Strategy
Winning Sit-N-GO Strategy
Thursday, March 3rd, 2005 (Bob Acton)
Today I will focus on winning online Sit-N-Go Strategies. For those of you new to online poker, a Sit-N-Go tournament is a tournament where only the top few get paid.
Playing an online tournament is one of the most exciting ways to play poker online. With poker websites offering hourly multi-table poker games, it is a fun way to play poker, and with a small investment, have a chance at winning a substantial amount of money. There are a number of proven strategies that will help you finish in the money more often, and even win your share of tournaments. Many players like to go all-in in the first few hands and try to double up early to give themselves an early advantage. While there is a time to do this, it may not always be worth the risk. Just be patient and get yourself into the flow of the tournament.
Strategy #1: Let the blinds determine your play
The vast majority of online poker tournaments use a steadily increasing blind and/or ante structure to move the tournament along. The time limits for these increases is normally anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on the size of the tournament. Early on in the tournament, the blinds will be tiny in comparison to your starting bankroll. Take advantage of this, by limping in with marginal hands, and seeing more flops. By doing so, you have a chance to win some pots that you wouldn’t have played otherwise. This is a great time to try to play with suited connectors or unsuited bigger hands like 10h-Jd. On the contrary, do not get involved with big pre-flop raises with these hands at this time, as the pot odds are generally much too small to warrant a call. Blind stealing, though a vital weapon in the tournament player’s arsenal, is not recommended early in a tournament, as the blinds you steal will be small. Why bet $200-$300 to steal $40. It’s clearly not at all worth the risk especially if another player is slow playing a big hand. Save the blind stealing for when the big blind (or ante) is 10% of your total starting bankroll (ex. when you start with $1000 in chips, wait until the ante's/blinds are $100). Some players feel that the early stages of a tournament are all about survival which I both agree and disagree with. Yes, you should avoid getting knocked out prematurely, but at the same time, you don’t want to go on auto-fold waiting for others to pick each other off because while you are sitting there, someone else is accumulating chips.
Strategy #2: Have a plan and implement your plan.
You must have a purpose and a goal when you sit down at a table. Personally, when I play in a multi-table tournament with 100+ opponents, my plan is to double my chip count within the first hour and stay above the average of the chips everyone has left. Doing this gives me more flexibility in the hands I see later on and put me in a better blind stealing position. Having more chips is always a good thing. This isn't always possible, but when you find out where the suckers are at your table, you can often force them into bad calls early, as they won't look at pot odds when calling your bets. When you do reach your set goals, tighten up, and play with patience.
Strategy #3: Always be aware of your position at the table.
I can not emphasize strongly enough just how important position is at a table. Playing marginal hands in early position is one of the most basic mistakes made by novice players. This rule is most important in Holdem and omaha, where betting position is fixed. In stud games, betting positions will change with each card dealt. It important to apply the golden holdem rule: tight at the front, loose at the back. When you are in the first 4 or 5 positions, lay down marginal starting hands, as there could be raises and re-raises after you act, forcing you to pay extra, or waste your first call. It may not seem like a lot but if you waste 3 separate $60 calls early and are forced to fold preflop, then you’ve already wasted almost 200 in chips. In no limit and pot limit games, position becomes even more important as any hand could be your last. By rule of thumb, you should save as many of your soldiers for the big battles. When I was just starting out, I would foolishly blow several hundred in chips which prevented me from maximizing my stack when I had better starting hands. It’s better to double up $1000 than it is $500.
Strategy #4: Save the bluffing for later, but always bet your good cards.
Bluffing is an important part of any poker player’s strategy, however when playing in small buy in tournaments, there are always suckers (calling stations) that will see your bets all the way to the end, with small pairs, draws, and the like. Bet all of your good hands, and do not slow play. Don't be afraid to win a pot without showing your hand. This is a good thing. It is better to win a small pot early than to lose a big pot later, when your opponent catches his cards needed to beat you. Save your bluffing for the final few tables, when all the suckers have been busted, and everyone is playing tight to make it in the money. Generally speaking, as I’ve mentioned before, bluffing is much more effective against good players than against weaker ones. Also, choose your bluffing spots wisely. Pick on short stacks in survival mode, and avoid players that have more chips than you as they aren’t as afraid of a bluff. Bluff much less in the beginning of the tournament when the money is smaller, it just doesn’t make sense to risk funds in these cases, but more when the tournament is down to the final few tables. And always bet your good hands. I repeat, always bet your good hands unless you absolutely can not be beaten. As you’ve probably found out on your own, slow playing is risky and giving free cards allows your opponents to outdraw you. If you suspect that an opponent is drawing, make them pay to see that next card. In other words, don't let your opponents draw for free. This is one of the biggest mistakes poker players make. Unless you flop quads, or start with rolled up A's, you should bet early and often with your quality hands.
Strategy #5: Always be aware of the money. It's all about the money.
When you are close to the money, you should play tighter than normal. There is no worse feeling than playing in an online poker tournament for 3 or 4 hours only to finish 1 spot out of the money, and have nothing to show for your time. Payouts for multi-table tournaments usually start at 2-3 X your starting investment, which is worth playing for. I have seen many people, myself included, of finishing 21st in a tournament that pays top 20, or 4th in a tournament that pays top 3. Almost never play hands in early positions, and don't blind steal. Just wait patently until you are guaranteed to be in the money, and go from there.
Strategy #6: When you’re in the money, it is easy to get paid more.
Many players are hanging on by a thread to make the final few tables. Once you are in the money, don't loosen up and start playing poorly. I can't count the number of times I have moved from 20th place to the final 10 simply by letting my opponents 'battle it out' and cannibalize each other. Many players who just made it to the money are happy with their result, and will begin to become very aggressive after reaching the money. Leave them alone, and let other players knock them out. As each position pays more, every opponent knocked out is more money for you. Here is a perfect example. I was in a no limit hold em tournament recently with 160 players, and got to the final table. When the final table was seated, I was in 9th place out of 10 players. I finished the tournament in 5th place, without ever winning a pot at the final table! 10th place paid out $40.00, and 5th paid out nearly $200.00. My patience made me $160 in profit, simply by allowing my opponents to battle. The only exception to this rule is when the blinds/ante's are so big that you will be all in when you pay them. In this situation, if you are the short stack at the table, you need to attempt to stay in the game. Wait for a good position when many of your opponents have folded, and you have a medium-high starting hand, and get it all in. If you double up, you have guaranteed yourself a few extra spots in the money. If you lose, you did on your terms, not by being 'blinded out'. Don’t be afraid of going all-in if your chips are dwindling. Other players see your shrinking stack and are waiting for you to depart before getting back in the game. Go all-in and see what happens.
Take these tips with you to your next online tournament and watch how your play improves as you finish in the money.
Until next time, may the chips fall your way.
(For more poker strategy and tips, please visit the PokerStrategyKing’s website at www.pokerstrategyking.com )
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