I used to be a big Sit ‘N Go player but recently I realized that I make a better hourly rate when I’m playing cash or multi-table tournaments.  A few people have questioned my decision to include SNGs in my poker routine since it doesn’t make sense to spend my time playing a game that isn’t maximizing my hourly rate.  My response is that SNGs make a great filler game.  Let me explain.

Both cash and tournaments are time intensive.  I have to block out 3 to 5 hours when I plan on playing multi-table tournaments for obvious reasons and it usually takes me about half an hour to an hour to select a good cash table (gotta make sure I get one full of fish).  But Sit ‘N Goes are easy.  All I have to do is fire them up and I’m ready to go.

Of course, there are a few SNG regulars that I’d rather avoid, but they’re usually easy to spot since they sign up for several tables at once.

The other great thing about SNGs is that it’s easy to play a winning strategy.  There’s very little post-flop play and your edge comes from making +EV shoves and calls.  Personally, I think the simplicity of SNG strategy is part of the problem since a lot more players are getting wise to the Independent Chip Model.

Finally, one of the big reasons I’m keeping SNGs in my poker plan is because I can multi-table the bejesus out of them.  I can only play about 2 cash games at a time (’cause I have to pay attention to the people I’m targeting) and I can only play about 3 or 4 multi-table tournaments at a time (’cause that’s about the most that run at once on Bodog), but I can play 10 or 12 SNGs in one sitting.  It’s super sweet.

If you haven’t played SNGs yet, give them a try.  They’re quick games and they’ll improve your multi-table tournament play especially at the final table.

For more information about winning SNGs, see these articles:

What Makes A Winning SNG Player

Low Blind Strategy

Mid Blind Strategy

High Blind Strategy

There are two pieces of paper that sit next to me when I play poker.  They’re old, crumbled, covered in grease stains and dotted with bitter tear stains from past bad beats.  These tattered pieces of paper are the Nash Push/Call charts and I’d never play a Sit ‘N Go without them.

Most SNG players know about the Independent Chip Model (ICM).  ICM is the theory that determines when shoving/calling a pre-flop shove is unexploitable.  Don’t get the words “unexploitable” and “optimal” confused.  A move that is unexploitable isn’t always optimal.

For example, shoving aces from late position in an unopened pot when the blinds are 15/30 is an unexploitable move but it’s hardly optimal.  That said, Nash equilibrium tells you when shoving or calling a shove is unexploitable heads-up.

Here are the Nash Equilibrium charts:

Source: Holdemresources.net

The numbers represent the number of effective big blinds needed to make the shove unexploitable.

Personally, I like to make standard raises and play poker until the small stack has about 13 or 14 big blinds.  But if you’re seriously outmatched or your opponent is a complete lunatic, you can use the Nash charts to negate any edge they have.  The only way they can adjust to your play is to start playing Nash too.  If they don’t, you’ll have the edge.

Nash is great if you’re playing online, but you won’t be able to take your charts to the table with you if you’re playing live.  If you’re playing live, there’s a little trick you can use to play close to Nash called SAGE.  It’s not perfect, but it’s close enough.  Here’s how you do it:

SAGE uses two numbers: the power index and the ratio of the small stack to the big blind.

Finding the ratio of the small stack to the big blind is easy.  Just take the small stack and divide it by the big blind.  So if the small stack is t1000 and the big blind is t100, the ratio is 10.

The power index is a bit more complicated.  You assign a value to your hand based on the cards you hold and whether or not they’re suited or a pocket pair.  Here’s how the scoring system works:

Ace = 15

King = 13

Queen = 12

Jack = 11

Other cards = face value

Your hand also gets bonus points if it’s suited or a pocket pair.

Suited = +2

Pocket Pairs = +22

The way you figure out your power index is to double the score of your highest card, then add the score of your other card and any bonus points.

So a hand like J9 offsuit would have a score of 31 (11*2+9) whereas J9 suited would be 33 (11*2+9+2).  The most powerful hand you can hold is pocket Aces (15*2+15+22=67) and the least powerful hand you can hold is 32 offsuit (3*2+2=8).

Now here’s what you do with that information:

Source: SitAndGoPlanet.com

The chart tells you what your power index needs to be in order to shove or call a shove when the effective stack size is 7 big blinds or less.

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Obviously you won’t win every heads-up situation using Nash Equilibrium or SAGE, but you’ll win more often than you’ll lose.  Obviously these charts aren’t a substitute for learning solid heads-up play, but they’ll definitely help you take down more tournaments.

Sit ‘N goes are a progression of insanity.  You start out playing ABC poker; waiting for solid hands and playing them strong.  Then the mid blind phase comes and you start stealing blinds like a clepto and defending yours like they’re your children.  But once the high blind phase comes (150/300+), all reason goes out the window and you start sticking it in with 92o.

