A Simple Free Online Poker Sit N Go Strategy
Posted in Fly Fishing Gear on the March 30, 2010
Single Table Tournaments, or SNG as they are called, can be serious Bankroll boosters with a little forethought prior to play. I currently play a lot of free online poker sites as well as $5.00 and $10.00 SNG’s at several poker sites with a fair amount of success. This is a simple version of how I play them.
Solid and Tight early on.
This means that early in a tournament you only play premium hands. Position is very important. Pairs from 22 thru 99 I only call and then only up to only 3 times the Big Blind. A larger raise and I fold them.
Big pairs such as 10/10, Jack/Jack, Queen/Queen, King/King & Ace/Ace I will always call for a raise on a short table.
Be prepared to call an all in with any of those. Hands like QJ, QK, KJ, and A 10 I play like small pairs and fold to raises larger than 3 times the Big Blind.
Now the hands that can get you into trouble.
AJ, AQ, and AK….you got to know when to fold them!! They are great hands when down to 3 or maybe 4 players left, but early on they are dead to any pair.
It’s an important strategy knowing when to put these cards down in the early stages of a free poker tournament. One tactic I believe works well is showing my cards when I win- pulling out these double kings etc shows the other players I haven’t blagged once; well this may change once we get down to the final three as I wont be showing any cards then!
By doing this you will get the opportunity to have some great robberies. Your opponents have only ever seen your victories and therefore have no reason to start doubting you now.
By only playing premium hands in the early stages you allow the “Bingo” players to play themselves out. Chances are by playing Solid and Tight you will have the opportunity to take one or two out yourselves.
The bottom line is- you’re playing to win- and by winning you hope to make some money, and making money on the sit and go games takes a lot less effort. The majority of the time the top three will get some money and by coming third you normally break even. Therefore making the cash is crucial to doing well in sit and go poker games.
Another factor in play is a pet peeve of mine. I cannot count the times I have seen a table fold to a dead seat. There is nothing like seeing a deadhead getting free chips. The key factor here is PAY ATTENTION. You have to be in the game and not on vacation.
These are just a few common sense factors that I employ when playing for cash. I am well over 50 and have played poker in many forms and fashions for a lot of years, but I do have to agree with Doyle Brunson..”No Limit Holdem can be learned in an hour but takes a lifetime to master.” You go Doyle. Hope some of this helps someone improve their game.
To this I’d add, when you start or if you’re already familiar with poker but struggling - go and practice on micro/low stakes or free online poker site tournaments. There are some great ones out there and you can play loads with little or nothing at risk and in doing so really build your confidence and skills before starting to risk it bigger.