Some No-Limit Sit 'n' Go Tournament Thoughts

by Matt Lessinger

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There is no single correct strategy for playing a sit 'n' go (SNG) tournament. In choosing a personal playing style, it's important to identify your goals. Assuming that the SNG pays the top three places, are you happy just to finish anywhere in the top three, or are you intent on finishing first?

Playing to Finish in the Money

If finishing anywhere in the top three is your goal, you should play more conservatively. You'll see lots of players getting involved in early pots with speculative hands. You should take the opposite approach of sitting back and waiting, unless you happen to be dealt an extremely strong hand. If you have doubts as to whether or not you have the best hand, don't even think; just dump it. By avoiding the early action, chances are that a couple of your opponents will eliminate each other, and you'll be in a better position to sneak into the top three. The downside is that you're not increasing your chances of finishing first. You'll still have roughly the same amount of chips that you started with, but some opponents will have you out-chipped, putting them in a more advantageous position.

Another way to look at this issue is to think about your chances of finishing ninth or 10th. If you play to finish in the money, and don't get involved in a hand in the first few minutes, you'll practically never finish ninth or 10th. Other players will usually take some risks early on, and some of them will eliminate each other before you ever get involved in a hand. You'll never be one of the losers in those early confrontations. However, you'll never be one of the winners, either, and the winners have clearly increased their chances of success.

So, by playing the waiting game, you can effectively turn a 10-player SNG into a seven- or eight-player contest. Thus, your chances of finishing in the top three have increased. But for the players who knocked out the 10th- and ninth-place finishers, their risk has paid off. They are now in the best position to go for first place. It's up to you whether or not you want to take that risk.

Playing for First

There's no problem with adjusting your strategy so that you come in first more often, as long as you understand that you'll also come in ninth or 10th more often, as well. But that's just personal preference. Maybe you're really satisfied only by taking first place. No problem. Go ahead and play more loosely and aggressively. Take more chances early on. Go head-to-head in a hand with someone else who is also playing in a risky manner. You'll either lose quickly, which will enable you to jump right into a new SNG if you'd like, or you'll win the hand and be in great shape.

If that happens, and you manage to become the chip leader, other players will begin to fear you. They will know that anytime they enter a confrontation with you, they are in danger of losing all of their chips, since you have them covered. Conversely, you can play a hand against anybody without fear of going broke. You'll be able to bluff more often, push players around, and basically become the table captain. You'll find that it's a pretty good feeling.

Adjusting to Your Opponents

Playing according to your objective is important, but you also must get a feel for how your opponents are playing. I've talked about how some of your opponents will gamble it up and take early risks. I've generally implied that four or five opponents will do it, because, on average, that's about what you'll see. For example, if four opponents attack each other early, two will finish ninth and 10th while the other two will become the chip leaders. However, there are times when you'll find a table that deviates from that norm, and it's up to you to identify it and adjust to it.

Most people, if they had their choice, would love to have a table full of wild players. I know that I would. Unfortunately, SNGs are a lot different from regular cash games. You can't stand around and watch how your opponents play before joining the game. In an SNG, you have to sit down and just hope that the players who join you are relatively easy opposition. But whether they're pushovers or pros, you want to identify who's who as early as you can. That way, you can get a better idea of what your correct strategy adjustments should be.

For instance, let's say that instead of four loose players, there are eight who are taking risks early on. First, consider yourself lucky for finding such a nice, loose table. Second, even if your preference was to play for first place, you now have to reconsider. There's a good chance that four or five of your opponents will bite the dust before you even have to get involved in a hand, so you really want to take advantage of that. Plus, with risk-taking opponents, there's really no need to take unnecessary risks. If you happen to pick up a strong hand early on, these guys will pay you off. Why not wait for the goods? If you pick up some premium hands, you could become the chip leader without much effort at all.

Let's contrast that to a table full of tightwads. Instead of four players gambling it up early on, let's say that no one is. Ah, you got unlucky. You landed in an SNG with players who don't want to give up the slightest edge, but that's OK. Now, it's time for you to be the gambler. None of them want to take risks, so it's your job to attack them with bets and raises, even with hands that aren't particularly strong. Unless they happen to find a strong hand, chances are that they will stay out of your way. Their tightness will give you a chance to accumulate chips gradually while they are effectively standing still. Sure, if they pick up a strong hand, you could get eliminated early. But, you're not going to increase your chances of finishing in the top three by playing the waiting game, since everyone is playing it. So, you might as well take some risks and go for the top spot, since everyone else is just trying to sneak into the top three.

Besides, it just doesn't make sense to sit there and wait for a strong hand. If the table is full of tight players, you're probably not going to get paid off by any of them anyway! So, take advantage of their tightness as best you can, and hopefully the next SNG you play will have some players who are more willing to take some risks.

Next month, I'll continue with some more thoughts about no-limit SNGs, since they are one of the most popular features of Internet poker.

Matt Lessinger's "Bet With Less" column appears in Card Player magazine. He can be found playing online at RoyalVegasPoker.com, where he is a member of its team of experts, and can be reached at mlessinger@hotmail.com.

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