Beginner’s 3-Minute Guide To Sit N Go Strategy
Sit & Go tournaments are fast becoming one of the most popular forms of online poker. That’s why major poker rooms like Full Tilt organize huge promotions like their upcoming $75,000 Sit & Go Madness.
* Visit FullTiltPoker.com and use bonus code “kickasspoker”
Even so, we know a lot of you still haven’t gotten involved. So today, we’ll give you a quick 3-minute guide to basic Sit N Go strategy to get you started.
Sit N Go: Stage By Stage
First, let’s review the payouts. 10-player Sit & Go’s pay out with the following structure:
- 1st place: 50% of the prize pool
- 2nd place: 30%
- 3rd place: 20%
Obviously, your goal is to be one of the last 3 players standing. That means you need to get to the final stage.
There are 4 stages (some folks say 3, but it’s more helpful to break it into 4):
- Early Game
- Middle Game
- Bubble
- In The Money
Each stage reflects the size of your chip stack in relation to the blinds. During the “Early Game,” your chip stack is large and the blinds are small. By the time you reach the “Bubble,” there are 4 players left (or 3 if you’re at a 6-player SNG) and the blinds are high.
Getting Past The Bubble
As we mentioned recently, if you don’t make it past the Bubble, you lose. Play tight into the Bubble, steal blinds where you can, and control your flop percentage. But, once you’re on the Bubble, your strategy should change dramatically.
Oddly, some SNG players tighten down the hatches on the Bubble. They start thinking “I just need to be in 3rd place to cash in.” So, they play conservatively.
Bad move. Your goal is 1st place, not 3rd. Remember, the winner takes 150% MORE than 3rd place (50% of the prize pool versus 20%). You need to be aggressive. That means raising more often, even with cards you wouldn’t have pushed during the Early Game.
Pocket pairs? Raise. Suited connectors? Raise. If you have the chip stack, push against the blinds. You’d be surprised how easily you can take advantage of passive players this way. As you’re opening your game up, they’re playing more tightly, folding at the first sign of aggression.
So, what happens when you’re going up against another aggressive player on the bubble? We’ll get into that soon.
As we mentioned above, Full Tilt has brought back their popular Sit & Go Madness tournament. It’s going from March 27th through March 29th, and there’s $75,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs. Visit Full Tilt Poker (use bonus code “kickasspoker“) today to learn more and get involved.
In the near future, we’ll give you some advanced SNG strategies (including what to do during the last stage) that you can use to crush the table and build your bankroll.
Battle The Pros In PokerStars All Star Week
On March 23rd (this coming Monday), Poker Stars is kicking off their inaugural All Star Week. A tightly-selected group of All Star Challengers will take on Team PokerStars Pro, a syndicate including pros such as Daniel Negreanu, Chris Moneymaker, and Greg Raymer. The Challengers and Team Pro will face off in a series of heads-up matches.
If you have taken the time to read our PokerStars review, you already know they’re our top-rated poker room. When you join Poker Stars.com, you’ll have a chance to get in on the All Star Week action. Today, we’ll tell you how it works and how you can get involved.
Visit PokerStars and use bonus code “stars50“.
How PokerStars Selected The Challengers
There are 5 ways to make it onto the All Star Challengers team…
1. Win a Sunday Million Tourney in 2008.
2. Reach a WCOOP final table in 2008.
3. Make it to Supernova Elite status in the PokerStars VIP Club.
4. Hit a top rank in the Yearly Tournament Leader Board.
5. Qualify as a wildcard with an $11 buy-in.
Poker Stars held 5 preliminary tournaments this past Sunday to whittle the number down to 5 Challengers. Those 5 players are scheduled to hit the tables in 35 heads-up matches between March 23rd and March 29th (5 matches per day).
Each match has a $1,000 prize attached. For every heads-up that Team PokerStars Pro wins, $1,000 goes to a charity of Victor Ramdin’s choosing (Ramdin is the team Captain). For each match that the All Star Challengers win, $1,000 goes into a prize pool they’ll split at the end.
Here’s where you come in. When you join Poker Stars.com (use bonus code “stars50“), you can get a piece of the action.
How You Can Get In On The Action
On April 5th, beginning at 4:00 p.m. EST, PokerStars.com is holding two All Star Week fan tournaments. The buy-in for each is 100 Frequent Player Points. Here’s how it works:
First, choose which team you’re rooting for: the All Star Challengers or Team PokerStars Pro. Then, visit the Lobby in your Poker Stars software. Click “Tourney” and then click “Special” to register. You can only choose 1 tournament; you can’t participate in both.
Each time a player from your chosen team wins a heads up match during All Star Week, $1,000 is added to your tournament’s prize pool. Win your tournament and you’ll share in the spoils.
