Playing cash games can become very difficult for most players. Having the discipline to sit through thousands of hands for a measly 2-3 big blinds in profit every 100 hands is a true grind. I know because I have tried it myself many times, making small but almost insignificant profits. Then I discovered what I believe to be a better way to play online poker for the average player. Small tournaments called Sit n’ Go’s (SNGs) usually consist of anywhere from 6-9 people, where as multi-table tournaments (MTTs) have multiple tables of 18 or more players.
The upside to playing in SNG’s online for me is my ability play for cash while managing my bankroll. Furthermore, most SNG’s take around an hour to complete, where as MTT’s can take 6 hours or more. I also like the blind structure of these types of tournaments. Blinds increase quite slowly allowing me to sit back and wait for playable hands. Furthermore, since these tournaments usually have 9 players and 3 payout positions I have a good chance of achieving positive ROI. Obviously if only 3 places payout, that means I have to be better than 6 other players at the table to win long term- 1 in 3 players cash in the money. Being that there are almost always 2-3 weak players at the small buyin SNG’s, cashing is fairly easy.
Judi online experts will provide the information about the amount of the stakes. The winning chances are increasing at the platform to have a pleasant experience. The beating of the machines is possible with the right skills and excellence. The bank account is increasing with the real cash.
Play Patient Poker
The real secret to successful SNG play is patience, especially early on when the “fish” or weak players are overplaying non-premium cards with low blinds. These donks don’t understand the importance of position or fold equity. They also don’t understand odds, implied odds or general probability for that matter. What I have noticed most about these juicy SNG’s is the inability of fish to lay down top pair. Because of this I have adjusted my play to over-raise premium holdings (AK, JJ-AA). Instead of the standard 3-4x raise I’m usually pushing 7x or better. For example say the blinds are 25/50. Instead of raising 150 with a 1500 chipstack and getting called by 3 people, I raise 300 and get one caller, who is usually holding garbage in the small or big blind.
Its amazing to me the amount of people willing to call off 30% of their stack on 67 suited or Ace X – both rags against a massive pre-flop raise premium holding. The fact that fish are unwilling to get off top pair also works to my advantage with implied odds. If I was for instance holding 55 facing a standard 3x raise, against an obvious over-pair I’m usually getting the right implied odds for a call. These weak players under-bet their premium hands and over-call on non-premium hands – a recipe for disaster long term.
Tight Aggressive Poker
Playing tight early on and aggressive later works to my favor in almost all SNG’s. First playing tight when blinds are low allows me to see a ton of hands, bettering my chances of picking up AA, KK, and AK. Secondly, tightness early on gives me a better chance of stealing blinds later on when I really need to since I have a tight table image. Lastly, tight-aggressive (TAG) poker is profitable poker in the long term. Unless you are Daniel Negraneau and have expert reading ability stick to TAG.
Playing low stakes SNG’s or cash games for that matter is considered “laughable” by many people. However, I have found more enjoyment from $5-$10 entry fee SNG’s than from any other stakes. It allows me to relax and play my game, without having to worry about losing money I would really need. Secondly, with lower stakes comes easier competition. As I mentioned their are always a couple fish and one donkey at nearly every SNG I play at. Attacking those players usually allows me to have a much better chance at cashing with consistency. Finally, lower stakes SNG’s allow me to develop my skills as a poker player, while staying within my smaller sized bankroll. Small stakes SNG’s are a great way to begin learning online poker.
