Apr 10 : SNG Heads-Up Failures ($303 - Up $94)

Is it just me, or does each poker session have its own theme? My last 3 sessions of poker have had very distinct characteristics
(1) A Car Crash Poker session - great cards, beaten by monsters
(2) A calm predicatble session - average cards, no bad beats, lots of wins
(3) A grinding session - poor cards, forced to grind relentlessly, but 4 money finishes, summarised below.

RESULTS
Games Played
4 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
1 x $22 SNG (10 Seater)
Wins
4 Times in the money (3 x Runner-Up on 6 seaters, 1 x Runner Up on 10 seater)
1 times out of the money
Bankroll
Cost of play $110, Winnings $204, Net gain of $94
Bankroll up from $209 to $303

All 5 games were very similar - fairly poor pocket cards so playing very few hands, just winning small pots and picking up blinds here and there, but not able to accumulate many chips. Being very patient, and letting the other players knock themselves out.

I every game, I found myself on the bubble as the smallest / join-smallest stack (about 2K-£3K generally). But with the blinds still fairly low in most cases, there was plenty of play possible, and I grinded my way into the money mainly by showing more patience than the other players. The play on the bubble probably averaged 15-20 minutes per game, and was extremely tight in some games.

I wanted to play aggressively, but being well covered in most instances by bigger stacks, and a genuine lack of cards, I had to be very selective. I mainly took down smallish pots with rags, trading off my tight image (forced on me by relentless mediocre cards).

Really interesting to win a series of money finishes through grinding play without having many glamorous starting hands. Not sure I have done it before.

The only disappointment is a 0/4 in the heads-up play. A couple were because I had staggered into the money with a 4:1 chip disadvantage, and had to push with not a lot. The other two I lost fair and square, having been even at the start. I do feel a little lost in heads up sometimes, not sure I know how to value hands, relative to other forms of play.

Note To Self:
- Look back at my stats to see what my win ratio is once it gets to heads up
- Find some articles on good heads up play

Have fun!