Sit N Go Tournament Strategy (SNG)
Sit N Go Tournaments (SNG) are a great way to learn how to play at a final table. It is a single table 9-10 player tournament with the top 3 places paid. No more fighting your way through Multi-Table Tournaments (MTT) hoping to reach the end. It would be very costly and time consuming to adapt your final table skills thru MTT’s. The advantages to a SNG are that the game begins once the table is full, and a game typically does not last longer than an hour. If you truly want to improve on your final table skills, then SNG’s are your best bet.

A big difference in a SNG is that when someone gets eliminated, the play becomes faster paced. Even though the blind changes are always the same, whenever a player gets knocked out the blinds theoretically go up. Example: You are playing 6 handed with blinds of 100/200. So you are putting up 300 every 6 hands. One person is eliminated and now you are putting up 300 every 5 hands. With that increase you are forced to gamble more, or risk getting blinded out.

The best strategy is to start off with a conservative tight image. The blinds are small and you will not lose too much ground waiting around for better hands. Also, it might give you a tight table image early which could help when you need to do some blind stealing when the table size starts shrinking. But once the table is down to 4 players, this is your best chance to start loosening up.

Most players figure they have nothing to lose early, so they go for the quick double-up. They take wild chances and play out of control when in their mind nothing is on line because they are so far from the money. Then, once they’re in the money or on the bubble, they tighten up. They then start thinking about that payout for moving up a place. This is when you can start doing your damage. You will already have a tight table image and people will only play strong hands trying to improve their money standings.

You should continue this strategy even when you are in the money, because people will still try to move up in money. But if you look at it as, all 3 of you have already doubled your buy in. So why wait for strong hands and risk getting blinded out for an additional 10% payout? (This is typically the payout difference between 2nd and 3rd)

Go out and try this tight early and loose late strategy and I think you will start seeing an improvement in your results.