Sit and Go Poker Strategy

Strategies for Texas Holdem Poker » Sit and Go Poker Strategy

Sit and Go Poker Strategy

Playing in online poker tournaments can be fun and exciting, however it requires you have a sit and go poker strategy. When ever you log into one of your top poker rooms such as Full Tilt you will find that sit and go poker tournaments usually start with 9-10 players at a single table with varying buy-ins and in order to finish in the money you must make the top three. The payout for most table tournaments is 50%, 30%, and 20%.

While playing in online poker tournaments you will discover the blinds will go up based on a set amount of time. Whenever you lose ALL your chips, you are out of the sit and go tournament and cannot reload as can at an online ring game. Please read our article in the strategy section on online cash game strategies for the differences between online cash games, and online sit and go tournaments.

The sit 'n go tournament is over when one of the three poker players wins all the poker chips that are in play. Why should you participate in an online table tournament? There are two obvious reasons…

  • It is basic. Once you develop your sit and go poker strategy, SNG's become automatic. For the most part in sit and go poker tournaments you just sit back and fold and when you get a MONSTER hand such as pocket Aces or pocket Kings you raise. However, you must develop the ability to sit back patiently, watch other poker players bust out while you wait for your moment.
  • You can only lose your buy-in. If you buy in to a real money sit'n go poker tournament for $5.50, it will only cost you $5.50. The previous online table tournament has no effect on the following poker tournaments you may enter. You start over with an equal amount of chips and with nine different poker opponents with the same chance in place in the money.

It should be your goal to finish in the money every time you participate in an online poker tournament. In order to reach your goal you need to develop concrete strategies for Texas holdem poker. You can divide every online tournament into three stages and as such utilize your sit n go poker strategy for each.

SIT AND GO POKER STRATEGY FOR THE EARLY STAGES

In the early stages of your online poker tournament, your poker strategy should be to play tight, but be aggressive when you get a MONSTER hand.

In the early stages of a sit and go poker tournament you want to avoid action unless you have cards like AA, KK, QQ, JJ, and AK suited. Never limp in with cards like pocket Aces or pocket Kings, but bet and bet big four to five times the big blind. If you are re-raised, go ALL-IN!

You should be throwing away garbage hands such as K2 through KT off suit.

Here are a few key poker strategies to remember when playing in the early stages of your online poker tournament:

  • Play only premium starting hands, but when you get hands like Aces, Kings be very aggressive with them when you bet.
  • Fold the garbage hands like A2 or K2. If you are playing in a poker room like Full Tilt you had better know what beats what in poker otherwise you'll bust out.

Now let us look at the second stage of the sit and go and it's strategy.

SIT AND GO POKER STRATEGY FOR THE MIDDLE STAGES

The middle stages of a sit 'n go tournament is when the table tournament is somewhere between five to seven online poker players.

By this time of the SNG, there will be chip leaders and you should be one of them especially if the remaining poker players are not quality players.

You still need to maintain the tight aggressive playing style as you did in the early stages of the sit and go poker tournament with one exception. If your chip stack is less the ten times the big blind you will need to be a more aggressive with lesser starting hands like AJ, AQ off suit, AT, KQ suited and start betting with them.

When you are aggressive with the lesser starting hands make sure to place a big bet in late position as close to the dealers' button as much as possible. You will be surprised how often you can take down pots successfully by making a bluff. This stage of the online poker tournament is survival time and that is exactly what you want to do-SURVIVE!

Again, here are a few key tournament strategies to keep in mind when in the middle stages of a sit and go poker tournament.

  • By this time, you should have a good read on your opponents. Should be able to identify their playing styles: loose-aggressive, loose passive, tight passive and tight aggressive.
  • You should continue to play the tight aggressive playing style.
  • Remember ONE mistake in the tournament and you are out. It is survival time.

SIT AND GO POKER STRATEGY FOR THE LATE STAGES

If you reach this point in the sit and go poker tournament, you are either on the bubble or you are about to make the money. Having reached this point in the online poker tournament your online poker strategy is to WIN BABY WIN!

If you are the chip leader in the late stages of online poker tournament, you can loosen up your starting hand requirements and become aggressive.

Here is an example how you should play a table tournament during the late stages of a sit and go poker game. You have 8, 8 and you are in early position. In earlier stages of the poker tournament, you would either call with the hand hoping to flop a set or fold it immediately. Here is not the case. You should make a strong pre flop bet and play the hand aggressively post flop regardless of the board.

Do not "muck away" your blinds or else you will find yourself busting out of the SNG. The blinds are typically high in the late stages of a sit 'n go poker tournament and folding your hands could leave you short stacked.

During the late stages of this poker tournament, you cannot afford to wait for premium starting hands. Winning poker players are AGGRESSIVE during the late stages the sit and go poker tournament. Play the player rather than the cards.

Now that you have reached the last stage of the sit and go poker tournament here are five critical poker strategies to remember…

  • If you are the chip leader, you need to attack and declare war on the second and third place poker players.
  • If you have an average chip stack, do not wait for one of the 10 best starting poker hands. This is the easiest way to bust out of the sit 'n go poker tournament.
  • If you find yourself playing short stack poker, you need to be willing to take risks. Your poker strategy should be to play AGGRESSIVELY and try to double up
  • You never flat call a bet in the late stage of a sit and go poker tournament. You are either RAISING or FOLDING.
  • Always RAISE with your starting premium hands.

Winning sit and go poker tournaments is a marathon and not a sprint. No online poker tournament is ever easy and therefore it requires having ready a sit 'n go poker strategy. I once heard someone say, "If you fail to plan your plan will fail." Be apart of the one percent who are making money playing online poker in poker rooms like Full Tilt and develop a sit and go poker strategy.

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