Low blind Sit N Go strategy doesn’t get a lot of respect. I’ve even heard some players go so far as to say that you should open up a Sit N Go, then go get something to eat during the low blind stage of the game.
In truth, this strategy could work out pretty well. The reason playing super-tight is a winning strategy is because it’s usually a mistake to get mixed up in a big pot when the blinds are low unless you have a monster hand. It’s not uncommon to see AK go down to A6 when there’s an Ace on the flop and the donkey pairs his rag and if you ignore the low blinds altogether, you won’t find yourself in these situations.
Super-tight is a winning strategy, but is it the optimal one? I’d argue that it isn’t.
I like to splash around a little when the blinds are cheap with speculative hands like small pocket pairs, suited connectors and even the occasional high suited gapper. If my hand hits, it will hit hard and I stand a good chance of doubling through someone who’s made top pair/top kicker.
You have to be careful playing these kinds of hands during low blind play and be ready to fold to heavy action even if you think you may have the best hand. Here are some tips to help you improve your low blind strategy:
Be Aware Of Position
Position is everything in low blind play. If I pick up QJs under the gun, it’s an insta-fold. But if I pick it up on the button, I’ll raise it if there hasn’t been any pre-flop action. Speculative hands need position in order to be played.
67s under the gun? Fold.
67s on the button with no one in the pot? Fold.
67s on the button with two or three limpers? Call.
Position is everything in the low blind phase of a Sit N Go.
Be Prepared To Fold A Good Hand
Let’s say the blinds are 30/60 and you pick up KJs on the button. It folds around to you and you put in a standard raise to 120, the small blind folds and the tight-aggressive big blind calls (Pot is 270). The flop comes 8h Kh 8d. The big blind checks and you bet 200. The big blind check/raises you for 1400 more.
The two of you are about even in chips and a call would cost you the tournament. A hand like AK or KQ is definitely in the TAG player’s range. He might have even slow played Aces pre-flop since he had you heads-up anyway. A flush draw is possible too, but less likely. This is a clear fold.
I’d argue that you should fold even if you knew your opponent was on the flush draw. You still have plenty of chips and there’s no reason to risk your entire tournament equity in this spot.
Don’t Donk Off Your Chips
This is a tip that I had problems with early on. If I’m the pre-flop aggressor, I usually follow up with a 2/3 pot continuation bet on the flop. This strategy got me into a lot of trouble on Full Tilt because a lot of players on that site will float a c-bet, even out of position, with a wide range of hands. After firing two barrels, I’d be forced to give up on a bloated pot and the villain would take it down with third pair.
When you find yourself in a similar situation, you can play a “fit or fold” poker strategy. Check/fold your hand if you miss and bet mercilessly for value when you hit.
Another thing I’ve been using is Sharkscope stats. Here’s a screen shot (I’m not on this screen BTW):
While there are exceptions, I’ve found that winning players will usually fold to a C-bet without a solid hand and losing players will float. Of course, individual loose/tight reads help but floating seems to correlate strongly with losing.
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The low blind stage of a Sit N Go is a great place to build your stack and establish a tight-aggressive image. The problem is that if your image is too tight, your opponents will pound your blinds during the middle and high blind stages of the tourney. Adding quality speculative hands in position and paying more attention to your opponents will give you the edge you need to increase your stack. Then you can be the one pounding the blinds.
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