26 Mar 2024 ICM bet sizing studying discipline position bankroll No-Limit Texas Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Seven Card Stud — these are all popular types of poker. However, even within a single type of poker, there are a large number of offshoots that differ in rules and strategy. Most often they are referred to as poker «formats» or «disciplines». And our brand new article is dedicated to one of these — SNG or Sit & Go. What is Sit And Go? Sit-&-Go represents a tournament poker where the game starts when the required number of players are at the table. It’s an universal format, so they can be found not only in NL Holdem, but also in other poker disciplines. SNGs are much easier to play long distances than MTTs. Sit-&-Go successfully combines the features of cash and MTT: A small number of players (in the case of heads-up) is enough to start the game; With SNG you get a sporting component, because there is always a winner and a loser. All newcomers in MTT are recommended to play Sit-&-Go to improve their push-fold and heads-up strategy. Now let's head out to some important things. The general Sit and Go poker strategy looks like this: At early levels, play extremely cautiously, play strong hands, but don't get too involved; At the middle stage of the tournament, get blinds from late positions and remove the weak part of the raiser's range. Calls are almost completely eliminated; In the late stage of the tournament we play a competent push-fold. Fighting on the postflop is either completely excluded or limited to the line of preflop raiser — flop cbet (counterbet). 10 Sit and Go poker tips SNGs are simpler than cash games in many ways — mainly due to the fact that stacks get smaller over time and the structure is identical every time. Respectively, Sit and Go poker strategy too. After playing thousands of Sit & Go's, the player will start to act automatically in them, so it's an ideal game for poker grinders who want to play at many tables at the same time. Here are some basic SNG poker tips to help you get the best results. By the way, here's one more helpful issue about top-5 ICM tips to crush MTT. #1: Stick to the tight style on early stages The early stages of SNGs are very similar to cash games in terms of stack sizes and their relation to blinds. Since you will be dealing with a lot of big blinds in the early stages, you should be fairly conservative. Especially when playing from early positions. In the early levels you will be looking for spots where you can earn some chips or perhaps even double up, but only if the situation is profitable related. You should always play strong starters such as KK and AA by re-raising, regardless of the situation. Small pocket pairs, one-suit aces and other hands with good potential are suitable in late position because of their high chances. Catching a three of a kind / trips against a big pocket pair or taking a stack from a chip who decides to all-in with AJ against your AAs is the essence of early SNG play. #2: Play within your bankroll Bankroll management is very important in any poker format, but SNGs require you to adhere it’s basis even more carefully. Because SNG tournaments can be so unstable (high variance), it is in your interest to have a large bankroll that can withstand long periods of negative variance. Because of their dynamic nature, SNGs tend to give you only a small advantage, even when you are playing against a relatively weak opponent. Maintaining a healthy bankroll and only moving to new limits when you've won enough money to make sure you can take the hits of negative variance is the right Sit and Go strategy. If you try to move to higher buy-ins too early, you can be sure that downswings are about to happen when you least expect them. Eventually your bankroll will be wiped out within 2-3 unsuccessful sessions. #3: Stop calling as the blinds get bigger While you definitely want to set-mining and try picking other nuts combinations in the early stages of SNG, you’ll need to stop doing so once the blinds grow. As the SNG progresses in the big blind size aspect, the ratio of your stack to the BB will decrease, making it less profitable to play through a pre-flop call in position. Instead, you'll want to expand your 3-bet range and start restealing against raises from late position, which aim is to steal blinds. The passive approach will no longer work in the middle stages, as a few misses on the flop will completely wipe out your entire stack. #4: Pay attention to your opponents At first, it is highly recommended to play fewer tables and try to pay attention to what your opponents are doing. Identify the losers / tight players and act accordingly. Recognize whose blinds you can steal over and over again, and don't try to outsmart the maniacs. As you begin to play more tables, it’s highly recommended that you install poker software that will allow you to quickly identify regulars and fish players. The more stats you have on your opponents, the more various / good decisions you will be able to make. Using statistical information on your opponents will be helpful. Anyways, don't go too far and for the most part try to stick to a relatively optimal Sit N Go strategy. #5: Increase your steal frequency on the late stages As you approach the later stages of SNGs, you'll need to start stealing blinds and ante a lot and playing against other opponents with relatively marginal hands. In most cases you won't win the SNG by waiting for AA or AK. But rather you'll win the tournament by winning a few coin flips and pulling off a few successful stacks. Remember that weak players will fold even very strong hands if you go all-in against them, which will give you a huge advantage. However, be very careful when you call all-in, as you will have no fold equity. #6: Know the payout structure Every SNG poker tournament has a preset payout structure. It's important to understand how the payouts work for the game you're involved. Most players tend to stick to one or two SNG formats. Make sure you know the payouts for the games you prefer and always keep them in mind. You should never get hung up on making money, but