How To Consistently Beat Sit And Go's

It's so simple...

And so obvious...

Yet no one seems to get it!

What's this easy-to-use secret for beating Sit and
Go tournaments online?

The answer is this:

PATIENCE.

I know... I know... you were expecting something
more, um... "secretive".

But the truth is, winning at Sit and Go's is
pretty damn easy. I find them easier than "real"
poker games, actually.

And that's why every time I turn on the computer
these days I feel like a kid in a candy store...
ready to clean out the amateurs at the poker room
of my choosing.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

What I want to discuss here is why PATIENCE is so
critical for Sit and Go success.

First, let's get back to some basics. There are
four types of poker playing styles:

1. Tight-Passive
2. Tight-Aggressive
3. Loose-Passive
4. Loose-Aggressive

Your style should be tight-aggressive.

Don't confuse "styles" with "preferences". If you
want to be a good card player, you DON'T get to
DECIDE to be tight-aggressive.

You MUST be tight-aggressive in order to be good.

Period.

Of course there are DEGREES of each playing style,
and that's what accounts for the differences
between one pro and another... the DIFFERENT
DEGREES of tight-aggressive.

OK, now let me ask you:

What does "tight-aggressive" really MEAN?

Here's the answer:

It means that you play TIGHT in terms of hand
selection, but AGGRESSIVE when you enter a pot.

Be careful... "tight" and "aggressive" are not
opposites. "Tight" and "loose" are opposites. And
so are "aggressive" and "passive".

TIGHT refers to hand selection. AGGRESSIVE refers
to betting.

OK... so this is how playing styles relate to Sit
and Go's...

The NATURE of Sit and Go's makes them OVERRUN by
LOOSE-AGGRESSIVE style players.

The reasons are simple:

1. You can play a Sit and Go virtually anytime,
anywhere, and with anyone.

This means there's very low risk in LOSING, since
you can easily just move on to the next game. It's
not like in "offline" poker when once you get
knocked out you're DONE.

2. The money seems less "real".

Let's be honest... We all know the feeling of
making a deposit into an online poker account and
thinking to ourselves how it doesn't quite feel
like REAL MONEY. Am I right?

3. There's no "embarrassment".

Online poker is virtually 100% anonymous. If you
make a stupid move, you're not worried about what
the other players THINK of you. Who cares?

After all, the other "players" are really just
silly little avatars on an animated screen.

OK, so those are three (there are many more) of
the reasons why Sit and Go's (and pretty much all
of online poker) are dominated by the playing
style LOOSE-AGGRESSIVE.

Loose-aggressive is also known as the "manic"
playing style. And what's the FASTEST way to beat
a manic?

Yep, you guessed it...

PATIENCE.

The reason is because MANICS are constantly
playing many hands (loose) and doing so
aggressively.

What happens is that it's difficult to get a READ
on them because you never know whether they're
bluffing or not... unless you call their bets...
which you can't do because you don't have that
great a hand.

Has this ever happened to you?

Have you ever been up against a player who seemed
to be playing VERY aggressively and you just
couldn't figure out if they were bluffing or
holding great cards?

And then when you got FED UP with it and DID make
a call, he had you beat?

My guess is that it HAS happened to you... just as
it's happened for me.

The key thing to know is that THERE ARE certain
steps you can take to defend this. (I even wrote
an entire chapter about this topic in my book.)

But fortunately in Sit and Go's, this isn't really
much of a problem. Because you're usually not up
against just one or two manics. You're up against
an ENTIRE TABLE of them.

That means you shouldn't be CALLING anyone's bets.

Instead, YOU should push the action when you have
a monster hand... and ONLY when you have a monster
hand. And that, of course, requires...

PATIENCE!

It's actually much easier this way. Because with a
table full of manics, you can rely on getting
action with all your great hands.

(I should point out here that I'm generally
referring to Sit and Go's where the entry fee is
less than $50. When the stakes are higher the
quality of play is usually more intelligent.)

OK, so what I'm about to tell you might take some
of the "fun" out of Sit and Go's. But it will
increase your profits dramatically...

Here's what your Sit and Go "experience" should
look like when the field is from 8 or 10 players
down to 4 or 5 players.

**************************************************

If your hole cards are...

A-A, K-K - Go all in pre-flop if you're in early
position. If in late position and there was a
raise, go all-in. If people were just trying to
limp in, make a raise... and then bet very
aggressively after the flop.