I’m not gonna lie.  I haven’t fully developed the balls necessary to stick in my stack with any two cards unless I’m in really bad shape…or I’m tilting.  The “book” says you should shove from the small blind with any two when you have less than 10x the big blind, but I just can’t do it with the bottom of my range (32o, 45o, 93o, etc.).  Maybe I’d win more SNGs if I did.  I don’t know.  But for now, here’s how I play Sit ‘N goes during the high blinds.

Big Stack Bully

I bet...oh, say... $12 million.

I love being the big stack when a Sit ‘N Go hits the high blind stage, especially if we’re on the bubble.  I’ll raise, re-raise and shove with all kinds of trash knowing that my opponents pretty much need JJ+ or AK to make their call +EV.  I may slow down a little bit against a player who doesn’t seem to follow the SNG rule book, but not by much.

Once we get into the money, I don’t let up a whole lot.  If my two opponents are close in chip count to each other, a second pseudo-bubble develops as they fight for second place and I keep pounding them.  In this kind of situation, I’m likely to take first place easily.

Small Sack Sucker

It sucks to be the small stack when the blinds are high and it really sucks if you’re on the bubble and you figure to be bubble-boy.  You only have two moves at this point: shove or fold.

I’ll usually wait until I’m the first in the pot to shove.  If someone limps, I’ll usually lay it down unless my hand is pretty strong.  When I do shove, the quality of my hand is inversely proportional to the quality of my position.  The later my position, the more likely I am to shove with trash.  If the hand isn’t suited or connected, I usually like to see some paint before I shove but that all depends on how short I am and who I’m shoving into.

I also shove wide in the small blind, but I usually want at least 9 high if the cards aren’t s00ted.

Average Joe Stack

It’s tough for me to play with an average stack.  If I have around 11-13 big blinds, I usually just shove with decent hands or I’ll raise 2.5x if I want to steal a blind, but I have to go through the big stack to do it.  If the big stack re-raises often, I’ll just fold or shove through him.  If there’s a shorty at the table, I’ll try to wait him out.  Otherwise, I’m looking to build my stack to have a decent shot at first place.

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High blind SNG strategy should be governed by the Independent Chip Model.  If you want some help working on your push/fold game, SNGwizard is a great program that will analyze your hand history and show you where you’re making mistakes.  It’s a necessary piece of software for any serious SNG player.

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.

Last month I wrote an article describing how poker leaks develop, but I never gave any specific examples of what kind of play could be a leak and that’s why I wanted to write this article.

About a week or so ago, I was looking at my poker graph and thinking, “Holy shit!  This thing’s got more peaks than the Rockies!”  My overall win rate was positive, but there were some brutal swings in my chart.  I knew I had a leak somewhere.  I just needed to find it.

The leak wasn’t hard to find.  It was HUGE, but it still surprised me.  My leak was accepting coin flips during the early blind stage of Sit N Goes.

After I became aware of my leak I started paying more attention to my opponents and realized that I wasn’t alone.  The coin flip leak is common.  Here’s what happens.

The blinds are 30/60 and you’re in the cutoff with AKo.  You have 1760 chips.  UTG limps and UTG+1 raises to 240 and everyone else folds to you.  UTG+1 has 1575 left.

You re-raise to 600 and it folds back to UTG+1 who thinks for a couple of seconds, then shoves all-in.  You call and UTG+1 shows 99.  It’s a classic race situation.

Hands like this happen all the time in low-to-mid limit Sit N Goes and I’d argue it’s a major leak in most players’ games.

There was no reason for this stack-off.  The blinds were low and both players were in fairly good shape before the hand yet each one was willing to risk their entire tournament on a coin flip.

This kind of play is fine when the blinds are high or a player is short-stacked because your opponent’s range is much wider in these situations and AK or a pocket pair may be big favorites.  However, when the blinds are low your aggression should be low.

In my opinion, the player with AKo should have called or put in a smaller raise.  The player with Ace-King had a strong hand and position and could have outplayed his opponent or gotten away easy if his opponent showed a lot of strength.  This player’s raise and the subsequent re-raise all-in took away the positional advantage he would have had if he just called.

Since I started declining coin flips, I’ve noticed two things.  The first is that I money more frequently and my graph is more stable.  But I’ve also noticed that I finish 3^rd or 2^nd more often because I’m usually playing a smallish stack after the bubble.  However, I think the latter is more due to less-than-optimal bubble play than failing to build a big stack early.

If you think you’re a better player than most of the field, there’s no reason to grab a small edge when the blinds are low.  Play solid poker early on and save the gambling for when the blinds justify the risk.