Let’s Talk About Sit-N-Go Poker

If you’ve been reading my blog you know I have been getting serious about sit-n-go poker.  I have been seriously studying poker and putting in my hours on the tables. I’ve had more than my share of bad beats (remember that nobody gives a damn about your bad beats) and I’ve learned some painful lessons along the way. Somehow I gravitated toward the sit-n-go games. I was doing fairly well, never losing too much, but not winning too much either. I started reading sit-n-go strategies and I learned that you have to approach sit-n-go games a little differently from cash games or large field tournaments. When I returned to the tables with my slightly modified strategy, I started winning consistently.

Sit-n-Go tourneys have become wildly popular because of online poker sites. You can’t find non-stop sit-n-go tourneys in casinos but online is a different story. You can find a wide variety of sit-n-go games at any hour of the day or night. A lot of players are realizing that sit-n-go games offer an opportunity to invest a fixed amount of money in each game. Unlike cash games where you can lose your entire bankroll in one hand, the most you can lose in a sit-n-go game is your initial buy-in. If you follow a solid strategy, it is fairly easy to make the final three, where 9 or 10 player sit-n-go tourneys pay out.

So here’s what I did. I played single table sit-n-go tourneys until I was winning about 70% of the games I entered. This is an important step and it requires a little patience. If you play every day and put in your hours you can become proficient fairly quickly. The next step is to become proficient playing multiple tables. Your knowledge of solid sit-n-go strategies and your wealth of experience in the games make decision making pretty much second nature. You don’t have to think very long about what to do. This enables you to skillfully play all the tables you’re at.

Some people are comfortable playing a lot of sit-n-go tables at once. My personal limit is 3. I find that I can’t keep up with the action at more than 3 tables. I think it’s a good idea to keep each table at the same buy-in amount. Full Tilt Poker makes it easy to keep an eye on all tables at once because their poker rooms are resizable. Just drag the corner with your mouse to make it larger or smaller.

Players who master multi-table sit-n-go tournaments can earn a decent living, even at the lower limits. It takes some time. Once I had thoroughly studied the sit-n-go strategies, I spent a couple months refining my game and getting tourney experience. After I was winning consistently I went to 2 tourneys at once and then eventually graduated to 3. The only drawback is when you make the final 3 in all the rooms you’re playing. The fast, aggressive action at the final stages of sit-n-go tourneys can take quite a lot of effort to follow. Of course, making the final 3 in all 3 games is a nice problem to have!

I also recommend that you do a Google search and join poker discussion boards. Just type in a search for “poker forum” and you’ll get plenty of results. Read the forums, particularly focusing in on the sit-n-go forums. You may find gems of information hiding in there. There have been a few revelations for me that have dramatically propelled my game forward. Keep an open mind and try different strategies until you develop your best possible game.

Another source of information are the great poker blogs, like mine! We love poker and we love to write about poker. We’re more than willing to share information about this game that we love – and the game we sometimes swear at for the bad beats (but remember, nobody gives a damn). Don’t forget to read poker magazines. You can usually pick them up free at casino poker rooms. There is some great information hidden in those pages.

Sit-n-Go poker can be a source of income rather than a hobby, or it can be a way to make secondary income. That’s the point I’m at right now. I’m making secondary income. I have a successful web design business that keeps me busy so I’m enjoying the income from both sources. It’s really the best of both worlds. If business is slow I tend to hit the poker tables even more. On any day of the week I’m likely to spend about 6 hours in online poker rooms. My preference is Full Tilt but I do play in others as well. 

I also make it to Spirit Mountain Casino to play in cash games and large field tournaments. I enjoy the interaction with other people but here’s the cold hard facts. Casino poker rooms offer cash games and large field tournaments, but very few sit-n-go games. Of course, you can’t play muliple tables so you’re stuck at one table, and it can be difficult to move to another table if you’re not doing well at the table you’re seated at. Online poker has proven to be more profitable since I learned how to play multi-table sit-n-go games.

Sure, you have to invest a little money to gain a little experience and for training materials. Let’s take a look at this for a moment. You buy a few books, buy an online course or two for perhaps two or three hundred dollars. Then you buy in at Full Tilt Poker for $600 (or less) and they double your money with their 100% deposit bonus (for new players). When you start playing online they offer sit-n-go poker tourneys starting at $1 buy-in. You can gain a hell of a lot of game experience with $1200 (remember, it only cost you $600). Where can you learn how to earn a living for under a thousand dollars?

Ok, you also have to invest a little time to develop your skills and poker decision making abilities. We sit in our air conditioned homes, listening to music, eating pork and beans while we play poker. The game is kind of fun, even while we’re learning. I see people working at Taco Bell, slaving away for minimum wage and I am greatful that I discovered poker, where I can make money in the comfort of my home.

Maybe it’s in my nature to take risks and do what others believe is impossible. Somebody once said fortune favors the bold. I’m bold enough to believe I can master sit-n-go poker and that I can earn a living doing it – or in my present case, I can earn a nice secondary income. 

I’ll see you on the felt!

>> Play Online Poker FREE with Play Money
>>>> Play Online to Win with Real Money
>>>>>> Download Full Tilt Software
>>>>>>>> * Double Your Initial Deposit!

* Double your money requires an initial deposit. Full Tilt Poker will give you an initial deposit bonus up to $600. When prompted, enter code “DOUBLEDEPOSIT“