Introducing Sit ‘N Go Tournaments
Poker tournaments are one of the most popular online formats for poker players worldwide, not only are they exceptionally exciting, but players have the potential to win seriously big bucks!
Connoisseurs of online poker will often prefer to play in tournaments than in simple cash games. Online tournaments get a lot of advertising space and the prize money that you can win is massive, more than you could ever win at a cash game that doesn’t involve billionaires. Quite a number of players have actually made a name in the poker hall of fame from participating in online tournaments.
It is not surprising that many people develop a fondness for online poker tournaments. Some of these players may wish to play in tournaments but do not have the time or money to participate and satisfy their cravings for tournament play – these players can quench their poker tourney lust with sit ‘n go tournaments.
‘Sit & Go’ tournaments are quite small, usually consisting of only one table, they have regular starting times so that you can log in to poker sites and find a suitable tournament at most times in the day and night. Follow these simple tips in order to maximise your enjoyment of ‘sit & go’ tournaments, as well as maximising your stack:
How To Win Sit ‘N Go Tournaments
Cash is your primary concern
If you enter a tournament and the price is $10 plus a $1 entrance fee, on a table averaging 10 players, the person who finishes in the first place is likely to win $50, second place will receive $30 and third place will receive $20, with all the other players getting nothing. The best way to proceed here is to ensure that you play gently and do not enter a table where you know there is a loose cannon of a player, one who takes stupid risks; they can often trip up good players accidentally through their undisciplined play.
Statistically, on a ten-player table, there is likely to be at least one player foolish enough to start playing to win from the very start. To counteract these players you should play in a tight and disciplined way, do not be put off by other players aggressiveness when you encounter it at the very start of the game, blend into the background until these players are out of the game, then loosen up your game and begin to play a little more aggressively the fewer the number of player’s.
You should be aiming to win the tournament, but make sure that you manage to at least make it to one of the winning positions before you start to play with everything you have got.
Loose playing at peak time
What is meant here by peak time is the point where the number of players still in has reached around half of the original table size. at this point people often adopt the same technique, they begin to play in a tight manner, they fold often ion the hope that this will allow them a place in the top three.
Because everyone has taken the decision to play tightly, this is your opportunity to make good use of a loose and aggressive approach to your hands, those players with smaller stacks will be afraid to challenge larger bets and so you can much more easily win a pot.
Remember though, you still need to have relatively good hands to play aggressively, but by this stage in the game, you should have had enough time to observe the playing method of your fellow opponents and know which ones are likely to follow you on a big raise if they have a good hand. If such a player remains in the hand, you should avoid being too aggressive with them, although these players are more likely to fold when they do not hold a really good hand.
Maintain your attention throughout the game
Once you have made it to one of the cash prize positions in the ‘sit & go’ tournament, you may feel yourself relaxing a bit, becoming less focused on the game, simply because you know you have secured a profit on the game. It is important for you to maintain your attention span at this pointing the game, still, take an aggressive approach to play, and avoid making silly unplanned mistakes.
In all likelihood, the other two players with whom you are still in competition are likely to have slackened their game too, and you can take advantage of their lack of attention, but remember, such players are likely to be an aggressive player too, otherwise they would probably not have made it into a winning position.
If you have a poor hand in this stage of the game, it is better for you to fold, but if you have a good hand, make sure that you challenge these players head-on. Also, do not forget, that because you are only playing three-card hands at this stage then you do not need an exceptional hand, merely a relatively good hand to win.
In head-to-head situations
If you manage to make it into the final two in a ‘sit & go’ tournament, the pace of play will be exceptionally fast compared to the earlier stages of the tournament. You should not be folding too often because there are only two of you. In this stage of the competition, you really need to loosen up your play and begin to play super aggressively.
It is reasonable enough to go all-in with a relatively poor pair; this is because it is fairly unlikely that your opponent will be holding any cards of real value. As long as you maintain pressure on your opponent, you will be likely to manage to win. In the short term, it may feel like you are e losing, but over the course of the final stages, if you maintain pressure, and play extra aggressively you should be able to reap the rewards………first place and $50!!!