Final Table Practice With Sit N Go’s

Sit N Go’s (SNG) are great practice for potential tournament players. As you may already know, most of the big money gets awarded to the top three places of a tournament because of the payout structure. This makes final table experience crucial for serious tournament players. Before the invention of the sit and go, final table practice was hard to come by. Players could enter several tournaments and never make a final table, or eventually make a final table only to finish 9^th. Final table experience is invaluable with each place potentially being worth thousands of dollars. The final table is the most important part of the tournament. As the saying goes, “nobody ever remember who took second place. “

Several differences exist between sit and go’s and multi-table tournaments. The main difference is the lack of table re-balancing. In a tournament tables are rebalanced or filled when someone is knocked out. Sit and go’s and final tables have a select number of players without re-balancing taking place. Because of this fact, players skills are tested in a variety of table situations.

• Full Ring Game
• Six Handed
• Short Handed
• Heads Up

Each of the above situations involves a unique amount of players, each less than the next. Unique implications result when player numbers are decreased. When fewer players are playing at a table, stealing blinds becomes increasingly important. This happens because you will be in the small and big blind more often. Instead of being the big blind once in nine times it might be once every four hands.

Sit and go poker games pay out to the top 3 finishers in most cases. The payout structure of SNG games prepares you for the final tables of tournaments as well. As mentioned above the top three finishers in multi table tournaments receive the majority of the money. Over half of tournament prize pool is paid out to the top three finishers. Because of this you should play tight early on and more aggressive as you get near the payout – a strategy almost nobody seems to use. Using this method will also give you time to measure up your opponents in order to observe their habits and patterns.

Mastering SNG poker games is the best way to prepare for a multi-table tournament final tables. Sit N Go games are available 24-hours a day and low cost – even free. These games start up about every ten minutes so they don’t need to be scheduled. SNG’s start when a table fills up and usually last little more than an hour. Practicing sit and go’s to prepare for tournament final tables will be the best time investment you have ever made. Log-in to your favorite poker site and let the SNG madness begin.

Play Against Weak Sit n’ Go Opponents at Full Tilt Poker

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Small Stakes Sit N Go Poker Play

Playing cash games can become very difficult for most players. Having the discipline to sit through thousands of hands for a measly 2-3 big blinds in profit every 100 hands is a true grind. I know because I have tried it myself many times, making small but almost insignificant profits. Then I discovered what I believe to be a better way to play online poker for the average player. Small tournaments called Sit n’ Go’s (SNGs) usually consist of anywhere from 6-9 people, where as multi-table tournaments (MTTs) have multiple tables of 18 or more players.

The upside to playing in SNG’s online for me is my ability play for cash while managing my bankroll. Furthermore, most SNG’s take around an hour to complete, where as MTT’s can take 6 hours or more. I also like the blind structure of these types of tournaments. Blinds increase quite slowly allowing me to sit back and wait for playable hands. Furthermore, since these tournaments usually have 9 players and 3 payout positions I have a good chance of achieving positive ROI. Obviously if only 3 places payout, that means I have to be better than 6 other players at the table to win long term- 1 in 3 players cash in the money. Being that there are almost always 2-3 weak players at the small buyin SNG’s, cashing is fairly easy.

The real secret to successful SNG play is patience, especially early on when the “fish” or weak players are overplaying non-premium cards with low blinds. These donks don’t understand the importance of position or fold equity. They also don’t understand odds, implied odds or general probability for that matter. What I have noticed most about these juicy SNG’s is the inability of fish to lay down top pair. Because of this I have adjusted my play to over-raise premium holdings (AK, JJ-AA). Instead of the standard 3-4x raise I’m usually pushing 7x or better. For example say the blinds are 25/50. Instead of raising 150 with a 1500 chipstack and getting called by 3 people, I raise 300 and get one caller, who is usually holding garbage in the small or big blind.

Its amazing to me the amount of people willing to call off 30% of their stack on 67 suited or Ace X – both rags against a massive pre-flop raise premium holding. The fact that fish are unwilling to get off top pair also works to my advantage with implied odds. If I was for instance holding 55 facing a standard 3x raise, against an obvious over-pair I’m usually getting the right implied odds for a call. These weak players under-bet their premium hands and over-call on non-premium hands – a recipe for disaster long term.

Playing tight early on and aggressive later works to my favor in almost all SNG’s. First playing tight when blinds are low allows me to see a ton of hands, bettering my chances of picking up AA, KK, and AK. Secondly, tightness early on gives me a better chance of stealing blinds later on when I really need to since I have a tight table image. Lastly, tight-aggressive (TAG) poker is profitable poker in the long term. Unless you are Daniel Negraneau and have expert reading ability stick to TAG.

