Sit'N'Go Poker Tournaments
Sit'N'Go tournaments are big business online with hundreds of thousands of games played online every hour of every day. The concept is simple, there will be a set number of players in the game and all players will buy-in for the same amount. These tournaments have a set payout structure. A certain number of players will be paid. The structure can vary however it's normal for the top 3 players to be paid in a standard sit'n'go tournament. The idea is simple. Stay in the game long enough to make it into the money spots. The smallest payout will always be more than the initial buy in, so every payout place will make a profit.
Sit'N'Gos and Profitability
For many poker players, sit'n'go's are an untapped resource. They are a way to increase their bankroll with considerably less risk. Basic sit'n'go strategy is easy to execute. Basic sit'n'go play can be divided into 3 segments: Low Blind Play, Mid Blind Play and High Blind Play. Here are the broad strokes on how to play each level.
Low Blind Play - The early rounds
There are many different ways to play early rounds. One strategy is to fold, fold, fold, and fold some more. Some players be live super-tight is right. This isn't necessarily the best strategy. It is cheap to enter pots so we have more options to play speculative hands such as suited connectors and small small to medium pairs. Get in cheap - but also get out cheap if you miss. There is a lot of game left so you don't want to squander big chunks of your stack with garbage.
The early rounds also allow you to work out your opponents and try a few things without damaging your stack too severely. These rounds lets you set your table image. If you want to have an agro image, you can do it without really having to take any serious risk. This sets you up for the later rounds when you're going to be stealing your fair share of blinds. You want you're opponents to know you mean business.
Mid Blind Play - Warming up
Mid blind play is a little more complicated. You should still raise with your premium hands, but need to be wary of playing too many speculative hands out of position. This includes suited connectors and pairs under 7. We need to be building our stack so picking up blinds uncontested is fine. As there is more money in the pot, don't be afraid to move in with anything above tens or jacks.
The blinds are say 100-200 and you have a stack of 1100. You are UTG+3 in a 6 seater table. The player in front of you raises to 400. You have 10-10. What do you do? This is a great spot to move in with. You still have enough to get a fold and there aren't a lot of hands behind. You don't want to be calling as the hand is easily beaten on the flop. If you call there will be 800+antes in the pot and you will only have 700. You will likely get called even with second pair. Move in and make your opponent make the decision. Another reason why this is a good play is that you wouldn't want to be calling only to fold.
This isn't the time to be calling min raises without real holdings. You should be raising or folding, unless you are trapping with AA or KK and expect a player acting after you to push.
High Blind Play - later stages
This is where things get more complex. It's now expensive to play and you will be closer to the money. You will now be using your position to put more pressure on opponents to win pots. The key is to not get blinded out of the game and there will be a sizeable chunk coming out of your stack regularly. You want to be the aggressor where you are in position. This means no limping and no call-folding. Your ability to wait for solid hands will depend on how large your stack is in relation to the blinds.
Remember that other players will be trying to get into the money too. There will be a lot of all ins. If you have shorter stacks, don't do anything silly if the pressure is on them to make a move first. Make the money. Secure your profit and then play to win.
How many tables should i play at once?
If you were to ask 10 different online players what their optimum number of sit'n'gos was for maximum ROI, they would all probably give you a different answer. Everyone is different. As discussed in this multi-tabling guide, you will need to test the waters and see what works best for you. There will be a sweet spot and adding any more tables will actually decrease your profitability. Try playing with 3, 4, 5 over a sustained period of time until your ROI peaks. Your ROI will start to fall after a certain number of tables. Knowing this limit will tell you how many to play at once.
One key benefit in playing more tables at once is that many players become impatient playing a single table and often find themselves playing marginal or speculative hands early in the game to ease boredom. By playing more than one table you find that you hit more hands (law of averages) across all your tables which helps make you more patient on the tables where you are not hitting hands.
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