This is the second part of a four part series looking at Sit And Go play. The first part (Sit And Go Overview) can be read here.
There are certain proven ways one can play to help improve there chances of winning a sit n go. One of the most important times to exercise these techniques is in the early stage of the tournament, where everyone has the same size stack, and everyone’s goal is the same, get in the money. At the smaller stakes Sit n Go’s, the play is generally pretty bad, and not making any mistakes is far more important than accumulating chips early on. There is no reason to gamble early, blinds are low and you have an ample chipstack, allow everyone else who thinks they are a shark to throw there chips around the table. If you do happen to pick up a premium hand (AA, AK, KK, QQ), play them very aggressively before the flop, especially if you have good position at the table.
If you hit the flop, continue to play the hand aggressively, if you miss (an ace hits and you have KK, or an A or K hits and you have QQ) just muck your hand to any bet, there is no need to try and catch up. Obviously this is situational, and will have a lot to do with reading the other players at the table, nothing in poker is set in stone. If you play tight early, there is always going to be a case where your big over pair will lose to an under-set or a funky draw, but when the board sits right, you need to be willing to get all you money in, because you will know you have the best hand. Obviously, other hands can be played as well, but in the early stages of a SnG, it is crucial to know when to throw the cards in the muck. Don’t try and outplay people to often, as even though you may be a much better player, you need to hang around in these to cash, and making crazy plays becomes far less profitable over time.
Remember, let everyone else who thinks they are a shark to toss there money around. Position and player image are both very important as well in SnG’s so pay close attention. When the table thins out and you approach the bubble, your play should also change, but you must get to the bubble before you can try and bust it inside the money.