Sit And Go Poker Pros
Posted By admin On 07.06.20- There is plenty of Sit N Go volume, and a progressive leaderboard, known as 'Sit N Crush'. This adds money for every game played, and distributes it among the highest volume players. You can find out more over at www.americascardroom.com. International Sit N Go fans will not find any softer games than those at Party Poker.
- How to Play Sit and Go Rules Sit and Go poker Tournaments Rules. Sit and Go tournaments (a.k.a SnG's, Sit & Go's, Single Table Tournaments, STT's) are an exciting format of poker than has become very popular. Sit and Go's offer the thrill of a regular multi-table tournament but every game is like you've reached the final table.
While a typical rebuy MTT can last anywhere from 7-10 (or more) hours to complete (depending on the number of entries), the normal duration of (i.e.) a two-table SnG is only about 90 minutes. That’s a huge difference for players who want to feel the thrill of saying “all in”, but have to wait until the kids are asleep and can’t sit down to play until Letterman is about to read the day’s “Top 10 List”. The buy-ins range from as little as $1 up to $2,000 (but be prepared to “Sit” for quite a while before the $2,000 game “Goes”), so there are options for every bankroll. (For the remainder of this discussion, we will be considering the one-table, 9-player scenario.)
Aug 28, 2019 Sit & Go (SnG) Strategy. A Sit & Go poker tournament – aka an ‘SnG’ – is as simple as it sounds. Once a full table of players has paid the buy-in and been seated, off the tournament goes.
Many online players make a nice living playing only Sit and Go events. There is a good reason more and more players are focusing on this variation of tournament poker over cash games and/or the larger MTTs: With a little patience (and the normal amount of luck any poker player expects during any given session), the chances of making a profit are quite good. In fact, it is quite possible to earn more profit on a given day playing only SnGs than you can in a limit cash game, with less bankroll volatility. Given that a few players receive prizes (the top three in our one-table example) makes bankroll swings even less of a worry. Before the cards are even in the air, you are technically starting with a 33% chance of making money. Pretty good odds provided some basic strategic concepts are followed.
Keep in mind that in a lower buy-in SnG (anything under $30), you will find a great number of players that are just getting their “tournament feet” wet. A lot of these beginning players pay homage to the Gus Hansen-ish, edited final table antics they have seen on TV. They are basically emulating the pros they see jamming pots with J6 offsuit, because they are taught that aggression is the key to winning in No Limit Hold’em. They play far too many hands because they see (again, in only the key showdowns on TV tables) that any two cards can win with “the big bluff”.
So, right out of the gate, they are usually playing far too loose (with very marginal holdings) and willing to enter into those “exciting TV all-in confrontations”. The simplest answer to this “monkey see, monkey do” aggression is patience. Allow these players (and there are often a few wannabe “bullies” at any low buy-in SnG table) to butt heads with one another and roar like lions. Very often, one or more such players will go all in within the first few hands of a SnG event and pound their chest after the table folds back to them and they show QT. That “success” leads them to do it again the next hand. Perhaps they will go all in 3 or 4 hands in a row!
There is absolutely no need to be the “hero” who puts an end to such madness even with hands you feel are sure to be favorites against his perceived genius. Why gamble in the early stages (first two or three levels of blinds) with your pocket sixes against this type of player’s all in move? He has already demonstrated his willingness to eventually make a huge mistake against you when you are a clear favorite! Be patient, wait for those opportunities and remember your sit and go strategy. It will prove much more effective to punish their fatal mistakes and just let the smaller ones fill their heads with delusions of grandeur.
Don’t be afraid to watch these same players getting very lucky occasionally – as long as it’s not against you! Let the other opponents make the “coin flip” all in calls at the beginning of the event. It’s okay to watch one or two players accumulate huge stacks while they continually take unsound chances acquiring them. You can just sit back under the radar and soon find yourself in the money, just by maintaining your average stack. That should be your first consideration throughout the event – getting paid!
Once you get there (the “bubble” has burst), it’s time to take a completely different approach! Cashing in a SnG is obviously the ultimate objective (otherwise you are just playing for “fun”, which will prove detrimental to your bankroll very quickly). However, once you are in the money, the prize structure usually dictates that you start to gamble a lot more than you would have ever considered in the early stages.
In a one-table SnG, the prizes are 50% of the prize pool for first place, 30% for 2nd and 20% for third. If you just take third place, you’ve made a profit and should feel a sense of accomplishment. However, you can now win another 30% of the prize pool by winning, as opposed to only another 10% by finishing in second place. Thus, it now pays to switch gears and take more chances, especially since the blinds will be much higher by now.
Ironically, very often the same “bully” we saw throughout the early stages trying to win the tournament in the first round (with his incessant all in moves) that has managed to just make the money, will now “get cheap on himself” and worry too much about moving up just one spot rather than go for the win! Now, when it doesn’t pay – he tightens up! These are the type of players that will help to maximize your SnG profits at the end of the day. Take the opposite approach and you will surely see an improvement in your results.
Train Your Mind To Think Like A Tournament Pro, And Your Results Will Follow
Online poker tournaments are a great way to make a living, many of the most successful MTT pros have gone on to great things over the years – many breaking through at events like the WSOP or EPT.
When you compare the way that pro tournament players approach the game, there are some huge differences compared to amateurs or recreational players. Their long-term success depends on staying cool under pressure (or after bad beats), on putting in the volume and in selecting the best value games to play and which opponent’s to target and which to avoid.
