I love poker (most of the time). I play almost every day and when I’m not playing, I’m tweeting about it on twitter, reading about it or typing about it in one of the four poker forums I frequent. In fact, poker is such a big part of my life that I can’t help but talk about it when I’m with my non-poker playing friends. Apparently my enthusiasm is contagious.
Two of my friends decided to take the plunge and become poker players themselves. They deposited some money at Full Tilt and proceeded to lose their asses. I wanted to help my buddies out so I fired up Skype and coached them through a few Sit N Goes. The difference was immediate.
I wouldn’t say my friends are card sharks now, but they’re not hemorrhaging money anymore. The coaching sessions were educational for me too. I got to see the way a new player plays hands and get some insight into their thought process. Here’s what I found makes a winning Sit N Go player:
Winning Sit N Go Players Are Tight
Winning poker players don’t play good hands. They play great hands. I noticed my friends wanted to play things like QTs and small pocket pairs from early position (and for a raise!). When the blinds are low I pitch these hands without giving them a second thought. Hell, I wouldn’t even use QTs to execute a steal in late position unless the blinds were at least 40/80, the pot was unopened and both the blinds were tight. Winning players know that the best low blind Sit N Go Strategy is tight.
Winning Sit N Go Players Seize Edges
I watched one instance where my friend was in the big blind with around 1800 in chips and the blinds were 100/200. The action folded to a loose luck box in mid position who raised to 400 and he was called by another loose player on the button. The small blind folded and my friend looked down at JJ. I asked my friend what he wanted to do and he said, “Call.”
I told my friend to shove all in. He did and took down the pot without a fight almost doubling his chip count in the process. After the hand I asked my buddy why he wanted to call and he said, “Because I wanted to see the flop first.”
Winning poker players seize any opportunity to win a large pot. I’d make the above move with much less than JJ against two loose players.
Winning Sit N Go Players Play the Situation
There are no standard moves for a winning Sit N Go player. The way they play any hand depends on the action of the players before them, the style of the players yet to act and the size of the blinds. I think this situational awareness is the major difference between a losing player and a winning player. Just like a star quarterback can take in the entire field and make the right decision is a split second, winning poker players can process all the information on the felt and make the right decision. It’s a skill that can only be earned with experience.
Winning Sit N Go Players Are Versatile
A winning Sit N Go player can adapt their playing style to changing conditions. These players start out super-tight aggressive and slowly loosen their requirements as the blinds rise until they’re playing a loose-aggressive style on the bubble.
Losing Sit N Go players do the opposite. These players play loose-aggressive when the blinds are low, then they clam up when the blinds are high. It’s a recipe for disaster.
Winning Sit N Go Players Are Disciplined
After his first win, one of my friends decided to play a $10 Sit N Go and he only had $25 in his account. In one game he lost almost half his bankroll. A winning Sit N Go player would never let that happen.
Winning Sit N Go players use proper bankroll management and will never risk more than 5% of their bankroll on a game. Some winning Sit N Go players won’t even risk more than 1% of their bankroll. Winning players know that shit happens and a bad run can leave you reeling. They make sure they have enough money to weather the swings.
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Obviously I’m not the god of Sit N Goes and my game has more than a few leaks, but I think it’s interesting how similar losing and winning players are. The only thing that separates the two is a loose raise here or a missed opportunity there. I’m sure I’ll see more differences as I improve, but I think that any player that can master the five factors I mentioned above can become a winner.
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