Due to some discussions on some poker forums I belong to, I thought it might be helplful to post a recap of my no limit hold em sit n go poker strategy for the online poker rooms. This should apply to the single table, 9 player, regular speed games at micro, low and middle limits.  I can’t speak for the high limits since I don’t play there yet.  Much of this strategy is contained elsewhere on my site, sometimes in greater detail, but hopefully this will be a good review.  This has been the easiest game for me to be profitable.  I suspect it’s because most players enter the games with no real strategy in mind.  Armed with that knowledge, and a basic strategy of your own you should be able to see consistent profits in the sit n goes. 

For the purposes of this discussion I will break the sit n go tournament into three stages; Early, Middle and Late and I will include some comments about Heads Up play.

PREFACE:  Sit n go tourneys are about survival.  That’s the name of the game.  You should always play to make it to the money, avoiding unnecessary risks, especially early on in the tourney.  

Early Stage Sit n Go Strategy

In the lower limits the play can be quite wild.  Let the looser players knock each other out.  Each time a player is knocked out, your equity increases, even if you haven’t gained any chips.  Each time you act consider the risk to reward ratio, especially at these early stages.  In the early stage there is usually little to be gained from trying to bluff your opponents off their hands.  You will be well advised to wait for premium hands such as AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AKs.  I will also limp with decent speculative hands such as AK, AQ, A10, 99, 88, 77, etc., hoping to see a cheap flop.  If the flop hits me in the mouth I know what to do.  If it doesn’t I lay it down.  It’s pretty straight forward poker.  I estimate that I play about 12% of the hands during the early stages in a regular 9 player sit n go poker tourney.  Proper hand selection is critical during this stage of the game.

Middle Stage Sit n Go Strategy

As the blinds start increasing you’ll need to start relaxing your starting hand requirements a little.  By this point the weaker (and some unlucky) players have busted out of the game. Hopefully you caught one of them betting wildly into your pocket aces!  During this stage you should have some kind of read on the other players and you can start stealing some blinds and opening up with a bit weaker hands.  You probably won’t have the luxury of waiting for premium starting hands.  Sit n go games tend to become tighter at this stage so aggressive play is often rewarded with easy folds.  Look for opportunities to raise with suited connectors or unconnected face cards, like when everyone has folded up to you.  Even if you’re called you can evaluate the board on the flop and you’ll generally be acting last. 

Late Stage Sit n Go Strategy

At this point the blinds are probably getting quite high in relation to average chip stacks. As these blinds increase you must become more aggressive.  Make your position raises on weaker players.  Be wary about making a play on a larger chip stack when you hold a marginal hand.  Also, be very careful when you’re on the bubble.  Always be watchful of the other players’ chip stacks.  If possible, let the big stacks chip away at the short stacks.  Don’t play marginal hands if you risk busting out on the bubble!  It’s the worst possible place to bust out as far as I’m concerned.  Once you’re past the bubble and into the money is when the real fun begins.  I recommend shifting into hyperaggressive mode.  It’s ok to move in with hands like ace – 9.  In three way action it usually figures to be a strong holding and will often be called by weaker hands containing K or Q high.  By playing aggressively you want to force your opponents into a defensive posture and build your chip stack. 

Heads Up Play

I should make a few comments about heads up play.  By this time you’ve played a good game.  Hopefully you’re in good condition with your chips.  This is fast paced action.  I love it!  You’re involved in every pot either first to act or reacting to the small blind’s action.  Frequently most of the action will take place before the flop.  If you’re short stacked you have to pick your spots and move in.  Don’t do minimum raises if you have 1/3 the chips of your opponent.  If you’re that low you need to be pushing all in or folding each hand, until you build up equal chips.  The one exception might be if you have a weak opponent who allows you to limp at the heads up stage but that seems pretty rare in my experience.  I wouldn’t let you limp.  If you’re the chip leader, don’t let your opponent limp!  You should have a good idea of what kind of player you’re facing.  You can take advantage of this knowledge by raising into tight players and running over passive players.  When I’m heads up I’m willing to push all in with most pocket pairs and whenever I see two face cards.  These figure to be very strong hands heads up.

If you play a disciplined game and get a little experience, you can probably place in the money in 60% or better of your sit n go tournaments.  Some players boast a 70%+ win rate.  When you think about it, that can offer a pretty nice return.  I don’t always win, sometimes I suffer bad beats and sometimes I lose focus and make a truly drunken move (even if I’m not drinking), but overall this is a winning system.  Several years ago I deposited $200 in my Full Tilt account and I’ve never looked back.  I make withdrawals every now and then, leaving a suitable bankroll, but I never have to make additional deposits.

That’s about it for now.  This is a basic outline of my strategy.  You may have more to add to it so leave me a comment and share with everyone else. I’ll be writing more about some specific strategies in future posts.

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