Let’s be honest, playing the nightly $5 game and trying to hit a big score against 1000’s of novices is entertaining, but it is not going to propel you into the big-league. This article lists 10 characteristics you need to be working on right now, to think like a tournament pro and hopefully get the results you deserve.
10 Ways Online Poker Tournament Pros Think Differently Than You Do
#1 – They Focus On Volume
If you have a positive ROI, then the way to turn this into a real living is by putting in a high volume of games. You’ll hit a limit of the games you can profitably multi-table, so this means finding games with higher buy-ins. Finding the sweet spot between the higher buy-in games, and those which are still easy to beat requires doing some homework. You’ll have to build a weekday and weekend schedule which will include poker sites known for their recreational players – as well as the bigger buy in games found at PokerStars.
#2 – They Know The Math
Getting to Aspers Casino couldn’t be simpler! We’re located on level 3 at Westfield Stratford City, easily accessible from The Street, Car Park B & the World Food Court. If you’re travelling by car, head to Car Park B of Westfield Stratford City and use the lifts to access the casino. Membership free to those aged 18 or over. Aspers casino online.
Key to tournament success is learning the push / fold math when short-stacked. If you do not know what you can call with late, or when a 12 BB shove would be mathematically unexploitable then you are leaking profit in every game you play.
In addition, tourney pros understand the Independent Chip Model (ICM) for final table play. You will not be able to do calculations at the tables, though a sound knowledge of the principals will make those key (and big money) decisions profitable.
Heads-up math is very important, the money jump between 2nd and 1st is the biggest of all. SAGE can give you a solid basis here, as you gain experience you will learn when and how to deviate from this ‘unexploitable’ heads-up strategy and gain even more of an edge.
#3 – Their Play Is Fearless
If you currently tighten up at the bubble, waiting for the paying places before making a move, then you are probably missing some big +ev spots. Tournament pros play without fear, a +ev spot is a +ev spot, once you learn to forget about the money and focus on getting your money in good whenever possible – your results will improve.
#4 – They Know The Other Regulars
Sure, you can color code your regular opponents, and even avoid unclear / thin value spots with them. This will only get you so far though, knowing how they think, who are the great players and who is average / predictable and then working out what they think of you and your tendencies will take you one step further. Your edge against the average players might be obvious, tournament pros work hard to get an edge against their regular opponent’s too.
There are plenty of tracking services nowadays, so no excuses not to know!
#5 – They Develop Hand Reading Skills
Let’s face it, most amateur’s poker hand reading skills stop at pattern recognition. You get to know when someone is weak or strong, and even that does not always work. Spotting the weak players comes next, but even that only gets you so far.
Tournament pros have ranges for certain opponent types, they narrow those ranges based on the action – then assign weightings to specific hand types. By the time the river comes they are betting based on their ‘value targets’… Nobody is right the whole time, the shift in thinking is moving from a ‘hunch’ to a hand-reading methodology – start to learn one today.
#6 – Discipline, Commitment And Organization
You will never get to pro status without committing your time to sessions, there is no point playing when you are tired, when you have other deadlines, or when you are not focusing on the games. Tournament pros adjust their schedule to their target tournaments, making sure they are rested, focused and have food / drink organized for a potentially long session.
#7 – Actively Seeking Good Value Games
Pros seek out profitable games at the sites linked with sports books and casinos (think iPoker or maybe 888). Sure, there will not be enough mid to high stakes games at these sites to create a schedule on their own, however in combination there is plenty of value to be found. Instead of some of the more ‘pro heavy’ games at Stars, why not play the Sunday Majors with a more recreational crowd instead?
#8 – They Accumulate Chips Through All The Tournament Phases
Sit And Go Poker School
Tournament pros are focused on accumulation, and know how to adjust their own game to the changing circumstances and phases of the tournament. This is more than just the basic tournament strategy or early / middle / bubble / late. This is a focus on keeping that stack growing by switching up the aggression, isolating weak or timid players, putting stack pressure on amateurs at just the right moment. Pros do not just take +ev spots when they arise, they work hard to create those spots by reading and manipulating the flow of the game.
Sit And Go Poker Strategy Video
#9 – They Keep A Tournament Toolkit
Good tournament players know that tools only assist with decisions, rather than dictate how you play. Still, HUD software, opponent tracking and a powerful calculator for checking decisions during reviews are the minimum requirements for the seasoned touney pro.
#10 – Reviews, Coaching And Always Learning
When is the last time you sat down for a serious review of your hand histories from a tournament session? Don’t worry, most people never do this, and if you have done it even once or twice then you are in the top 5% of poker players on this measure already.
If you are not seeking and plugging your own leaks, reads and situational awareness, then you are very unlikely to make it as a tournament pro. There are many ways you can do this, including hiring a coach, doing a peer-review with a buddy, or going through your Holdem Manager database to find the leaks that way.
A pro tournament player is always learning, always looking for an edge on the opposition – if you are not doing this then you are going to get left behind!
More Great Articles For Aspiring Tournament Pros:
Sit And Go Pokerstars
Sit N Go Blueprint Course (My free course will help you build a bankroll in Sit N Go tournaments, which you can then use to conquer the bigger format games!).
Best Beginners Tournaments (10 great suggestions for profitable smaller stakes tournaments for players building their experience)
US Online Poker Tournaments (Still some great options for US players out there).