Q-Q, A-K - If you're in an early position, bet
big (but not all-in). If you're in a late
position, use your read on the other players to
determine whether or not you think you have the
best hand. If so, bet huge or go all-in.

All other pocket pairs - Limp-in. If you spike
trips, go all-in. If not, fold.

Suited connectors - Limp-in if the blinds are
reasonably low. Fold suited connectors under 7-6.

Ace-X suited - Limp-in if possible. Only bet if
you hit the flush.

All other hands - Fold.

**************************************************

What you've just seen will be completely different
than most "starting hand strategies" out there.

And that chart is NOT for all types of no limit
Texas Holdem. We're ONLY talking about games that
match these three criteria:

1. Online poker Sit and Go tournaments
2. Low stakes (under $50 entry)
3. While there are more than 4 or 5 players at the
table (in an 8-man or 10-man Sit and Go)

DO NOT use that starting hand advice for any other
poker games... because that's NOT how you should
play your starting hands in general.

So why would Sit and Go's be so much different
than "normal" poker play?

Like I said before, the reason is because Sit and
Go's are heavily dominated by loose-aggressive
players... and THIS is how you beat those guys.

Why exactly does this strategy work?

It works because you're only playing monsters.

Now... if the players at Sit and Go's were SMART,
they'd OBSERVE that you're only playing monster
hands... and they'd FOLD as soon as you went
all-in.

I mean... it only makes logical sense, right?

Indeed, this is how it works in live games. But
not online. Because for online poker there's
another important factor working to your
advantage...

NO ONE'S PAYING ATTENTION!

The truth is, many players are either drunk,
hungover, stupid, or playing multiple tables at
once. Or all of the above!

They're not paying attention to your betting
patterns. They're just playing the CARDS, not the
PLAYERS.

I call my strategy for patiently waiting for
monster hands and then going all-in:

"Tight-Aggressive Squared"

The reason is because my strategy is like the
playing style tight-aggressive... but on STEROIDS.

Why go all-in so much?

It's like I said... you WILL get action. Maybe not
every single time, but enough times to make it
well worth your while.

For Sit and Go's, all you need to do is double-up
ONCE before the field gets to 4 or 5 players.

THEN you can start playing aggressively. What will
happen is that the 4 or 5 players LEFT IN THE GAME
will usually be the smarter ones. And some of them
WILL notice by now that you're playing tight.

SO THEN what you do is steal blinds. It's easy.

Everyone tightens up when there are four or five
players in a hand because they want to make the
money... and they want to be VERY CAREFUL to make
it into the top three.

That is when you steal some blinds and add to your
chip stack.

Then, after that point you'll be in third place
and will be in the money.

I have a ton of strategies for getting you into
FIRST place too (after you get down to three
players), but I'll have to save those for a
different newsletter.

You know, when I first came up with this strategy
of "Tight-Aggressive Squared" I wasn't COMPLETELY
convinced it was the best way to win at Sit and
Go's.

At the time, I had been trying a lot of things.
The idea of just being EXTREMELY PATIENT and then
going all-in with monster hands seemed a little
TOO SIMPLE.

Right?

Then one night, I was at a 10-man Sit and Go. I
went all-in with a big hand early and doubled up.
It was the only hand I got really involved with.

Then... with 9 players still at the table... my
Internet shut off. I didn't know what happened.
All I know is that the Internet just plain STOPPED
WORKING.

I would have called someone... but it was past two
in the morning.

I messed with it for like fifteen minutes and then
just gave up. Oh well... it's just one Sit and Go.

Anyway... I started working on something else on
my computer for awhile until all of the sudden the
Internet came BACK on.

I logged into my poker room to see what had
happened with the game. Immediately the screen
POPPED-UP and the action was to me...

I was still in the game, it wasn't over yet!

Not only that...

But there were only three players left!

I was in third, but still had some remaining chips
to play around with.

I immediately went all-in and everyone folded.
Then I did it again and everyone folded. And a few
hands later I did it AGAIN.

I picked up three enormous sets of blinds and was
right back in the game. The reason everyone was
folding was because I hadn't played a hand in 25
minutes. They were probably wondering what the
hell was going on!

Anyway, as it turned out, I actually WON 1ST for
this Sit and Go. First place baby... and my
Internet only worked for about 1/5 of the game!

