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More No-Limit Sit 'n' Go Tournament Thoughts

by Matt Lessinger

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Most online sit 'n' go (SNG) tournaments pay the top three spots, while others are winner-take-all (WTA) events. The latter usually occur when the prize isn't cash, but a seat in a large multitable tournament. Similar strategies can be used in both, but certain adjustments have to be made. The biggest difference between the two is that you will probably have to take some risks in a WTA, whereas in an SNG, you'd prefer that your opponents be the ones taking the risks.

Why should you be happier with risk-taking opponents in an SNG?

In a nutshell, the more often your opponents are willing to risk all of their chips, the more likely it is that they will be eliminated, and that's better for you. Either they'll knock each other out or you will be able to take down a player or two if you pick up a strong hand. You don't want to risk all of your chips unless you're fairly certain that you have the winner, or unless you're so low on chips that you're forced to take a stand with a semistrong hand. But you should be quite content to have opponents who don't share that philosophy. Even if you never find a playable hand, you don't mind at all if your opponents overplay their own hands.

Here's an example: Let's say everyone starts with $1,000 in chips. Which of these situations is best for you?

1. The beginning of the tournament, when all 10 players have $1,000.

2. There are six players left; you and another player have $1,000 each, but the other four players have $2,000 each.

3. There are four players left; three of you have $1,000 each, and the other player has $7,000.

Or is there no difference, since you have $1,000 in every scenario?

If you haven't figured it out yet, here's the clincher:

4. How do you feel if you are one of two players left, and you have $1,000 and your opponent has $9,000?

Sure, he will win the vast majority of the time, but you're guaranteed to finish at least second. And since second place usually returns three times your buy-in, you should be one happy camper. As a general rule, if you're unable to increase your own stack size, you'd rather have as few opponents left as possible, and you'd rather have the chips that you don't have be with one opponent rather than spread out.

So, getting back to the above example, your most favorable situation would be No. 4, followed by No. 3, No. 2, and then No. 1. Since No. 1 is when you begin the SNG, this example should make clear to you the importance of patience. Even if you can't find a hand that can win you some chips, don't be discouraged. Just do your best to maintain your current chip count. The longer you can maintain it, the more chances you give your opponents to get knocked out, and the better chance you'll have of climbing up the ladder to second or third place.

Contrast this to a WTA.

In a WTA, it doesn't benefit you to have opponents knock each other out, unless the player who wins the confrontation is clearly the weaker opponent, which means it will be easier to get his chips. Other than that, the only thing that helps your chances of winning is accumulating chips. Eliminating opponents is meaningless unless you are increasing your chip position at the same time. So, in all of the examples discussed above, including No. 4, your chances of winning first place are roughly the same. The odds are almost exclusively based on the amount of chips you have, relative to the total amount of chips in play. So, in all of those cases, you have $1,000 out of the $10,000 in play; thus, your chances of capturing first (not taking into account your skill level compared to that of your opponents) are about one in 10.

Sooner or later, you will probably have to gamble. If your opponents are playing far too many hands, you can probably wait until you are pretty sure that you have way the best of it. But in most cases, you'll have to take a chance with a hand that might be a coin flip. For instance, an opponent makes a vastly oversized raise preflop. You suspect that he has A-K, while you happen to have a medium pocket pair. You know that you are a slight favorite to win the hand, but it's just a question of whether or not it is worth the risk.

In an SNG, I would argue that if you're in its early stages, the risk is not worth the reward. If he indeed has A-K, you will be out of the SNG almost half of the time. Since three spots get paid, the focus is more on survival than accumulation of chips. Unless you believe that you drew a tough table of opponents, I would not risk going broke with only a slight edge. Chances are that you'll find hands with which to go all in as better than an 11-10 favorite.

By contrast, in a WTA, I'd lean more toward making that all-in call. You should try to get your chips into the pot every time you think you have an advantage, big or small. Sooner or later, you will need every chip at the table, so you can't pass up any favorable situations. You might get knocked out, but sitting back and waiting will not improve your position the same way it will in an SNG.

Is online poker taking over?

Instead of talking about online WTAs, I was going to refer to the standard single-table satellites that have usually been spread at major tournaments, such as the World Series of Poker, since they are also winner-take-all. However, starting this year, players have been making an effort to change them to resemble SNGs, paying three places instead of one, since that is what they are used to playing online. It seems there are more online players than cardroom players playing at the WSOP, and they are successfully changing the rules. The face of poker is permanently changing. I hope you're ready.

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