Playing low stakes SNG’s or cash games for that matter is considered “laughable” by many people. However, I have found more enjoyment from $5-$10 entry fee SNG’s than from any other stakes. It allows me to relax and play my game, without having to worry about losing money I would really need. Secondly, with lower stakes comes easier competition. As I mentioned their are always a couple fish and one donkey at nearly every SNG I play at. Attacking those players usually allows me to have a much better chance at cashing with consistency. Finally, lower stakes SNG’s allow me to develop my skills as a poker player, while staying within my smaller sized bankroll. Small stakes SNG’s are a great way to begin learning online poker.

Small Stakes Sit N’ Go’s at Full Tilt Poker

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Dynamics of Bubble Play in Poker Tournaments

The bubble is one of the most crucial times of a poker tournament. After all, it is the moment of truth where you either get a return on your investment or lose everything. In case you didn’t know, the bubble is the point in time where you near the payout. Although it is technically a name given to the position of one out of the money, the bubble encompasses a much broader area where people begin to change their play in order to make the payout. Being educated on bubble psychology along with stack sizes and player motives can help you master bubble play. As the great investment guru Warren Buffet says, “Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.” The same holds true in the poker world as both poker and investing have similarities in psychology. Improving your own bubble play could be the difference between just placing or winning the tournament. A few basic features of the bubble will be addressed in the following paragraphs.

Player Psychology

Poker is an investment game coupled with timing and luck. Consequently, fear and greed play huge roles in the psychology surrounding bubble play – often for good reason. Do you really want to finish one out of the money after playing for hours to get to that point? This is one of the main questions players may ask themselves at that point in the tournament. Much debate has been circled around the bubble and whether or not a player should hold out for a payout or play as usual. This debate may be unique to each individual player based on their skill level and bankroll. However, a mathematical view supports the theory of always playing for the win because of the payout structure. The top nine places win fifty-five percent of the prize pool, while the top three places receive more than a third of the prize pool. Even with these statistics poker players still insist on tightening up at the bubble just to make the payout for a meager .02% of the total prize money.

Types of Bubbles

* Time Bubbles

In a multi-day tournament like the world series of poker a time based bubble exists. In fact t-shirts have been marketed with the saying, “I survived day one at the WSOP.” No difference exists in payment between being the first one knocked out of the tournament and the bubble position. Each finishing position loses their buyin and doesn’t make any money. Fear drives time bubbles, especially at major tournaments like the W.S.O.P. The same holds true for the start of these larger tournaments. Nobody wants to be associated with being the first person knocked out of the tournament. Resultantly, the first few hands of a tournament, day, or final table may be played tight by the majority of players.

* Payout Bubble

The most obvious and well-known of the bubbles is the payout bubble. This is specifically being one position out of the money and can be the tightest play of the entire tournament. Players are waiting to push top tier holdings like AA, KK, QQ and AK. When they aren’t dealt these hands a lack of action ensues. Both large and short stacks can be tight as a drum during the payout bubble. Some situations exist where shortstacks literally blind away just to make the payout, negating any meaningful chance of winning the tournament.

* Final Table Bubble

Yet another type of mini bubble exists in poker tournaments. The final table is a sought after prize among poker players. Not only does the prize money increase, but bragging rights are given to those who final table. Psychologically it sounds better to say that you final tabled a tournament as opposed to finishing tenth. Final tables get all of the spotlight both on television and online. Nobody remembers the name of the guy that finished tenth at the W.S.O.P. – but they may remember the ninth place finisher at the final table. The desire to make a final table at all costs will cause many players to play significantly tighter on this type of bubble.

* Post Bubble

The dynamics of post bubble play change as well. After the payout bubble is over the game goes from extremely tight to extremely loose. Since players are in the money, they are less hesitant to put all of their chips at risk – especially short and micro-stacks. Things can actually get fairly wild right after the payout bubble as well. Players that have been clinging on to life by folding their way to a payout are short-stacked and need to double up to avoid being blinded out. As a result mediocre holdings are often shoved out of desperation.

* Cheating the Bubble

The concept of cheating the bubble is somewhat controversial in online play. Poker sites use “hand for hand” play on the bubble to overcome stall cheating. This is a technique where the player times out his turn in hopes that an opponent will get knocked out of the tournament in the allotted time bank. With the addition of an extended time bank players can take stall cheating a step further, wasting additional time hopes of someone else getting out first.

Mastering bubble play can take a lifetime to master. Be aggressive when others are playing tight on the bubble and play tight immediately after the bubble. Attack stacks of equal size or smaller, while avoiding confrontation with big stacks. Nobody wants to be the person that played for hours, yet finished one out of the money. Take advantage of the bubble by picking up blinds and stealing from players who fear the bubble. After the bubble sit back and play top holdings to pick off short stacks shoving any two cards. If you happen to be a short stack yourself, determine your motives and objectives in the tournament. Are you simply trying to cash or are you trying to win it all? Go into the bubble with a plan by taking note of the size of your stack in relation to others. Finally, try to determine what other players will do as bubble play begins. Figure out their motives and goals. Most importantly, don’t fear the bubble!

Master the Bubble and Win Tournaments at Full Tilt Poker

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