Playing Sit N Go Poker Tournaments – And Winning Them

What are Sit N Go tournaments?

A Sit N Go Poker tournament is usually a single-table tournament that can be found while playing poker online. Unlike the regular tournaments, which start at a preset hour, Sit N Go tournaments begin only when a predefined number of players are reached.

Sit N Go poker tournaments are special due to their usually low number of participants (a single table of 6 or 10 participants). Furthermore, in a single-table Sit N Go poker game you can observe all involved players at once and plan your strategies accordingly. Which naturally leads to the next question: what is a good Sit N Go strategy for a No Limit Texas Holdem game?

 

What is a good Sit N Go strategy?

Sit N Go strategy for a No Limit Texas Holdem game is quite different from the one involved in playing a regular cash game. While in the cash game you can experiment by limping in with obscure hands like suited K-5, you cannot afford playing this way in Sit N Go tournaments. A tournament is all about survival; therefore, practice discipline and patience.

At the early stages of Sit N Go tournaments fold most of the hands. When you get a strong hand, make a raise equal to 4 or 5 blinds. Do not let anyone with a weaker hand limp in and accidentally beat your hand on the flop.

If you follow this Sit N Go strategy and things work according to the plan, you are very likely to arrive at the later stage of the Sit N Go poker tournament with a significant stack. Moreover, you have established a table image of a tight-aggressive player, so if you raise now during the pre-flop, even with a mediocre hand, there is a bigger chance that other players will fold. Stealing the blinds at this point of the tournament is an important Sit N Go strategy – by now the blinds are big enough and you cannot afford "mucking" them.

The above Sit N Go strategy works well for a 10-people Sit N Go poker tournament. If the prizes are paid to the last 3 or 4 players, you can be among them, getting back your buy-in and then some. If, however, it is a 6-people tournament, your Sit N Go strategy must be attuned accordingly. You will be forced to pay the blinds more often, a blind and a half for every 6 hands. To compensate for this, consider stealing the blinds once in a while, even during the early stages of the tournament. Raise from a later position, even if you don't have a particularly strong hand.

 

Top 5 Sit N Go strategy tips for a novice player

In addition to the aforementioned Sit N Go strategy, remember this:

1. At the earlier stages of Sit N Go tournaments the blinds are usually low and you might be tempted limping in with garbage cards; this is a Sit N Go strategy that you must avoid. Someone in a later position will raise, you will feel forced to call and then fold on the flop. The tournament has just begun, but your stack is already depleted.
2. This is not a competition of who can raise higher. If you are getting into a battle of raises with someone, let your ego go for a moment, stop and think: how come your opponent is not afraid of whatever you might have? Does your pocket pair suffice? If you are not 100% sure that you have the nuts, consider folding. This is not about the war of egos, only of strategies.
3. It is quite possible that your stack might become short, and since there are no rebuys in the Sit N Go tournaments, you must adapt your Sit N Go strategy accordingly. If you have established a tight-aggressive table image, go all-in with a strong enough hand, before the blinds will eat the rest of your stack.
4. On the other hand, don't hesitate to target players with smaller stacks and force them to move all-in or fold. Being a "big stack bully" is the necessary Sit N Go strategy.
5. And finally, if you lose in a Sit N Go poker tournament without winning anything, don't rush into another one, driven by the desire to chase after the victory. | Lastly, in the case of loss, it is not advisable to immediately go into another Sit N Go poker tournament. Take half an hour of a cooling period.

 

We hope that these strategies will prove to be useful for you. Good luck and see you at the Sit N Go tournaments!