Best Strategy For Online Poker Tournaments

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Sit and Go Poker Tournament Strategy

It’s said there are two kinds of poker players in the world: those who play cash games, and those who play tournaments. There’s a lot of truth to that. Cash games are great for people who are on the grind, trying to build up their bankroll with as little variance as possible. Tournaments are great for people who like to win, and who dream of making the big score.
Why not do a little of both? If you play Jackpot Sit and Go poker tournaments at Ignition, and apply some of the Sit and Go strategy advice below, you can build your bankroll like a pro while also enjoying the fun of the tournament format. This is how many of the top players you’ve heard of got their feet wet playing online poker. It’s the best way to learn the game when you’re just starting out – so let’s see what these Sit and Gos are made of, and how to get the most out of them.

What is a Sit and Go Poker Tournament?

The best tournament poker strategy is to recognize the three stages of any poker tournament and to have a distinct tournament poker strategy for each of the vital crunch times during a poker tournament. There are two approaches you can use when playing the early stages of a poker tournament. The first is the conservative approach. This will require you to play tight, buckle down,. 9 hours ago  Card Player Magazine, available in print and online, covers poker strategy, poker news, online and casino poker, and poker legislation. Sign up today for.


A Sit and Go is a special kind of tournament with a predetermined number of players, usually between two and 180. Instead of a scheduled start time, Sit and Gos begin as soon as the required number of players have entered; once that happens, the game plays out much like a regular tournament, with the prize pool distributed among the longest-lasting survivors, and the largest prize going to the winner.
The 1-table Sit and Go is the most common way to play these events. The table in question could be heads-up (two players), 6-max (six players) or full ring (nine players). The full-ring Sit and Gos take roughly one hour to complete, and the top three players will finish in the money; 6-max Sit and Gos are quicker, with the top two getting paid, and the super-fast, heads-up Sit and Gos are winner-take-all.
You’ll also find the new Jackpot Sit and Go format at Ignition Poker. These are 3-player tournaments with a random cash prize of up to 1,000X going to the winner. They’re also the fastest Sit and Gos of them all, using the Hyper Turbo structure with the blinds going up every three minutes. Turbo Sit and Gos have blind levels of five minutes, while standard Sit and Gos use 10-minute levels. The longer the levels, the longer it will take to finish the tournament on average – and the more skill you’ll need to beat the game.
Best Strategy For Online Poker Tournaments

Unless you’re playing one of our All-In Sit and Gos. These “flipaments” are games of complete chance; each player starts with just two chips, and everyone automatically goes all-in on every hand until a winner is declared. No skill necessary in these fun tournaments. Otherwise, each tweak in the format will require a slightly different Sit and Go tournament strategy in order to win the game as often as possible.
And there are many different Sit and Go flavors on the Ignition Poker menu. There are Double Up (6-max) and Triple Up (full ring) tourneys, where the play stops as soon as the bubble bursts, and the remaining players each receive the same cash prize. There are Beginner Sit and Gos, which see more players finish in the money. You’ll also find Sit and Gos where the starting stack is 500 chips instead of the usual 1,500. Texas Hold’em, Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo can all be played as Sit and Gos, and some of these tournaments are satellites into larger, multi-table poker tournaments (MTTs) like the weekly $100K Guaranteed and the $75K High Roller.

How to Beat Sit and Gos

While each kind of Sit and Go (SNG) has its own wrinkle, you can start attacking these games with a basic poker SNG strategy and adjust from there as required. SNGs aren’t as difficult to beat as cash games or MTTs, which makes them ideal for beginners who want to learn the ins and outs of poker; you’ll get to work with different stack sizes, and different numbers of players at the table, so you’ll be better prepared to tackle any situation you may find yourself in at the table.

