I think I am the king of 4th place in SnG tourneys. I typically get there with an average stack, and I try to open my game up, get a bit more aggressive, etc, but I rarely seem to hold on to the money.

How, specifically, do you open up your game? Do you play any 2 cards (outside of HU), play suited cards, raise small PP, etc.? Do you limp/raise with any Ace, any King?

I find that I continue to limp, or min raise in LP with small PP and get scared away if bet into on a flop with overcards. I bet more aggressively on connected high cards, KJ, J10, anything over 9. I get stuck looking at hands like K4, A8, A5, etc., the type of stuff I would fold at a full table, but I don't really know how to play them in the end game.

I just don't know how to break this 4th place streak and break into the money. Everyone says to open up your game, but how open is open?

Thanks.

It is one of those "it depends" things.

A lot of things go into it,

blinds vs stacks

how tight the other players are

your position

opponents stack sizes.

If you don't really know how to "open up" your game. Don't. Just stick around and slide into third. Experience should get you to recognize how to play a bubble situation fitting to your style eventually.

For the sake of discussion, Beav, I'd say in most of my games, I'm sitting at average stack size, that everyone is about the same , let's say 2000-3000(within 3-500 chips) with maybe the CL 2-3x the others. Blinds are usually at 50/100-75/150 when I get in these situations. Also, most of the folks I play I would classify as loose to semi-loose and passive, at full table, they raise low-mid PP and play/raise weak Aces regardless of position.

I will usually bet out an iffy hand (weak ace/king/queen and low-mid PP) if in LP with checks/limps in front and check/call a real weak hand from the blinds. Post-flop is where I feel weakest, though, especially against loose players.

I know the best answer is that it depends, but that doesn't help me much. Could you post some examples of what you change in your game, how you play what in position, etc. I wish I could be more specific, and I'm sure experience will help to make me more aware of when I can exploit weakness, but I'd appreciate your opinion.

Honestly, IMO it totally comes down to experience in those situations. Every situation is going to be different. And if you take one certain stratagy into every SnG you are going to do more damage than good. Since every game is different with different styles of players you kind of have to get a feel for it. I know it's not a very good direct answer, but IMO it is the only one that anyone can give.

I used to lose EVERY single heads-up at the end (when i made it that far) and finish 2nd. Sure it was A LOT of lost money, but I learned from it and have a FAR better win % rate now.

yep, there is a lot of feel involved.

I dont like hands like A2 or K7.

Kickers become a little less important.

I dont like limping or raising UTG with a marginal hand like KT or QJ if there is a short stack left to act after me that I know needsto push soon. These aren't hands I want to have to show down.
Especially on the bubble.

I'm the same way, but I don't know if that's a good thing or not. Seems like I tend to throw away a lot playable, but marginal, cards because I'm afraid the short stack to my left is going to push and I wouldn't want to call that. I haven't figured out how to play that.

Recently my strategy seems to have become to simply BE the short stack, so I don't have to worry about it.

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I'm CDO. It's like OCD, but everying is in order just like it should be.

I am new to this forum and see that I am nothing but fish food, but take this advice and I guarantee you will have a higher ITM% and less 4th place finishes.

Always remember this, it is MUCH harder to call an all-in than it is to shove all-in. That is my key to bubble play.

If you are 3rd or even 2nd in chips and worry about the small stack shoving if you limp or min raise, and your hand is what you would normally consider a playable hand, why not shove yourself? Believe me, Mr. Smallstack beside you doesn't want to finish in 4th! Put yourself in his shoes and think about what your hand would have to be to call for all your chips?

Trust me, this works more often than not. I would say that about 80% of the time I shove in this situation I win the blinds, which by this point are high enough to put you in great shape. If my hand is at least decent(Ax, Kxs, etc) I generally win about half of the time the small stack calls me. So only about 10% of the time I pull this move and get knocked out in 4th solely because of this move. I am not saying you should shove with any two, but maybe with a marginal or decent hand.

You simply CANNOT have any fear during bubble play, let the other guy be afraid of you! What's the worst that can happen? Another 4th place finish? Do not let yourself fear finishing 4th and you will finish in the money much more often!

-Crush'em!!

Unless the table has shown a history of folding to a min raise, that's not something I normaly consider - especially late in a SnG. I also mostly limp with speculative hands and they aren't something I'd want to push with because if I get a call I'm in HUGE trouble, and I'm ready the toss those to pretty much ANY raise much more than a min raise. What I'm talking about are solid hands that I'm tempted to make a solid raise with, but aren't to the level where I want to push.

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I'm CDO. It's like OCD, but everying is in order just like it should be.