Developing a Reliable Sit and Go Strategy

Poker players who want to win consistently at the many sit and go tournaments online should work to develop a reliable sit and go strategy. While the standard tips for poker obviously still hold, there are some specific things that sit and go players should keep in mind.

Play Tight in the Early Stages

Because there is no set start time and no set time at which the stages advance, there is nothing to be gained by players who try to backload their most aggressive gambling. Players should play their hands tightly in sit and go tournaments, ensuring that they only take risks when they can back them up. That means only raising on the big pairs and Ace high pocket cards. Anything less is too big a risk for such an unpredictable tournament structure.

Bigger Blinds

By the time the blinds start increasing, players can up their bets as well. At this stage, many of the novice players should have been weeded out, and players can start taking their luck with some of the smaller hands. That means placing some bets on lower value pairs. This is also the time that it becomes worthwhile to try stealing some blinds. It's smartest to attempt steals only when the player is positioned close to the button, forcing players to make reactionary decisions.

By the time most players get to the final stages of the sit and go tournament, they should have a solid read on the other players, able to raise and call confidently. If the player gets to the end of the tournament without going broke, then that's the time to really go for it with the most aggressive bets, attempting to bring an end to the game with blind steals and calls.