Sit & Go Tournament Strategy Early Play Your play in the early stages should be very tight. There are plenty of people eager to get into the action, and each “kill” greatly improves your chances of making the money. Even with good cards, all-in show downs are marginal. However, STT’s are a quicker game than an MTT and you want to give yourself enough chips to bet properly during the middle stages. Consider reducing starting hand requirements slightly from late position where there are no raises. This is no limit poker and the expected value of say, a small pocket pair, can be very high. Hands that I will play from any position in the early stages: JJ, QQ, KK, AA, and AK suited. Be prepared to let all but AA and KK go if someone goes all in. Hands I will play (for cheap!!) in late position include two suited face cards, and suited aces down to an eight. You are looking here for a nuts or near nuts hand (nut flush, full house or straight) that you can afford to slow play and make a big gain for a small initial stake. I’ll also play any pocket pair, especially against multiple callers, because of the disguise value if I hit a set on the flop. I never bluff in the early stages of an STT. The blinds aren’t worth it, and if there are multiple callers, one of them will pay to see you. Post flop you should be mega-tight and never jeopardise either your chips or your table image chasing the river. One big difference between an STT and an MTT is where one player amasses a huge chip lead in the early stages. In an MTT, you hate having them on your table. They steal the pots while people on other tables are playing hands. But in an STT I always like a clear chip leader. The bluffers are in big trouble - whatever they throw in, big stack can afford to call. I can play nice and tight and still keep up. On occasions I’ve reached the money in this type of game without making any significant bets. Middle Play In an STT the time to change gears can be dictated by the number of players left, or by the increasing blinds. In a tight game, the blinds can go up three or even four times without anyone being eliminated, but in low stakes games expect to see three or more players out within 20 hands. Now loosen up and play your regular game. Middle stages are also prime time to bluff at a few blinds. By now you’ve seen enough of your opponents to know who is susceptible to a bluff. Look for semi-bluffing opportunities in late position (especially strong draws to the nuts). Use the threat of just missing the money to your advantage – don’t let it freeze your own play. Do not overvalue the threat of drawing hands. Ring games (especially low limit) revolve around multi-way pots. STT’s revolve around two or three way pots. Anyone with a drawing hand is likely to have to pay you at least twice for every time you have to pay them. If you’re ahead, raise and make them pay to draw out on you. And if you reverse this logic, you will rarely have pot odds to justify playing your own draw hands, unless you can limp in or you have other outs (e.g. overcards or pairs). End Game Once in the money, remember the premium for winning. When short stacked avoid the temptation to hope the other players will take each other out. They’ll be thinking the same and will happily watch you lose on the blinds. I advocate a more aggressive approach. Look to double up with all-in plays based on any reasonable cards. You’ll be surprised how many times the other players fold, and more surprised how often you will win with average cards. This does not mean go all in with 72o, but A8o is not such a bad hand when the blinds are killing you. If you are ahead, keep on the pressure. Respect big raises, but attack calls, especially where both opponents have put in money. By small raises, you can stimulate betting between them and get into the heads up stage even if you lose the pot. As with all heads-up play, aggression tends to be the winner. On a straight show down, most hands dealt are a coin toss so the winner will be the player who wins with the most bad hands, not the one who gets the most good hands. Some strategies advocate raising 80 to 90% of hands. I’m not sure if this is true in no limit STT’s but over a long period of time, success is based on the number of hands you bluff rather than the number you win on merit. Develop your own preferred style. Some players prefer numerous all-ins, others like to use smaller non-fatal raises. The important thing is to be comfortable and consistent with your strategy, and to monitor if it is working. If your records show you get in the money more than 50% of the time but you are only winning 10% of the time, your heads up play is almost certainly too passive. Conclusion In the early stages play tight and avoid confrontation that might lead to elimination. Rely on strong starting hands and mega-tight play post flop. As the tourney progresses, increasing amounts of selective aggression are required. Position is critical, and always check where you are before hitting that raise button. Realistically you should aim to finish in the money at least half of the time, and to make STT’s a profitable use of your poker time you need to win 1 in 3. In the long run, the amount of first places, rather than money finishes, will be what sets your positive expected value from STT’s. This is not a freeroll where any money is a bonus!! Third place gives you little more than your stake back – take it where you can get it, but play to win.