In my last 6 sit 'n go tournaments I have cashed 5 times (ya baby!). On the one that I didn't cash, I was knocked out on the bubble during a coin-toss situation (bad result). However, the key is to evaluate the decision, not the result.
I was the short stack with 66 on the button. The big stack limped from UTG. I had observed him fold his limp to a raise (more than once), and he wasn't playing tricky (no concern about being trapped). So I was pretty sure he wouldn't call a push here. I ignored his limp and looked at this as an ICM problem. It is a +EV situation, so I pushed. And as expected, the big stack folded. However, the small blind called (maybe that is why the big stack folded?!!!). He caught a larger pair on the turn to beat my hand.
But again, it isn't about the result. I want to make sure the decision I made was correct. Using SNGEGT-GT, a push with 66 in this position is positive EV (again, ignoring the limp from the big stack). So I believe the decision was correct.
To double-check, I also ran the numbers in SNG Wizard, the tool I use for post-game ICM evaluations. Again, removing the UTG limper from the variable, this was a positive EV push.
However, I think it is also good to evaluate the decision from your opponents perspective, so you can think about what you would do if the same situation. If they also made a good decision, than that's just poker!
Looking at calling from the small blind with JTo in this situation is a negative EV decision. Therefore, the small blind made a mistake with this call.
The end result, I made the correct decision and the small blind made a mistake. So regardless of the result, I am happy with how I played. The key is to continue evaluating situations to ensure you are making good decisions and to make the necessary adjustments when your decisions are less than ideal.
