after committing chips.
Remember to look at the effective stacks when making a decision. For example if you have 12 Big Blinds on the button but the 2 players in the blinds only have 7 big blinds each then your effective shove is for 7 big-blinds only. Stealing blinds is a must at these levels so make sure that you are aware of potential calling ranges of your opponents and adjust accordingly.
Towards the end of level 9 we can expect the bubble to be fast approaching. You opponents will each react to this differently, with stack size again being a determining factor. Try and work out which of the medium to small stacks has decided to play for the money and steal from them. If you see a big stack using the approaching bubble to steal chips easily then re-assess his range for re-stealing purposes – remembering to ensure that there is some room to fold involved.
We can now expect around 3 tables left – so for 27 players the average stack will now be 10,000 chips.
Levels 10 and 11 – BB1200 Ante 75 and BB1600 Ante 75
There are a couple of significant factors to note at these levels. Firstly the quality of the opposition will have increased – the loose’n’lucky and weak-tight opponents will generally be gone and the better players will be left in the game.
The second factor is that in the run up to the bubble the tables will become short-handed. This means that you are going to need to adjust your pre-flop requirements to compensate for the lower number of opponents.
The dynamic of people playing to make the money vs those playing for the win comes into play even more strongly now. When faced with a close decision then your equity risk vs reward can be accounted for. Think of it this way, if you play 2 identical games and have a 55/45 edge at 2 bubbles… if you decline this edge to survive you make the money each time but miss the final table – for a 10/180 this would be +$40. However taking your edge means you get nothing once but reach the final table once for an average win of $300… turning down an edge has actually cost you $260 in our simplified example – don’t do it!!
By the end of these levels the bubble should have burst – there are now 10 players left on 2 tables with an average stack of 15000 chips.
Levels 12 and 13 – BB2000 Ante 100 and BB3000 ante 150
The stacks are still short and we have made the money – now is our opportunity to make that push for the final table and a big score! The first thing to notice is that those players who adjusted by tightening up to make the money are the ones to watch here. This type of player will often be looking to ‘take a gamble’ as soon as the money bubble bursts to give themselves a chance of final tabling. When you see an open-shove from such as opponent you can assess their range as wider than average for the situation and adjust your calling range accordingly.
The final table often acts as a second bubble here so ensure that you are aware of any changes in opponents behavior once you get down to 10 or 11 players. Again awareness that the payouts increase dramatically should lead you to play positively and aggressively. Stealing, re-stealing and moves such as the stop and go all have their place here.
Success – You reached the Poker Stars 180 Person SNG Final Table! Part #3 of this series will look at your final table strategy.
Find out why PokerStars are the Internet’s Number 1 Poker Site Today!
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