ICM is an important part of successful SNG Sit N Go poker strategy. Thus, you need to know how payouts work to be able to make the right decisions in the ICM aspect — let’s talk about it next. #7: Learn ICM As just mentioned above, ICM is an important part of poker strategy SNG — without it you won't get very far in this format of play. Learning the basics of ICM shouldn't be too difficult, but it will take a lot of practice and work to fully master this concept. Fortunately, there are some great poker tools that will allow you to practice making ICM decisions in real time and with real examples you will encounter in your SNGs. For example, ICMIZER, SNG Wizard, Table Ninja and others. #8: Be prepared for high variance While it's already been mentioned that bankroll management is a key component of your SNG journey, it's also worth noting how important mental toughness is. SNGs are games where downswings are commonplace, and it's not unusual to lose 100+ buy-ins or more over the course of a week or two. In times like these, players can become desperate, start questioning everything they've ever learned, and consider ending their careers. You shouldn't think that way and should be fully prepared to downswing like 100 buy-ins at any time. It's just part of the game. Whenever you are in a strong downswing, it can be helpful to take a day off and do some extra study sessions. But the key is to stay focused and trust that your game plan will work in the long run. #9: Choose proper SNG games SNG poker tournaments are available on many online poker sites and in many formats. Finding the right place to play SNGs is also a part of success. Choosing between the many different types of games can be a bit tricky and may require some misfires and mistakes, but it's worth it. You don't want to just jump into any game because that might mean playing against opponents who are simply better than you at that format. Instead, try to find a poker site with a relatively weak lineup of players in a particular format of play and focus on mastering that format until you start winning games comfortably at a given buy-in level. #10: Explore heads-up poker You can't win in any SNG game without beating your last opponent in a one-on-one battle, which means you have to be prepared for it. Taking some time to master heads-up poker will pay big dividends for you as an SNG player, as you will find that you play heads-up games in SNGs much more often than players in regular tournaments or cash games. If you're good at HU play, you'll be able to easily straighten out any recreational players you encounter in the final stage of a Sit-&-Go. You'll also be able to stand up for yourself against the regulars, which will greatly increase your ROI in the long run. Strategy Guide on All-In or Fold Sit And Go’s All-In or Fold (AoF) is a popular format of play in Sit-&-Go tournaments. It is a high-intensity game that requires a lot of skill and strategy to succeed. At the end of our review, we'll take a closer look at how the AoF format works and also give you some tips on how to play it effectively. In AoF Sit-&-Go, each player starts with a fixed amount of chips and the blinds increase at regular intervals. However, the main difference from standard Sit-&-Go is that players can bet all their chips (go all-in) or fold their hand. Here's no other betting options such as check or raise. The game continues until there is only one player left with all the chips or until a predetermined number of levels have been completed. In some AoF variants, the last remaining player can win the entire prize pool, while in others the prize money is distributed among the top finishers. Playing All-In or Fold effectively AoF Sit & Go tournaments require a different approach than standard poker games. Since you can only All-in or Fold, you need to be more selective when choosing hands to play. Here are some basic tips to help you succeed in AoF games: Be patient: Since you can only All-in or Fold, there is no need to play every hand. Wait for strong hands such as pairs or high value cards before making a move. Pay attention to blinds: They increase regularly, so you need to keep an eye on the dynamics of the game. As the blinds increase, the pressure to make an all-in sizings. That’s why adjust your play accordingly. Observe your opponents: In AoF, your competitors' actions can give you valuable information about their hand strength. If they are frequently going all-in, they may be playing weak and can be exploited with stronger hands. Manage your stack size: The size of your stack is crucial in AoF games. Try to maintain a healthy stack size to avoid having to go all-in with weak hands. Be willing to take risks: In AoF you must be willing to take calculated risks. If you wait too long to make a move, you may be forced to go all-in with a weak hand. However, don't take unnecessary risks that could eat your short stack. All-in or Fold SNG tournaments are quickly developing. By being patient, paying attention to blinds and opponents, managing your stack size and taking calculated risks, you can increase your chances of winning this exciting poker format. With practice and experience, you can master the AoF format and become a formidable player in Sit and Go's. Final words on poker Sit and Go strategy In fact, there are much more subtleties when playing Sit-&-Go, so it is recommended to study the tutorials before starting. The strategy of an outstanding SNG player, Colin Moshman, is considered a classic. It’s fully described in his work named «Sit N Go Strategy». The most common mistake of beginners trying their hand in SNG format is incorrect definition of behavior style at different stages of the tournament. Often problems arise at an early stage, when poker players start playing too weak hands. In general, Sit-&-Go is an unusual and dynamic format. It allows you to get a high level of winrate with the right approach. For high earnings you will need constant practice, automation of actions and the ability to play at a large number of tables at the same time. Hope our Sit and Go tournament strategy is worth reading. We wish you every success!