Sit-n-Gos (Strategy)

So why would Sit and Go's be so much different than other 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.

SitnGos (continued)

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 tournaments2. 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.

SitnGos

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 eBook.)
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. Usually.)
Cheers..................Masala

Lets Continue(SitnGos

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 too 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.
Cya Tomorrow.......................Masala

Sit n Go Pointers

G'Day Mates
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. 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.
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 really good.
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 Back to Poker

G'Day Mates

The hustle and bustle of Christmas day is over now, and I hope everyone had a great Family time! So, Now its back to poker playing.
Over the last 2 days I have played in 4 SNG Tournys and have placed in the money at 3 of them- so thats 75% win ratio! Not too Bad aye! mates? As I have said before and I will say it over and over, the only way to play SNG Tournys is to play tight and choose your starting hand wisely until all the other "Loose & Impatient" players kill each other!
When I am impatient (and I really shouldnt even be playing in the Game) I will always lose! Sometimes I am really too busy to be playing and not really paying much attention to the game and I dont even follow my own SNG Tactics! I will lose just like everyone else! Because I have NO BUSINESS playing the Game unless I play to win.
We have talked a little about starting hands and I will continue to give you my Opinion on starting hands for SNG Tournys! I now have the time to update this Blog daily (so things should get back to normal) I only play a few selected starting hands until I am in the money! Which normally doesnt take too long because like I said before, Players that play SNG tournys are IMPATIENT LOOSE PLAYERS that you should be taking advantage of and taking their money! Wheter its a 10 cent SNG or a $20 SNG you should be having a win percentage of at least 60%

Cheers Mates........Lets get back to POKER for 2007
Masala

Some tips to improve your winning rate:

G'Day Mates
Here are some (plagerized Tips) for you.........LOL-But great info none-the-less

1-Fast play high pairs and very strong hands before the flop. This puts more money in the early pot and encourages weak and garbage hands to fold that could get a lucky flop and beat you.Don't draw to the low end or both ends of a straight. If a 9 8 7 flops, you want to be playing the J 10 and not the 6 5 or the 10 6. (The low part is commonly called the "ignorant" end of the straight.)
2-Unconnected Medium and Low Cards are Usually Unplayable. This includes suited cards that can't flop a straight. Both ends of a straight such as 9 5 fall into this very weak category.
3-Play starting low pairs cautiously. 66 down to 22. Usually not from an early seat and from the late positions, only when the price is right. If you don't flop a set or quads you should usually fold.
4-Play aggressively when you have a two way draw after the flop. If you can make a straight AND a flush or trips etc., usually bet/raise your hand.
5-Bet an Ace or two high overcards after a garbage flop (a three suit "rainbow" with unconnected medium and low cards). Usually fold if someone raises.
6-Watch out for uniform flops, like 8 7 6, they can easily turn into straights that can overtake your high pair or other good hand.
7-Check the raisers chips. Players that are close to all-in often rush the betting just to get all their chips in a sink-or-swim last hand.
8-Beware of Suited Flops that can make a completed flush. In this case, you should usually hold the nut in that suit, or have trips or two pair that can fill up.
9-Get caught bluffing once in a while. It is a way to vary your play and not be too predictable. You win pots that you don't deserve when your bluff works. You lose a few chips when it doesn't work but it will get you calls from weaker hands down the line when you have a strong hand and need the action.
10-Study your opponents, especially when you are not playing hands and can pay careful attention. Do they find more hands to play than they fold? Do they bluff? Can they be bluffed? Do they have any "tells" (give away mannerisms) that disclose information about their hands etc.

Masala