Sit and Go Starting Hands

Pre-flop is the most important stage of any poker hand, and while there are many ways to approach this part of the game, beginners are recommended to stick with uniform starting ranges. Play your strongest hands from early position, then open your range as you get closer to the blinds. At the start of a Sit and Go, you’ll have relatively deep stacks; anything over 40 big blinds will allow you to open the same ranges you might at a cash game.
As your stack dwindles to 10-15bb, you’ll have to either push all-in or fold to maintain leverage on your opponents; again, this can be done with specific ranges as a default. Ideally, you’ll widen or narrow your range to account for your opponents and their tendencies, but for beginners, your best bet is to learn a standard range and stick with it until you’re comfortable. You can find recommended ranges for free on the internet – try pinning them on your wall and referring to them while you play Sit and Gos at Ignition Poker.

Sit and Go Stage Playstyle

Everything in life has a beginning, a middle and an end. So it goes with poker. The simplest way to handle a Sit and Go is to divide it into three stages: early, middle, and late. There isn’t a specific demarcation point between the early and middle stages, but you can use that 40bb threshold as a guideline, since anything shorter than that requires a change in strategy. The late stage starts when the bubble has burst and you’re in the money.

You may have a deeper stack in the early stage of a Sit and Go, but that doesn’t mean you should treat it exactly like a cash game. All tournaments emphasize survival over chip accumulation, SNGs included, so don’t go broke chasing small edges during this stage. Consider opening a tighter range instead, and use this time to profile your opponents – no doubt at least one or two will be splashing around with their chips, especially in SNGs with lower buy-ins and/or shorter blind levels. Trap these players when you have a big hand, and avoid them when you don’t.
Once your stack gets below 40bb, you don’t have the same opportunities to play speculative hands that you do in the early stages, like baby pairs and suited connectors in Texas Hold’em. It’s okay to play these starting hands in small pots pre-flop when you’ve got enough chips, hoping to make a big hand, but once you’re in the middle stage, focus more on high-card value. Top pair with a good kicker (TPGK) is a potent hand during this part of the tournament, preferably top pair-top kicker (TPTK).
Even if you do make top pair, you might want to be careful throwing those chips around. Once you’re close to the money bubble, there’s extra value in playing it cautiously, waiting for someone else to get eliminated first. However, if you’re the short stack on the bubble, you’ll need to play much more aggressively to avoid missing the money. Be prepared to go all-in when you’re first to enter the pot; if you go bust, fine – just load up another SNG and try again.

After the Bubble

Getting into the money is the first step toward Sit and Go success. Once the bubble has burst, you’ll have more incentive to open up and go for the win. In a standard full-ring SNG, you have three players in the money; your strategy at this point should take into account everyone’s stack sizes. Generally speaking, the big stack should attack the medium stack, and the medium and small stacks should attack each other. This dynamic pretty much stays the same when there are more players in the money, and continues until you’re heads-up for all the marbles. After that? May the better player win.

Sit and Go Bankroll Management

Sit and Gos are fantastic for building your poker bankroll, but to get the most out of them, you’ll need to choose your buy-ins carefully. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – diversify by splitting your bankroll into units of at least 100, and spend no more than one unit per buy-in. For example, if you start with $500, don’t play any SNGs above the $5 mark. There’s still plenty of variance in Sit and Gos; you might win a bunch in a row, or you might go a while without cashing, so keeping your buy-ins small enough will help ensure you make it through the lean times. This is doubly important when you’re just starting out, and you’re already better off avoiding the experienced players at the higher stakes.

Now that you have all these Sit and Go concepts in your arsenal, you’re ready to hit the SNG felt and try out some smooth moves. Play one tournament at a time to start, then gradually add more tables if you want to put in more volume – you can play up to 15 SNGs at the same time when you play at Ignition Poker. See you at the tables.

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Sit N Go Planet has the information you need to find the softest games, and then to beat them.

Online poker has turned a corner in 2021 - the poker sites have realized that recreational and amateur players are key to future growth – and are pivoting away from their old focus on multi-tabling ‘grinders’. Poker is becoming more entertaining, more rewarding for regular players and (thanks to restrictions on tools and reward systems) a more level playing field for those who are new to the games.

