(This article assumes that you already know the rules of No Limit Texas Holdem, that you know how a tournament works and that you are familiar with common poker terminology. Click here to Learn the Basics)
This article will teach you how to get into the money and make a consistent profit by playing sit-n-go tournaments. This is only one out of many possible strategies. If you read the books we recommend in Master the Game, you will have a much stronger foundation and understanding of the game. But this is a good how-to-guide that will help you make money in single table tournaments before you have had a chance to read the more advanced books. Play your hands as instructed in this article and you will make the money often enough to show a steady profit.
Your main objective is to stay in the tournament long enough to get in to the money.
Abbreviations
If I mention that a certain hand can be played in a certain situation, then it is assumed that any hand better than that can also be played in that situation. I will indicate this with a plus symbol. (Example: if you can play 55+, then 66, 77, 88……AA can also be played. If you can play QT+, then you can play QJ, KQ, etc.)
- BB = Big Blind
- SB = Small Blind
- CO = Cut off (one off the button)
Position
This is a very important concept to understand about poker. If you do not understand position, all other information you ever acquire will be of no use to you.
In a 9 handed game I refer to:
- Early Position as the 2 seats to the left of the BB
- Middle Position as next 3 seats
- Late Position as the 2 remaining seats. (The button and the 1 seat to the right.
)
The blinds are in late position before the flop but they are in early position after the flop.
The later position you have, the better off you are. This is because you get to see what your opponents do before it is your turn to act. This is vital information that you have about their hands that will help you with your decision about how to play your hand.
Throughout the tournament you calculate your position in relation to the button, ie. – how many positions from the button you are. 2 off the button, 3 off the button etc.
Rule: Play very few hands from early position. Play a few more from middle position and a few more than that in late position. If you play a hand from early position you will be out of position on all betting rounds. Also you do not know if the pot will be raised or re-raised after you have put your money in.
Tournament Stages
Consider the tournament to have 3 main stages. (The sample blind structure here is the same as Full Tilt Poker)
- Early – (SB 15/BB 30) to (SB 40/BB 80)
- Middle – (SB 50/BB 100) to (SB 120/BB 240)
- Late – (SB 150/BB 300) until the end of the tournament.
How to play the Early Stage
Play only AA – JJ & AK (*See below for exceptions). Raise at lease 3.5 x BB if you are first to make a raise. If the pot has been raised before you always re-raise big (at least 3x the original raise) with AA-QQ. Re-raise with JJ and AK if the raise came from a middle or late position player but just call if it came from early position (see section below on Playing the Flop).
In the early stages you only want to get involved in pots where you are likely to be a big favorite. Many times you will win the pot without seeing a flop. Even better is to get heads-up against 1 opponent and then usually get all of your chips in on the flop. I say usually because you will have to assess your hand after the flop to see if you are likely to still have the best hand. If you are following these instructions you will usually still have the best hand on the flop.
*Some exceptions:
- If you are 1st to enter the pot from middle position, you can also raise with 99+ and AQ+.
- If you are 1st to enter the pot from late position, you can also raise with 55+ and KJ+. You will often win the blinds in this situation without seeing a flop. A good preflop raise in this position is about 3x the BB.
- You are in late position and there are already callers. With a pocket pairs (22-TT). You should call to try and flop a set.
- If you are in the BB with a hand like 55+, A9s+, or KJs+, and a late position player has raised first into the pot, you should call to see a flop. These hands fare well against your opponents range of hands.
Playing the Flop
Most pots you play will not involve making decisions post flop. When you do have post flop decisions you will usually be in 1 of the following situations.
1. You called an early position raise with AK. If you hit an A or K on the flop raise big, often all-in if the pot is big. If you flop a draw with 10 outs or better you should call a moderate flop bet to try and improve.
2. You called an early position raise with JJ. If the flop comes with all cards lower than J, raise big or all-in unless you think an opponent has a better hand. Fold if any higher cards come except if you have good reason to believe that your JJ are still the best hand.
3. You raised first-in to steal the blinds but got 1 caller. A good guide to follow here is to bet 2/3 of the pot on the flop (see section on Commitment). If you are raised or called, and you do not think you have the best hand (example: you have no pair or there are overcards on the flop to your pair) then you should consider checking and/or folding.
4. You are in the BB or SB and called a steal raise. If you flop 2 pair or better, check-raise all-in. If you flopped top pair, make a pot-sized bet on the flop. You will usually win the pot right here. (More information about these situations can be found in the section on Commitment.)
5. You limped a small pair in late position. If you flop a set you should try to build a
big pot with 2/3 pot-sized bets. Sets don’t come often so try to make as much as you can when you flop a set. If you think your opponent will call bigger or all-in bets, then make those bets.
