Comprehensive Guide To Pokerstars’ 180 SNGs Including Payouts, Buy-Ins, Blinds And Time Taken
Pokerstars 180 Player Sit N Go Tournaments – Updated For 2013!
Since the original article was written the Pokerstars 180 Sit N Goes have become more popular then ever, with a range of buy-ins available and 'turbo' + rebuy versions too. Best of all, 180 Player SNGs are still a great way to grow your poker bankroll while building valuable tournament experience.
This article is in the form of a 180 SNG 'Frequently Asked Questions' - you will find links to 2 detailed strategy articles + many other learning resources here - so don't forget to bookmark this page now!
Planet Mark's Warning: The 180 Player SNGs at Pokerstars have changed from being a great bankroll builder to being the home of 100's of experienced multi-tabling 'regulars'.
New players are now losing their bankrolls in these games fast! See this blog post for a example of when I recently found that 7 of my 8 opponents on a table were each playing 8+ games at once - with the remaining one hidden from the search!
I am now changing my recommendation for those players looking to combine gaining tournament experience with building a poker bankroll. Your focus should now be on the smaller tournaments in mid-sized sites. 888 Poker is in the sweet spot here - with plenty of novice players, a big range of games to choose from and fields sizes in the 200+ range.
If you are looking for tournaments where you have a genuine edge then I strongly recommend you check out the super-soft games at 888.com Poker for yourself now!
PokerStars 180 Player SNG Tournaments – FAQ
This article looks at the facts and figures for Pokerstars 180 Player SNGs. Part #2 to follow will look at 180 SNG strategy for these games and look at opponents tendencies during the different blind levels.
Firstly here are a few facts and figures concerning the Pokerstars 180 Player SNGs.
180 Player SNG Tournaments - How Much Do They Cost?
There are a total of 7 buy-in levels, most of them are Turbo speed in 2012, with only the
Standard (15 Minute) blind levels: $4.50c
Turbo (5 minute) blind levels: $1 (hyper turbo), $2.50c, $3.50c (rebuys), $8, $15 and $35
3 of these are available on the main ‘current tournaments’ list on the main Poker Stars tournaments tab – ensuring that they fill very quickly. The $4.50c (non-turbo) and the $8 and $15 games... This front page placing makes a big (positive) difference to the number of recreational players vs regulars.
180 Player SNG Tournaments - How Often Do They Run?
The biggest change in the latest update of these articles is the continued increase in the number of players at Pokerstars, who now have regular peaks of 225k simultaneous players. This means that 180 games are kicking off every couple of minutes at peak times, and only taking 5 to 10 minutes to fill outside of this. Many players multi-table these 12+ at a time, and with the volume of games increasing all the time there is always an opportunity to get a game running quickly.
180 Player SNG Tournaments - How Long Do They Take?
You should allow for 4 hours per tournament for the non-turbo versions and around 2.5 hours hours for the turbos, obviously you will need to ensure you have the time available to reach the final table before signing up.
180 Player SNG Tournaments - What Are The Payout Structures?
The top 18 get paid, 10th to 18th place receive around double their buy-in while the winner receives almost 50 times their buy in. The final table payout for the $8 level is as follows.
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180 Player SNG Tournaments - What About The Quality Of The Opposition in 2013?
This varies from very weak recreational players to low-stakes ‘pro’ players who use these tournaments as a means of building a SNG bankroll. My calculation is that there is anything from 40 to 80 'regulars' in any one game, around half of these 'regs' will be profitable - with the others break-even or small losers before VIP club benefits. Even those who are profitable often have huge leaks - one of the compromises they make by playing a lot of tables is to give up some value in reads and in post-flop play. There is a constant through-put here, the best regulars invariably move on to multi-table tournaments and new players discover these games and start to play them full time to fill their shoes.
As of 2012 the 180s are defintely beatable. These games might not be as 'juicy' as they were 3 years ago, though with 100+ recreational players in each one they are a safe place to learn and a fantastic place to grow your bankroll - the 180s can give you a springboard to success in other areas of poker, and will still be there to reload your funds if you ever need them.
For A Super-Soft Alternative To Pokerstars - 888 Are Leading The Way In 2013!
180 Player SNG Tournaments - What Return On Investment Can A Good Player Expect to Make?
This, as always, depends on many factors including having a large enough sample size to draw conclusions from and how many tables are played simultaneously. The following are estimates for various skill levels of players.
Top 5% Skill Group vs Opposition: 80% ROI +
Top 20% Skill Group: 50% to 80% ROI +
Above Average Player (non specialist) 20% to 50% ROI +
There is the overview – part #2 of this series looks at many aspects of 180 SNG Strategy to help you move to the most profitable skill group.