Strategy and advice here is aimed at two types of player – those who are new to the game, and those who have some experience and would like to improve their understanding (and win-rates!).

While there is a lot of information on Sit N Goes and tournaments, most of the information here applies across all poker formats.

In 2021, I still believe that Sit N Goes, and in particular the 1-table tournament versions of those games, are great for building a poker bankroll. The vast majority of players will move on from these games sooner rather than later. Hopefully this will be with a bankroll big enough to try other formats, and with a new found understanding of how to adjust your poker play to different situations and opponents.

A great starting point is my course – the Sit N Go Blueprint – which has already helped 1000’s of players get their start at the online poker tables.

Below you will see some of the most popular poker guides and strategy articles from around the site. These are grouped into several types. There are now more than 2500 pages here, in 8 languages – so if you can’t find what you need from the list below, I recommend the search function on the top right.

Good Luck at the Tables – Planet Mark

Sit & Go Articles

Online Poker Tournaments

Satellite Qualifiers

US Online Poker Guides

Poker Games + Variations

Poker Site Reviews

Slots Guides

Detailed Casino Reviews

Casino Bonuses / Payments

Nl Holdem Tournament Strategy

Details Of How The Site Is Organized

Online Poker Tips

Sit N Go Strategy: From 1 table tournaments up to 90 Players, Sit and Goes are defined as tournaments with no fixed starting time, they simply start when there are enough players enrolled. While the main focus is on 1-table games, a whole lot more is covered here from beginners through to some advanced math. You will find info and strategy advice on Double or Nothing, Knockout, 6-max, heads-up, Fifty50, Steps, Super-Turbos and more in this section of the site, as well as unique SNG centered reviews and comparisons of the different poker sites

Online Poker Tournaments: This section picks up where the last left off, covering multi-table tournaments from the smallest buy-ins through to the 'Sunday Majors', the biggest weekly games of all. Tournament strategy gets complex, and I have it all covered here from the building blocks through to advanced moves. Many MTT variations are covered, including knockouts, rebuys, turbo tournaments and more.

How To Win At Online Poker Tournaments

Poker Satellites: Every poker site now offers qualifier games to both their own online events and live tournaments like the World Series, European Poker Tour or Aussie Millions. These have strategy considerations all of their own, which my articles explain. This section also covers the growing number of online poker events and qualification to those big online poker tournaments. Great for those readers with smaller bankrolls who want to take a shot at the big money!

Poker Sites Section: I have read the same old reviews of poker sites over and over again, and have created something different with the poker sites section here. Instead of just a list of facts, you will get my opinions on what works, what does not and where to find the easiest games. You will find comparisons on specific subjects and advice on which bonuses are easy to clear and which ones are impossible. I stick to the biggest and best known sites here, for security and for a bigger choice of games. You will find some exclusive reader offers here including SNG tokens, cash boosts with your first deposit and more.

Poker Tools Section: Whether you like it or not, many of your opponents are using poker software tools to help their game. Many of these are approved by the big sites, and give you a considerable winning edge at the tables. Find out more on the most popular approved tools in this section. You will also find information about the unique tools and widgets offer to readers right here on this site.

Mark's Blog: My blog has been going several years and now has 100's of articles of its own. Here I bring news and views from the tables, and also updates on this site - I also highlight the occasional promotion or special offer which fits with the material already on the site.

Real Money Casinos: This section of SNG Planet delves into the entertaining world of real money online casinos. You’ll find sections on slots, table games, live dealer casinos and practical information including reviews, deposit methods and comparisons.

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High Tech Gambling: Poker and gambling in general is moving forward, mobiles are the future of the internet, and there have been some amazing developments already. This link is to a completely separate site 'High Tech Gambling' which is dedicated to the future of online casino, poker and sports-betting. This site has been specially adapted to look great on smartphones!