After I was done I started thinking about what had
just happened. I realized that by PLAYING in a Sit
and Go you can often do MORE DAMAGE THAN GOOD when
there are lots of players at the table.

And of course, I became 100% convinced that the
"magic equation" for success is:

PATIENCE + AGGRESSION

Your goal for these games should be to place in
the money as much as possible. Period. So why risk
chips on silly hands early on?

They're just not worth it...

The other thing about this strategy is that it's a
HUGE time-saver. Because it doesn't require hardly
any work until there are 4-5 players left. It
makes it MUCH easier to play multiple tables at
once... or do other things while the Sit and Go
plays in the background.

OK, so here's your "Tight-Aggressive Squared" Sit
and Go strategy:

1. Be patient, be patient, be patient!

Only play the hands I showed you earlier. Only bet
before the flop with Aces, Kings, Big Slick, and
Queens.

2. When you catch a monster, go all-in. Don't do
this if you think someone has you beat (i.e.
there's an obvious straight or flush draw on the
board).

I'm talking about only playing hands when you know
you have the best odds of winning.

3. When the field gets down to four or five
players (depending on how high the blinds are and
how many all-in showdowns you've won), shift gears
completely and STOP using this "Tight-Aggressive
Squared" strategy.

That, my friend, is the "secret" to Sit and Go's.

It's obvious... but not-so-obvious.

But it is DEFINITELY simple.

And you can start implementing it IMMEDIATELY...

I've been playing some sit n go'sately and these are a great help. Hopefully, it will improve my game. Do you have any tips for "Turbo" sit n gos?

I use a very similar strategy for playing sng's and it works great for me aswell!

I don't think it would work in turbo sng's because the blinds are getting high so fast that you don't have as much time before you have to make a move in order not to get blinded out. So stick with the regular sng's if you're going to implement a strategy similar to this.

i agree with most of what u said and as long as you dont get totolly unlucky and get baet by some ding dong that has no business calling u but draws out

Twizzy--great articles you've been posting! Some very useful information in all of them. I have a request, however. Can you please credit the author and/or source of these articles? It would be greatly appreciated. If you penned these yourself, well, then, great job!

Tammy, they are from Rory Monahan aka "Roy Rounder". He writes great articles and has an ebook. If to want to purchase his book, check this

ps: I hope the link is not considered as spam. Feel free to delete it if you think so

I agree to your tips how to play a perfect SNG game! Great now eveyrone that has read this will be playin' and everyone will be playin' the same way. hmmmm maybe then I should play the manic player. if everyone is playing the same way.

nice idea u have there

I agree that it works sometimes but again it's all about circumstance. I've found much success with my loose aggressive formula. simply because of tight-aggressive players :-)

aka I'm the rock , and your the scissors ;-P

GREAT ADVICE MAN. I usually play more hands while the blinds are low because it is cheaper than calling blinds later on in the game. Do you have any advice for tourbo sngs? In those you cant always play passive agressive because you need to double up fast so calling more blinds in the beginning isnt such a bad idea...ya know wut im saying???

Awesome job. Very helpful. You definitely had me sold on it when you told us to completely stop the tight-aggressive play when there are fewer people. That definitely throws them off. Thanks to you and this wonderful strategy, in the last 8 tourn's ive gotten 1st 2nd 2nd 1st 7th (someone had no business calling my A-K suited but hey, thats poker) 3rd 1st 3rd. Thanks again.

BTW I wouldnt worry about everyone playing this way now that they read it. There are WAY to many people in and out of poker playing sites that never look for stategies (sp?)

Thanks Twizzy for the advice. I play a lit of sngs and the teptation to play those lesser hands is strong. but you are correct when it comes to waiting out the players who can't wait. I will try the approach you have when the table gets to fewer players and note any improvements in my playing. Later...

this is very true it works...but it kind of takes the skill out a bit...i mean opponents can put you on a hand easily if they watch teh Show down a bit...and as for turbos...i am left puzzled...i guess get an early lead?..

Honestly, if you're looking to use your patience as an edge, I don't think you should play turbos at all.

Thanks for the advice. It's amazing how well such a simple strategy can work... I've been playing almost as tight as you've suggested recently, and I usually end up not placing due to the occassional non-monster hand I play. I can definitely see the value in this. Thanks.