How to play in the Blinds
Big Blind(BB) Small Blind(SB)
If you are in the SB and the pot has not been raised, play any pair, any 2 cards higher than 10 or any 2 suited cards.
If you flop top 2 pair, a set, a straight or flush, you have two choices. If you expect an opponent to bet (perhaps there is an aggressive opponent is in the pot) then you can check-raise all-in. Make a pot-sized bet if you are not sure that someone else will bet.
If you flop a flush draw or open-end straight draw, only call tiny bets (in proportion to your stack and pot). If you hit your hand you can check-raise all-in. Otherwise, make a pot-sized bet if you are not sure that someone else will bet.
The recommended strategy for the early stages is to play only the very best hands. You will want to conserve your chips for later in the tournament.
How to play the Middle Stage
By now the blinds are bigger in relation to the stacks and there are less people left in the tournament. Strategy for the middle stages does not change much from the early stages. You continue to play tight but not as tight as before.
There are several starting hands that you now can play but you will not always play. Whether you play them or not will depend on your stack size and the playing styles of the players still left to act. You can
now play AQ, TT, and 99 from early position. Always raise these hands if you are 1st in. You can also add hands like KJ, AT and 55 from middle position (1st in) and hands like A5, K9, and 33 from late position (1st in).
Your objective with these hands will be to win the blinds without seeing a flop, or by taking the pot with a bet on the flop (if against only 1 player). It is usually but not always correct to bet the flop in position against 1 opponent. (For more information see sections on Playing the Flop and Commitment.)
If there has already been a raise from early position, continue to play tight using the hand criteria from the section on Early Stage Strategy.
Stack size and Commitment
In the middle stages you will play hands differently depending on the size of your stack in relation to the BB and in relation to the other stacks.
Commitment
"Effective stack" is the smaller of the stacks involved in the pot. If raising means that you will be putting in 1/3 of the effective stack (yours or your opponent’s, whichever is smaller), then you are committed. 1/3 of the effective stack is your commitment threshold. DO NOT put in 1/3 of your stack if you do not plan putting the other 2/3 in if raised or called. If you raise an amount that is 1/3 of the effective stack, then you should have an easy decision committing the remaining 2/3.
The reason for this is pot odds.
Example: You have 1500 chips and you raise to 500. Your opponent who also has 1500 chips, re-raises you all-in. It costs you 1000 to call for a pot of 2000 which means that you are getting 2/1 odds. You just put in 1/3 of your stack and now you are getting 2/1 odds. It is wrong to fold in this situation. 2/1 odds are just too good.
The only times you should consider folding pre-flop after putting in 1/3 of your stack is if - you are re-raised by more than 1 opponent or – you are bluffing (stealing with bad or mediocre cards).
The biggest mistake that players make is to build a big pot and then fold. You need to plan your hand around commitment. Don’t cross the commitment threshold without a good hand.
If you find yourself in a situation where you are considering making a bet on the flop, but you are not sure if your hand is best and you will have to fold if raised, then do not make the bet if it means crossing the commitment threshold.
Playing a Big Stack
If your stack is 20 x the BB or larger, it is probably one of the bigger stacks in the tournament. You can raise more often to steal blinds from smaller stacks and tight players. Select your stealing hands and size your pre-flop raise carefully. You do not want to double up a medium or short stack if your plan is to just take their blind. If a bigger stack enters the pot, only commit to playing for all your chips with your very best hands. Avoid confrontations with other big stacks or very tight players unless you have a really good hand.
Playing a Medium Stack
If your stack is 16 x BB to 10 x BB, play according to the above section on How to play the Middle Stages.
Playing a Small Stack
If your stack is 10 x BB or less, you have a small stack. Do not play a hand unless you are willing to commit. Wait for a hand as good as AJ+, KQ+, 88+. With the lower range of these hands, it is better to be first-in. Pay close attention to the time left in the level. You may have 9xBB now but if the blinds go up in 1 minute and you must pay the big and small in a couple of hands, you may have only 6xBB very soon.
- If your stack is 8 x BB or less, wait for a hand as good as A9+, KJ+, QJ+, 77+
- If your stack is 6 x BB or less, wait for a hand as good as A7+, KT+, QJ+, 33+
- If your stack is 4 x BB or less, you’re not waiting – you’re pushing all-in if 1st to enter the pot with A2+, K7+, Q9+, J9+, T9s, 22+
When pushing all-in with the weaker end of these hands, you must consider how many players are left to act after you. The more players are left to act, the more likely you are to be called. You must also consider the stack size and playing style of the player in the BB when moving with a weak hand. You may fold A7 1st in if the BB is loose and/or has a big stack and you know that he will call you. But you may happily play K7 if the BB is very tight and is likely to fold most hands to your all-in bet.
