I only play SNG 9’s. I play tight but lately can’t win… but there are players, so many, who play every hand 2 8, 9 2, 8 3, 7 2, who get rewarded and win agaisnt much better opening hands. ALL THE TIME! What’s going on???
1 Like
It’s frustrating, but it’s a classic phenomenon in SNGs and poker in general. In the short term, variance can give the impression that loose-passive players who enter with any hand are favored. However, in the long term, these players lose a lot, and playing tight and disciplined remains a winning strategy.
If you realize that variance is hitting you more than usual, ask yourself a few questions:
Do you have a sufficient base of recent games to judge the trend (several hundred SNGs)?
Have you reviewed your key spots to see if you’re being exploited by opponents’ adaptations?
Can you adjust your game by exploiting these players who enter with weak hands (e.g., iso-raise them more often, punish them postflop)?
Stay the course; variance always evens out if your play is solid. Stay strong!
3 Likes
@grapevine or @Tiandra, perhaps this thread would be better placed in discussion or strategy 
1 Like
Thank you for this suggestion 
1 Like
Thanks for your reply. Although I know it’s all about long term results (which I do well in), this does not answer the question of idiots playing with crazy opening hands and winning!!! I’ve played in many casinos and not seen so many ridiculous winning hands. The dealing of cards is not random as Replay states, so I’m thinking of moving to another site, maybe real poker online.
This impression comes mainly from the volume of hands you play online. In a casino, you might play 30 hands per hour, whereas online you can see several hundred in a few hours. This gives the impression that these odd hands appear more often, when in fact they are simply more visible.
Then there’s also the style of play: in live games, players are generally more cautious because they feel more social pressure and real money. Online, many play looser, especially in micro-limits or SNGs, where some aren’t afraid to go all in with marginal hands.
Finally, you should always keep in mind the selection effect: you mostly notice the times when these hands win against you, whereas most of the time, they get punished and disappear without you realizing it.
1 Like
Thanks for this… however, as a tight player, catching cards on the flop or anywhere else for that matter, for months and months on end, seems to be impossible… but give someone an 8 2 and he’s a big winner… Thank God I don’t play this game for real money (except very occasionally) because it seems to me to be a game of incredible luck … skill goes out of the window most of the time.
1 Like
You can’t expect more out of quality Chinese craftsmanship! Asking them to do better is the same as asking the rest of us, normals, to stop breathing permanently! It just can’t happen!
i play EVERY hand im dealt at least to the flop. Every single time. And its been working great for me. The number of times I have won with a triplet of 2’s against pocket aces is astounding!!! Morons with pocket aces go all in, and I sweep up with triples time and time again. Works for me.
Your bankroll tells us another story 
3 Likes
knowing poker helps, but: no luck, no chips
also imo its perception, you wont see the majority of those hands like 8-2, they will be mucked because they lost
Bunchoffunk hi,
You’re exactly the kind of fool poker player I’m talking about. How come your profile is hidden, scaredy-cat?
lmao how is that working out for you? close to 8 years on site and only have 17,065 in your current bankroll. anyone who logs in for 7 straight days at 2,500 log in bonus would have more chip than you. lmao
1 Like
Wow how is that even possible
One of the best players I’ve come across befriended me when I first started, and his bankroll would wildly fluctuate monthly. He may still be on one of the Top Ten list in one of the MTT categories because he was for years. He was always dangerous in tourneys. I think he just enjoys playing and maybe isn’t concerned about his bankroll.
sounds cool. you think people underestimated him because of that?
I don’t know about others, but I never do. He knows how to play. I never challenge him whenever he’s aggressive. I just checked and he’s still on one of the Top categories (a different one which I remember) after all these years. The thing is, he is always friendly and acts like a gentleman when I used to run and interact with him. Lately we must be playing different tourneys since it’s been a while.
1 Like
I tend to agree with you with one variance…there are days when it doesn’t matter what I am holding, I am rivered repeatedly. I can’t win regardless or I am card dead the entire game. Other days I can’t lose no matter what I play. Go figure!
The higher stakes you go, the better the play overall.
I just wanna hear more from bunchajunk
2 Likes