Sit n’ Go Poker Tournaments.

Sit n’ Go (SNG) poker can be a great way to make big money whilst playing online. It is a fast-paced tournament format where instead of having to register in advance for a tournament with a scheduled start time, SNG allows players to play games as soon as all seats at the table have been filled. During peak times, the wait for a low-limit game to start can be less than a minute.

Single table tournaments have found a niche in online poker. The basic single table tournament is the most popular SNG poker game, but multi table versions seating up to 180 players can also be found.

Single table tournaments typically seat up to ten players, with an entry fee and buy in fee payable. Most single table tournaments pay out to the top three players, with 50% going to first place, 30% to second and 20% to third.

Multi table tournaments range in size. Anything from 18 players over two tables, through to 180 players over 20 tables are common. The bigger the field, the higher the prize pool, however, the increase in player numbers reduce your chances of winning.

SNG Structures.

There are two common structures to SNG tournaments. The standard structure is where the blinds increase around every 10 minutes. The turbo structure is where the blinds increase at a faster rate. This results in a faster tournament but gives you fewer hands to play early in the tournament before the blinds become very big. With the faster speed of the game comes some loss of the skill element, with luck playing a larger role in the turbo structure.

How To Get Good At SNG’s.

It is important to play conservatively in the early stages of an SNG tournament. Conserving your stack when the blinds are low early on means you have enough chips later in the game when the blinds become larger. Knowing when to conserve your chips and when to push them increases your odds of surviving the bubble. A key SNG poker tournament tip is to play tight early on, and aggressively later.

In a single table SNG, the 4th placed player receives no returns. The third placed player doubles his initial buy in. Look for chances for abuse your opponents reluctance to go broke by putting them in difficult positions. If the pot is unopened in front of you on the bubble and you are the big stack, raise over 50% of your hands. Your opponents need premium hands to go all-in, and the blinds are too large for them to make in-between plays like calling.

Paying attention to your stack size and the stack size of your opponents is a massive factor in SNG tournaments. A big part of playing SNG is blind stealing and learning when to re-steal vs an initial raiser. The critical stack size is around 8-10 big blinds. At this point, you should play push-fold poker. Your stack size is too short for you to fold to any re-raise, any play you make is for your entire stack. An all-in dealer!

Increasing your hourly win rate is possible through playing multiple SNG online poker tables. Be aware of your limits though – how many tables can you play without missing something or making mistakes? Know your limits and stick to them. Even the best players go stretches without winning any tables, but bigger winners are benefitted by a genuine study of the game. Those with the skills acquired through the study of the game and gameplay know when it is best to apply pressure and increase their edge compared to those who don’t. A lot of work needs to go in, both into learning the structure of the game, the gameplay, and indeed familiarising yourself with competitors you come up against often. If you are willing to put in the work, SNG poker tournaments can be a lot of fun, and profitable too.