destined for 2nd place?

jugglegeek

Regular tueday night game time: we play 1 table sit-and-go re-buy type thing. Start with 20K chips blinds up every 15 mins (BB= 200, then 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1600, 2K, 3K, 4K, 6K). Re-buys are allowed (max two each) for the first 6 levels.

The last three weeks in a row I have dominated the table and got to heads up with a solid chip lead and then come second. 1st time I was against prehaps the best player at the table and couldn't hit a hand (literally - I think I had one flopped bottom pair and that was it). I tried to bluff and he called me on two occations with bottom pair to beat my A-high. Second time was against a tight nit who out drew me a couple of times and then found a pair of queens against my 89s once he had a 3:1 chip lead. Last night I was against a total maniac player who had come back from the dead in the last 3 levels and we were even in chips roughly. I thought I played ok but still lost after the chips went back and forth for a bit.

Is this just short-term variance that can be expected in a game where heads up play usually happens when there are only about 50 big blind in play anyway. Or do I seriously suck at heads up. I play the low stakes heads up SnGs some times on stars and make a profit but I find I have more of an edge in these because they are deeper. How can I turn my full table domination into victories? Or is it just a case of catching the right cards?

AMYBR

As always the skill part of a tourny is in the larger field.  Heads up in going to be reasonably high variance.

Peg your opponent type, adapt, punish.

You cant wait out a maniac HU shallow, just have to use his weapon against him, before he can use it against you.  Cant be afraid to get it in bad, just leverage folds on stack decisions.  The nit is always going to be easier.

GL

jugglegeek

Thought that the hypercharged HU SnGs might be good practice for me to get over this problem:

Hand 1 (BB): Ah9h, SB folds
Hand 2 (SB): Ac5s, I reaise 3x he folds
Hand 3 (BB): As8h, SB folds
Hand 4:

Player	Action	Cards	Amount	Pot	Balance
jugglegeek	Small blind		10.00	10.00	530.00
JKMcluvin	Big blind		20.00	30.00	440.00
	Your hole cards	J A
jugglegeek	Raise		50.00	80.00	480.00
JKMcluvin	All-in		440.00	520.00	0.00
jugglegeek	Call		400.00	920.00	80.00
jugglegeek	Show	J A
JKMcluvin	Show	7 3
Flop
		3 7 4
Turn
		4
River
		5
JKMcluvin	Win	Two Pairs, 7s and 4s	920.00		920.00

jugglegeek

More evidence that when it comes to short stack HU I run like AIDS:

Player	Action	Cards	Amount	Pot	Balance
THEROCKET	Small blind		£0.05	£0.05	£1.65
jugglegeek	Big blind		£0.10	£0.15	£1.86
	Your hole cards	J 7
THEROCKET	Call		£0.05	£0.20	£1.60
jugglegeek	Check
Flop
		5 4 J
jugglegeek	Check
THEROCKET	Bet		£0.10	£0.30	£1.50
jugglegeek	Call		£0.10	£0.40	£1.76
Turn
		J
jugglegeek	Check
THEROCKET	Bet		£0.10	£0.50	£1.40
jugglegeek	Call		£0.10	£0.60	£1.66
River
		3
jugglegeek	All-in		£1.66	£2.26	£0.00
THEROCKET	All-in		£1.40	£3.66	£0.00
jugglegeek	Unmatched bet		£0.26	£3.40	£0.26
THEROCKET	Show	A 2
jugglegeek	Show	J 7
THEROCKET	Win	Straight to the 5	£3.14		£3.14

grantorino

likely just variance, luck plays a huge factor at this stage

If you came 2nd 3 weeks in a row in thak kind of structure you are prob running good