When signing up for a SNG tournament on a site you are familiar with do you actively avoid players you know are winners?

How about if there are 2, 3 or even 4 'winning regulars' waiting in the SNG lobby... play anyway to divide the money of the fish? Or wait for a better time to play??

Guess this could apply to cash games equally where you know there are good players at the tables.

Cheers, Mark

I don't. I also don't always know who the good ones are until after I have played with them or sharkscoped them. I generally just take note and adjust to them as I would any other player.

There's only about 2 maybe 3 players I don't like playing against, but it doesn't bother me too much if they join after me in a set or I accidently join a table with them.

Actually I prefer having one or two winning players at my tables in low stakes, as I find their ranges more predictable.

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Still Trying to Learn the Science & Discover the Art

For SNG's there are a few players I have seen playing regularly and I don't mind too much sitting with good players.

For the cash tables, I tend to scout the players and look around more at the different tables to see if I can find a seat with an advantage at the table.

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~PokerDawg~
Poker Blog

Another interesting question.

I think at mid-higher limits players would actively avoid certain player, but at lower limits there are just too many bad players to bother. Although, I do avoid one player, but thats just because I swear he can see my cards....ahahaha

SNg skill level plays like a big triangle...let me explain.....

There r more players playing at lower levels than at higher levels....

When you ar eplaying at the lower levels it is next to impossible to go figure out who the good players and bad players are. When your playing at the tip top level buy ins there are so few players that play that high regularly you will almost recognize every player there, of course if you do recognize the name at the highest levels it is either someone taking a shot or a player playing under a different screename.

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Kickboyswoop

I think table selection is the single most important factor in playing poker. Cash games or tournaments it makes sense to play with bad players so yes I would avoid Winning/Good players when given a choice.

I see this alot in Las Vegas. Super Juicy 30-60 games were the earn might be $200 an hour, and then a ridiculously tough 100-200 game that might have the same earn or less. To many people get caught up in the status of playing high limits. It's all about the money, play the games with the highest earn.

Jason

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I'm Not Lucky, I Have Good Karma !

Use the notes field to identify problem players. In FullTiltPoker, everyone I play I put as 'green'. If I play them twice it is a deeper shade of green. This serves to inform you if you are playing with someone you have played before. If you identify a dangerous player who is interfering with your Earn Rate playing SNG, it is totally ok to mark him as such (as red for example in FullTilt) and put the note "Avoid this player".

In Pot Limit Omaha Hi, when I was learning the game, a small number of skilled players were taking out my buy-in on a regular basis, because they were better PLO players than I was. I was targeted and that's ok, but it was interfering with my planned learning curve in PLO. I was facing these hyperactive bozos who were actively after my stack on a regular basis. I labelled them as players to avoid (easy to do) and decided to play with people I did not know (easy to do also), which allowed me to improve my game in peace. I wrote on this subject in my poker blog and got a few comments.

Today I could not care less who is at my table and in fact am quite sure they have 'adjusted' the PLO notes they have for me.

Totally fair to avoid the weasels and assholes in poker. I remember being at a table in the Bellagio with a loud, obnoxious ass that was interferring with my enjoyment of the game, so I got up and left. I was not the only one.

If you are avoiding a player because he is too good a player, make sure to also take the time to watch him play as a spectator. It is a terrific way to learn IMHO.

Hope this point of view has been helpful. Good luck in your games.

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flintsword

"The lucky player is usually the player that knows how much to leave to chance."

I think its hard to intentionally avoid good players in low stakes sng's as the tables fill up so quickly.
I am playing poker again after a break, so concentrating on building bank role, so I am currently only playing 1 table at a time.

With the extra time I have available now I note the players that are booting up multiple tables (as they always play predictable start/med game) I also note things that will benifit the end game...who are the blind stealers, who plays pushbot poker when blinds hit certain limit, who pushes 1st to act but only calls bets with good hands, who calls ai bets loose...
On a site like party where you can choose your seat I then sit to the right of people I can bully in the end game and to the left of people who will be easy to defend against, or wont take all my blinds.. It also helps with midgame decisions, if you know you have a tricky dangerous player to your left then you know you need to take more risks mid game as you wont be able to blind steal freely later on.