Like all disciplines of poker, you need a strategy for Sit & Go events
PICTURE:Racing Post PokerGet a strategy for Single Table Tournaments
PLAYING poker after a few pintsin the pub on a Friday night, or with friends, is a bit of fun. But while online poker does not have that same social element, losing a few bob to your pals is not the way it is, or should be.
However, should friendly small stakes games be your thing, I'd strongly recommend playing Single Table Tournaments (STT's), frequently referred to as Sit & Go's. You know what you stand to lose from the outset and the ability, or temptation, to stump up more cashmid-game is removed. Furthermore, an STT is not going to last for hours on end.
These games, like all disciplines of poker, need a strategy.
Starting out
Often you seepeople start out hellbent on playing every hand believing they must win every chip. But, with the blinds low, this is a recipe for disaster.
An experienced player will let a maniac rob him for small sums, but when the going gets tough they will fight back and recover all their lost chips, and more, at a stage when the blinds are more substantial.
Some argue that during the early stages playing the likes of suited connectors is a sound policy. However, the easiest route to victory in any competition is winning big pots and amassing serious chips. Therefore, when you get action with your 8-9 suited you could also be in serious danger of taking on a genuine hand.
Consider your 8-9 tacklingJ-J on a flop featuring a Ten and Jack, or even something like a 9-high flop. You are going to bust yourself out.
Play tight and even passive while avoiding any big confrontations unless holding a big made hand.
Middle stages
After a few levels of play, the bad players will have either been eliminated or have knocked out better players and are now luckily sitting on sizeable stacks. By now you should have been identified as a tight player who only commits chips when holding a premium hand. Should things have worked out well there is little reason to change your style.
Good solid poker will suffice for a while yet.
However,if you hold chips that represent a stack significantly below average, the time has come to scrap passive play and employ an aggressive style. The blinds are now worth collecting. Always be aware of the power of your chips in relation to both the average chip stack and the size of the blinds.
All being well, you will have had no bad luck. This takes you to the late stages, where a few players are now on the verge of making the money.
Late phase
Hand values increase dramatically now - the likes of Ace-Ten is now a very big hand whereas at a 10-seat table it is a very passable hand. With big blinds this is the stage where the strong will thrive and others try to survive.
It is hard to call an ‘all-in' with no hand and you have to consider that the ‘no hand' scenario will apply to most players.
In fact, when you consider any pocket pair is a 16-1 shot you realise that pre-flop exploitation is by far the
best way to accumulate chips. You should try to identify a player who is nursing his chips with a desire to last into the money and religiously raise his big-blind - until he gets to the point that he is forced to call with any two cards.
Similarly, a big stack will be of the opinion that he can lose some blinds while maintaining his lead and hoping for short stacks to battle it out and drop away - these too could be potential victims.
The only ill-advised play now is that of ‘fearless calling'. That's never a good idea even if you feel someone is robbing you. It is a stubborn and foolhardy route.
Education over and now a health warning: This style of STT play is no guarantee of success and, just like every tournament, it will come down to a final hand, which you can easily lose, despite a healthy mathematical advantage.
