Sit and Go Tournaments - All you need to know
A Poker Skool Guide To Sit and Go's
A short while ago only the dedicated pro wanted to play tournaments.
Most ordinary punters either overlooked tournaments altogether or were scared of over stretching themselves financially so played safe and kept away.
The other problem was lots of punters weren’t sure what it was going to cost them and how long the game would last some were being put off with tales of 24hour poker marathons.
So here at Poker Skool we have once again come to the rescue with our quick run down on what it’s going to cost you to play a sit and go tournament. First off not all poker sites are equal and we highly recommend you try out our favourite Poker Site Pacific Poker or as lots of you know it 888 poker.
This site offers games for all levels of ability and you can find action to suit any pocket. With Sit and Go's costing only $1 + 50 c thats $1.50 c or in English about 90p. that isn't going to break
The Advantages of STT
Single table tournaments have snowballed in recent years mainly due to the fact that they give players the opportunity to have fun and win money without losing their shirts.
With STT’s the most you can lose is your initial ‘buy-in’ this gives you the opportunity to emulate your favourite TV players by going ‘all-in’.
First off, Tournaments can be a profitable way to play texas holdem, you only have to pay a set fee to join a table this is called the ‘buy - in’
(If you’re not sure what the term buy in means please visit our lingo page to brush up on the terms. ) (literally this means you pay the fee and get allocated a set number of chips, no player on the table can start with more chips than his fellow players, after all you’ve all payed the same fee to join. The perfect democracy you all start equal.)
The buy in can be any amount from $1 + 50 cents upto $750 + $30, the games fill up quickly and you can have loads of action, Single table games usually last between 30mins and 1 hour depending on ability, you will start with $800 in chips for buy ins less than $30 or with $1000 in chips for higher buy ins
Once enough people have ‘bought-in’ the game begins. You will play until one person either through luck or skill or both wins all the chips on the table.
The prize allocation varies from tournament to tournament please read the rules before you join a table. However the usual practice is the last two or three players will win money and the winner takes the lions share.
At Pacific Poker it quite clearly tells you once you’ve clicked to join a table what the rules for that particular game are. How quick the blinds are raised and to what amounts, who will win what and how many players there are.
In an attempt to stimulate play and to prevent the game lasting forever The Blinds (not sure what the blinds are read our lingo guide.) will be raised every few hands, forcing players to call by gradually eating away at their stacks.
Remember the golden rules of tournament poker play tight early doors unless you have a massive hand but you don’t really want to give it away do you, so play tight and sucker them into some wild betting. Points to note everyone who gets knocked out increases your chances of winning something.
Don't Forget the basic rules of poker, hands to play in early stages are JJ, QQ, KK AA AK if suited but let any hand go (well all but AA and KK) if some nutter goes all in. No limit poker is slightly if not completely different from normal poker small pocket pairs can be worth a lot if your in a late position.
Bluffing in the early parts of a STT are a bit of a no no the blinds aren’t worth the action and some plonker is bound to call you. Never chase the river it will ruin your image and lose you a lot of chips.