Beginning Texas Holdem Sit’n Go Guidelines

Sit’n Go is Texas Holdem as it is played at the final table of a multi-table tournament. In single table SNG, the game begins with one table of 9 to 10 players. Once a player gets knocked out, their place remains empty. As time moves forward, the blinds increase. This unique combination of conditions demmands unique approaches for three different stages of the game.

The combination of skill acquired by learning these three phases is a prerequisite for multi table tournaments. As a bonus, SNG’s can be a fun way to socialize, free or low cost, and take much less time. New games start up frequently at PokerStars and they usually last less than an hour.

As players are eliminated from the game and the the players dwindle, the remaining players must place their blinds more frequently. This causes the cost per hand to go up, even though the blinds haven’t gone up. You must take more chances now, before the binds reduce your stack of chips to nothing. This is why the size of the blinds in relationship to your remaining bankroll directly influences your starting hand selections.

Another aspect of SNG that determines your hand selections and playing strategy is how the prize money is rewarded. Most SNG’s pay 50% to first, 30% to second, and 20% to third place. You must play for third, by playing conservatively during the early phase and plan looser later on. Here are the three phases and how to change your strategy:

1. When the blinds are small and don’t come around to you very often due to a full table, play fewer hands. Play only the profitable hands and avoid all in confrontations unless your odds are high. This wil help create your table image as a conservative player which will become instrumental when phase two begins and you must strategically raise.
2. When the blinds are moderate, begin raising and re-raising the blinds when you have decent starting hands in the dealer or cut off position. During this phase, you want to avoid being blinded out and still enough chips to give you fold equity in the final phase. Fold equity is when you have enough chips relative to the pot allowing you to buy a few pots.
3. Once you achieve your primary objective of 3rd place, you get 20% of the prize pool, a guaranteed profit. Now you can loosen up you starting hand requirements. This is where it pays to gamble for first place. When the blinds are high, you must become aggressive in order to win. You may have to play less than average hands that you would have folded earlier.

With practice, it shouldn’t take long to learn the Holdem Starting Hands. Join the fun, learn How to Play Texas Holdem.