Playing Poker: Sit and Go Tourneys

One of the strategies for making money playing poker is to specialize in one type of game. I am not talking about specializing in Hold’em specifically; but if you become really good at No-Limit Hold’em or Limit Omaha then you always have a game you can fall back on to replenish your funds when the others are not working. One of the most profitable specializations I have found is Sit and Go Tournaments.

These are small one or two table tourneys which gather quickly and play for a small pot. For example, in a one table Sit and Go tournament with a $10 buy-in the winner receives $50, second place receives $30, and third place receives $20. These tourneys are so hot on Party Poker right now it is difficult to get a seat. They simply fill up faster than the tables refresh.

The best way to become great at these tournaments is to play them exclusively for a few months. You can start at the $5 table and as you become more experienced work your way up. When you get to the $20 table the players are very tight and usually experienced. When you go to the $100 table you are playing with some of the best Sit and Go players in the world. Of course, as a smart player, you do not want to play against the best. You want to play against opponents you can dominate.

When you start playing make sure you are very tight and conservative. If you never play a hand worse than J/Q you will outlast half the table most of the time. After that you will have to rely on luck and skill to finish higher since you will probably not have much of a chip stack. There are going to be some very bad players at the beginning who go all in with A/2 and 7/8. Find them quickly and pounce if you get the chance.

One tip that took me a long time to learn is to protect a large chip stack when you have one. In a multi-table tourney a big stack can dominate a table, but in smaller games players are more desperate to double up and place. Once you have a stack your object is not to increase it; your object is to place in the top three and make some money. This may mean you will occasionally have to fold pocket J’s, but learning the ability to do this is important to your success.

One of the best things about these tourneys is the chance to learn to play against different numbers of players. The lessons you learn will help you in large tournaments and against smaller tables. These Sit and Go Tourneys require a specific set of skills to win, but you will also be gaining experience in more than just this type of tournament.

There are players that only play these tournaments and do quite well. All it takes is experience and attention to details to do the same for yourself.

Poker Columnist
Gary Steele
www.poker-programm.com

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Alternatively browse through our other poker articles listed on the site:

Poker Position - Poker Position at the table

Poker Programs - Various helpful poker programs

FM Ratio - Folding Money or Free Money ratio

Monetary requirement - Bankroll

Hold'em Starting Hands - Evaluation of the Hold'em Starting Hands

Computer Analysis - Computer analysis of the hands

The Bonus Factor - The added bonus factor and its consequences

or see the full list of the articles.