How to Play the Late Stage
The decisions at this part of the tournament are the hardest and are the most important ones to get right if you are to make it into the money.
Your play at this stage must loosen up and more hands become playable. You need to steal the blinds enough so that they don’t diminish your stack. At this stage with few players remaining, the blinds come around more frequently and if you are not winning your fair share of them they will eat up your stack very quickly.
If you were paying attention(or if you have PokerTracker) you will know who the tight players are and who the loose players are. This information is very important when deciding who’s blind to steal. If it is folded to you in late position and a tight player is in the BB, you can sometimes raise to steal with any 2 cards if you think it is very likely that the BB will fold. You do not want to get in to a confrontation with this tight player. You just want to take the blinds without seeing a flop. If he calls your raise you will usually have to just give up on the hand.
The bigger your stack the more often you should raise to steal the blinds. If you are a medium stack you must choose your opportunities more carefully because you don’t want to become a small stack.
At this crucial stage, do not enter a raised pot without a premium hand.
Defending Against Steals in the Late Stage
Against aggressive players that are stealing very often you should re-raise your good hands. If you have AJ or 99 or better in the BB and a raise comes from a player who has been stealing a lot from the button or cut-off position, you should re-raise him. Often all-
in is the best re-raise, depending on stack sizes. Remember Commitment criteria. Also, you don’t want to risk your whole tournament re-raising a steal unless you are sure that you hand fares very well against the range of hands that your opponent is likely to have. Check your PokerTracker for their ‘attempt to steal’ statistic.
5 Players Left
Your play will be determined by the relative stack sizes and the size of the blinds. If the stacks are relatively even you should play as described above. If there are 1 or 2 small stacks you should tighten up and hopefully they will bust out. Only challenge the small stacks if you have good cards or a big stack.
4 Players Left
Play at this stage is dependant on relative stack size. Your objective is to get into the money. 4th gets nothing so the last thing you want to do after getting this far is to bust out 1 off the money – if it can be avoided.
If you have a large stack, then play against the small stacks with decent cards in the hopes of eliminating them. Put pressure on the tight players that are trying to fold into the money by stealing their blinds. Do not get involved in pots with stacks similar to yours unless you have a really, really good hand.
If you have a medium stack then play tight. Wait to see if the short stack gets eliminated. Steal the blinds from the short stack and/or tight players. Avoid confrontation with similar or bigger stacks.
Folding into the Money
If there are 4 players left and you are short stacked but 1 other player is even shorter than you – and if it will cost him nearly his whole stack just to pay the BB + SB – then you must fold everything except AA and KK. It is very likely that your opponent will lose all his chips in his blind hands. Therefore, you should not gamble without a premium hand as you risk getting knocked out in 4th and your opponent will sneak into the money.
How Stack Size Affects Hand Selection
Small Stack
It is usually better to push all-in 1st in with any 2 cards than having your stack get lower than 4xBB. If you get much lower than 4xBB your opponents will call your all-in (correctly) with almost any 2 cards.
If you find yourself the only short stack or very short stacked (2x BB or less) you are going to have to double up to stay in the tournament. You may even have to call a raise with a hand that you would normally throw away.
Example: You are in the BB which is 400. After you pay the Blind you have 400 left in your stack – 200 of which you will be forced to pay in the SB if you fold this hand.
You are committed. Your cards do not matter. In this situation you will have to call a raise for your last 400 with any 2 cards. (The only exception is if you are folding into the money as described above.)
If you fold in this situation you will have only 200 chips left after you pay your SB. Your odds of getting back into the tournament from there are extremely small, which is why you must not fold here.
Big Stack
If you have a very big stack you can play hands against short stacks that you would normally fold if it costs no more than 10% of your stack to call and you are last to act and you have the opportunity to knock a player out. You can call with any pair any Ace or any 2 cards 9 or bigger. (If you are not last to act you need to consider whether a player behind you is likely to raise after you have called.)
In the Money
When the tournament is down to the last 3 players, your primary goal has been achieved. You made the money and you made a profit. You are guaranteed 3rd place no matter.
At this stage you treat it as a new tournament for some extra money – a 3 player tournament where 3rd place pays 0 extra, 2nd pays 50% extra (2nd pays 50% more than 3rd) and 1st place pays 250% extra (the winner gets 250% more than 3rd).
Strategy for this part of the tournament is similar to when 4 players are left. The hands you play will be determined by your stack size in relation to the BB and in relation to the other stacks. You will have to make moves with a wide variety of hands when the blinds get very big late in the tournament.
If you stick to these guidelines, you will show a nice profit playing sit-n-go tournaments. Good luck!