Hey twizzybop, didn't know you wrote a book. What is the name of it. I'd be interested in checking it out. I liked the above post and may give it a shot. I'm interested in hearing/reading more about some of the styles and approaches you've mentioned / alluded to.

PM with the info if you think posting the book info would be viewed by some as spamming.

I got a mail from someone called roy rounder with this..lol...

he DID mention him............

Wow, is it really that simple? I'll have to give it a shot and let you know how it works.

in SNGs i play in my average of seeing the flop is only 20-30% of the flops and i usually win around 50% of the flops i see., and this will at least get me to the final table to battle for the money. theres no need to be in a hurry to get a huge chip count because ALOT of the times the early chip leader wont make it to the final table because they will feel unbeatable and can take the extra chances. if you do get a big chip count dont start feeling unbeatable and can afford to take more chances either. stick to being aggressive. on the other end dont get too nervous if you have a short stack. there is plenty of time to make it up so dont take the extra risks trying to chase draws. and once it gets to the final table you can loosen up just a little and be able to possibly still a couple pots because of the tight image. also when its down to around 10-12 people left you can find that people will play extremly tight so this is another opportunity to try to steal some pots, just dont try to steal too many and get caught. i usually only try it once. biggest thing is dont be afraid to fold, especially aces with low kicker. just fight the urge to keep chasing a draw and fold and live to fight another hand. dont worry bout what might have been if you would have kept chasing. biggest thing to remember though is not to worry too much about the chip count early on theres plenty of time to make it up.. not trying to say im expert at SNGs or anything just throwing in my 2 cents.

Roy Rounder writes good common-sense advice. I have several of his books and have found them very useful.

Err, don`t want to spoil the party poker but we do have his permission to reproduce chunks of his work here, don`t we ??

You aren't "stopping" your TA-A attutude, you are taking advantage of the image it has given you and playing more hands in position vs. the loose-passive players [and still aggressively]

And just remember, there aren't just 4 player types. you have to factor in preflop & post-flop aggression as two different ratings. a tight aggressive/passive is a very different person than a tight passive/aggressive

I believe i got same email from roy rounder too..

U are refering to single table SNG`s? I take it you are not suggesting the same formula for multi table SNG`s?

Ronaldadio

In the long run it'll pay off.

It is just an e-mail from roy rounder... yes it doesn't show how to play after, during the flop.. c'mon though how many of us have all-in's called with aa's... kk's with garbage.. Me.. I can't count that high cause my fingers and toes won't allow it

I've been having pretty good run of luck or whatever with SnG's for awhile now. ie; Sunday I played 11 SnG's, 6 player, so they pay 1st and 2nd. I won 6 and was second in 2. Not bad I figure. I don't play what I call "loose", but I'm not playing these real tight either.

I tried your method last nite in 4 of the same SnG's. Guess what? I'm first out in all 4! LMAO. Maybe it was just the luck of the draw and I need to try some more. But, I was amazed at how I got sucked out on in all 4. What are the odds? Only thing was, you are right, people will call. Problem is, they aren't calling with a good hand to begin with and....SUCK OUT!!!!!!!!!

Well I always played pretty tight...not as tight as listed about but sometimes I wasn't afraid to raise with A-J os. Using that stratigy I placed second in five out of the six SnG's I played. The one that I lost I did not once get any of the hands listed above. We ended up being down to the last 4 (3 get paid) and I went out betting.

is this another article from Roy Rounder?

That`s pretty unlucky. Realistically though, I can`t see any way this strategy would work in the short-handed games you`re playing. It seems much too tight for those. It`s intended for 9/10 player games.


.

great article and I'm sure will be very helpful



thanks alot Twizzybop

will the same strategy work on regular tourney tables?

Here is a link for another cardschat person that is specifically for tournys. I used it for a while to get me out of a bad patch and I did ok.

MTT GUIDE

Ronaldadio

duuuuuuuuuuuuuude what an amazing article thanks im gonna go make my deposit today, since it has so many goodie tips i just want to go try them thanks bro !

This is essentially how I've been playing my SnG's. I play a few more hands like KQ,KJ,JQ,AQ,AJ. Also, I like to bate players to go all-in over me when I have AA/KK preflop or hit a monster hand. I'm pretty good at telling how much to bet, and the timing of the bet, to get someone to come over the top of me. It's amazing how many people i've knocked out when they were on nothing but a pure all-in bluff.