Most hyper/turbo SNGs will start off with the same blinds as every other game, but the big difference is that the blinds go up at a much faster rate. When playing these format, you’ll be moving your stack in within ten minutes or much sooner from when it started. This is a game many poker players shy away from because of the level of variance in it. However, you’ll find that players with minimal patience often play these games, which makes those who take these games seriously a big favorite to finish in the money.
By playing hyper/turbo SNGs, you should be willing to put your stack in the middle at almost any time if you feel like you have the best hand. If you showdown the best hand or are a favorite to win the pot, more times than not you will walk away with the wins at the end of the day. There will be stretches where you can lose 15-20 buy-ins in a short period of time. The variance is so high that you have to be patient and really focus in on every player and every situation. So be patient, and don’t get discouraged, because, in the long run, you will clean up!
DEFINING RANGES FOR TURBO SNGs
One of the most profitable situations in hyper/turbos is blind vs blind. This is where you should look to run over the BB when you are in the SB. This is because you’ll need their chips in order to survive. So, if you have reasonable hole cards, then it’ time to gamble. In this situation, every Ace should be an instant shove. Hands like Kx, Q8+, J9+, should also be in your range of hands to shove with.
That being said, you will get crushed if you start opening too wide with weak hands. Always observe how the others are playing from different positions at the table. If they have been playing tight you can fold more hands that are at the bottom of your calling range such as K9, or QT, but every pocket pair should be a snap call no matter how your opponent has been playing because you’ll be a favorite in more spots than not.
At the end of the day, hyper/turbos is mostly a push/fold game. There’s almost nothing else that you can do in most cases because stacks are short and the blinds increase quickly. You are getting a great return into your stack if your opponent folds. If your opponent does wake up with a big hand, then there’s nothing you can do about it. The nature of these games will result in a shove or fold most of the time. You have to pick up pots by shoving to give yourself a chance to win them. If you make a raise before the flop and throw your hand away to a shove you are burning valuable chips that you could have used later on.
WANT TO REVIEW PREVIOUS LESSONS?
If you’re just jumping into this 60-Minute Master series for SNGs or would like to review what you’ve learned so far, here are the links to all previous lessons. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to do so in the comments section below.
