Poker Strategy - Short-Handed Sit N Go Strategy

Playing short handed sit n go poker tournaments is one of the most faced paced and exciting games that you can play at an online poker site.  The tournaments offer the chance to win substantial prizes for a fraction of the time of traditional multi-table tournaments and are often crowded with inexperienced and loose poker players.  By mastering the art of winning sit n go’s you can greatly improve your chances of becoming a winning poker player and over time can amass a serious bankroll to play with.  This article will guide you through every step of short handed sit n go play from a full table to heads up and will tell you exactly how to beat your competition and emerge victorious one tournament after another.

6 Players Remaining

With 6 players at the table and the tournament just barely underway, you want to play a very conservative game and should no be entering pots unless you hold very premium cards.  Minimizing risk and picking your spots in the very early stages is a strict set of rules that should be followed to ensure that you make it to the money.  By playing conservatively here, you will enable yourself to last into the deeper stages of the tournament.

5 Players Remaining

At 5 players left, only one opponent will have been knocked out and this usually happens very early on in the tournament as there is usually someone playing who really isn’t too interested in winning.  Even though one player has been eliminated, it doesn’t mean you should loosen up your play and the best strategy at this point is the same as the beginning conserving your stack and betting with made hands.

4 Players Remaining

When there are 4 players remaining in the tournament, you want to start loosing up your play a little bit to add some chips to your bankroll.  The absolute worst position to be in for short handed sit and go’s is short stack on the bubble, so here is where you want to focus on picking up chips to become in 2nd or hopefully 1st place.  Using a semi-aggressive playing style at this point, you should be able to pick up some extra chips for the remaining battle.

3 Players Remaining

Once the 4th player has been eliminated and there are 3 players remaining, the battle will intensify as the next player to bust will not make the money and the remaining two are guaranteed a portion of the prize pool.  If you are short stacked in this situation, all-in is your only move and you should be waiting for medium to premium hands to shove with.  If you are second or first in chips, you should be cautious as your only goal at this point is to wait for the 3rd player to be eliminated so you can make the money.

2 Players Remaining

In heads up play in short handed sit and go’s, some players will become super aggressive and go all-in every hand.  While this strategy may work in some circumstances, a style of selective but aggressive play is the strategy to ensure that you win the tournament.  By analyzing your opponents play, you should do the exact opposite of what they are doing in terms of betting.  If the player is loose, you play conservatively and if the player is conservative turn the aggression up.  By mixing up your playing style at this point in the game, you should be able to defeat your opponent and win the tournament.