It’s not too late to visit PokerStars.com and join the fun. If you don’t have an account yet, use bonus code “stars50” to get your 100% match up to $50.
We have a feeling that All Star Week is going to be a phenomenal hit.
Get Your Feet Wet In Full Tilt Poker Tournaments
We realize a lot of you enjoy playing at FullTiltPoker.com. We do, too. As you know, they’re one of our favorite poker rooms (read our Full Tilt Poker.com review). However, we also know that some of you are only involved in the ring games. For some reason, you’re not playing in the tournaments.
You’re missing out on half the fun.
The tournament action at Full Tilt’s is one of their strongest features. Today, we’re going to give you a few tips for jumping in and getting involved.
By the way, if your poker skills aren’t as strong as you’d like, don’t be intimidated from the tournaments. There are plenty of small stake Sit & Go’s. Jump in and get comfortable. You might be surprised by how deep you go. Let’s get started.
Visit FullTilt Poker and use the bonus code “KICKASSPOKER“.
3 Tips For Playing In FullTiltPoker Tournaments
Today, we’re going to focus on standard Sit & Go tournaments (9 hands, 1 table) at Full Tilt. We’ll address multi-table tourneys and Shootouts in the future. With buy-ins as low as $1, Sit & Go’s are better-suited if you’re just starting out in tournament play.
Tip #1: Play Tight In The Beginning
This takes a little finesse. You want to conserve your chips so you can go deeper and make it on the bubble. At the same time, you don’t want to play so tight that the rest of your table tightens down, too. After all, you want them to play loose and spew their chips. Don’t go after pots unless you’re going with strong hands.
Tip #2: Start Stealing Blinds
Once you’re past the first stage, start looking for opportunities to steal blinds. When you play at Full Tilt Poker Sit & Go’s, you’ll notice a lot of your opponents will start folding if you push. If you’ve played tight in the beginning, they’ll think you’re coming with a strong hand, even if you’re not.
Tip #3: Go Aggressive On The Bubble
At FullTilt Sit & Go’s, the last 3 players standing split the prize pool (50%, 30%, and 20%). If you’re in 4th, you get nothing. At the point only 4 players are left, over half of the prize pool has already been paid out. So, you’re really going after a chunk of the remaining 40-50%.
This is no time to worry about conserving chips. In fact, you shouldn’t even worry about 3rd or 2nd. Play aggressive and go for first place. This is when you play hands you might have folded during the first stage. Remember, when it comes to the cash, 4th place is just as bad as 9th.
Join Full Tilt Poker.com using bonus code “KICKASSPOKER” and enroll in a Sit & Go tournament. We’re confident that once you get a taste of the action, you’ll start playing in them as much as – if not more – than the ring games.
How To Improve Your Poker Game At Bodog Poker
The more popular online poker gets, the more new players there are in the high-profile poker rooms. For example, when you visit BodogLife.com, you’ll notice that a lot of the players there aren’t very good. The tables usually have at least a 35-40% flop percentage and sometimes much higher.
That’s useful for both beginning and experienced poker players. Here’s why…
Why Bodog’s Bad Poker Players Are Good For Everyone
For you experienced folks, you’re probably thinking, “it’s time to go fishing.” And you’re right. The tables at Bodog Poker are filled with players who don’t know what they’re doing. They see the pros playing on television and think it’s easy. What’s easy is drawing ‘em into the river bet when they’re playing a weak hand.
Some of you beginning players might be thinking, “I’m not gonna play at Bodog Life. I’ll get massacred by the experienced guys.”
Not so fast. Cutting your teeth at the Bodog tables is a great education if you’re new to the game. Not only can you watch how the occasional shark plays and bets, but you can also learn from the mistakes others are making.
Visit Bodog Poker to get an online poker education. And read our extensive Bodog Life review.
You’ll see novices who bluff every hand. You’ll see fish who become so predictable that if they don’t fold outright, you know they’re playing the nuts. You’ll see calling stations who can’t help but call players down on every turn.
Seeing these players in action is valuable. Remember, online poker is more than just playing the cards you’re dealt. You’re playing the people around you. That means you have to watch ‘em, profile ‘em, and take notes. That’s the way you improve your own poker game. Before you know it, you’ll visit Bodog Poker to go on your own fishing expeditions (hey, the new players over there have to learn somehow, right?).
Online Poker Tips At BodogLife
The ironic thing is that Bodog Poker has a huge section on their site devoted to poker tips. You’ll learn everything from betting strategy, positioning, and getting staked for the land-based tournaments. From what we’ve seen at the tables, most of the players aren’t reading that section!
Of course, we provide our own set of free poker strategies on this site and recommend that you read them. But, the bottom line is that playing the fish at Bodog can be a fantastic way to boost your poker skills and build your bankroll.
Visit Bodog Life.com (they’re open to USA players) and start improving your poker game.
