Response to Reader Question

Question Posed to me: Did you ever play standard sng's, if so is the transition to turbos hard?

Answer: I find that my attention span is extremely low, which is why I never really did well in MTTs because after the first hour, I'd always get bored and give all my chips away. I'd always play cash games because it requires little to no attention span (note that does not mean no concentration).

So when I first tried a Turbo SnG I loved it. I started on the 10 mans, but found that a lot of people would call my continuation bets with drawing hands (which is not good for me). So I went to the 6-mans where I can really push people around.

I like the Turbos because by the time people realize that you are bullying them around, it is too late for them to do anything about it, you already have most of the chips at the table.

If you play a slow tight patient game, Turbo's are probably not for you. They really require a calculated aggression and a lack of fear of going out first. If you play too tight, the blinds will be over your head in no time and your all-in push wont scare the guy who has been playing aggressive and accumulating chips from the start.

The payout structure in the 6-man SnGs is very forgiving, typically paying 2x buy-in for 2nd and 4x buy-in for 1st. Note that this means you can lose 4 in a row, then win the 5th, and be back to where you started (maybe minus $1 or so).

This is why I play the way I do. My style lends itself to either being out immediately (usually 50% of the time), or winning (usually 50% of the time). And this is ok since winning 1 allows me to lose 3 and still be profitable.