Single Table Sit'n Go Strategy (Part I)

See also Single Table Sit'n Go Strategy (Part II)

Most of the Sit'n Go poker games are single table. This article tells you how to handle the "monsters" of Sit'n Go and emerge as a winner at Texas Holdem.

At the beginning of the game.
When the game starts, the strategy. "Tight is right" rules the roost. The table will be dominated with hordes of maniacs, who will be busy competing with each other. One by one, as each maniac is knocked out, you have a golden opportunity to grab the pot! In some of the Sit'n Go tables, which involve low buys, you can take away lots of moolah without even throwing a sizeable bet.

The early stage of the game comprises of the first three levels of blind. As you enter the game, your first strategy should
be to "Strive to Survive" at the table. Don't jump into outsmarting people in the beginning, as you will get enough chance to do that in the later stages of the game, once you survive.

Although blinds are quite low as compared to the stack of chips, you should refrain from limping in by using marginal hands.
You will hardly hit a flop by doing this. Even if you manage to have bottom two pairs with marginal hands, you will end up in big trouble, if a draw hits or the hoard pairs.

Time to get aggressive.
Once you get hold of a strong pre-flop hand, you should adopt an aggressive style of playing. Remember; blinds are very low and you need to have a raise of 5-6x the big blind. Avoid raising only the standard 3x the big blind. If you do so, there is a high probability that multiple players will call, which would increase the risk of breaking down your big hand.
If you boast of a big pair and make a raise for the 6x the big blind, you may still get a caller. At this stage, you would rather apply a heads up strategy than be stuck in a multi way pot. If all the players at the table fold, it is not a big issue. It is better to win the blinds than be thrown out of the game because someone broke your big hand.

Save your chips.
In the initial stages of the game, it is not appropriate to grab all your chips before a flop. You should fold before a flop, except when you hold an AA or KK. An AJ or any other smaller pair can effortlessly crack even a QQ: therefore, it is better to lay it down. It is tempting to fold your favorite before a flop. However, you will gain if you avoid gambling and save your chips to strike later. If you hold an AK and have raised your 6x the big blind, you should work out a quick strategy to handle a flop. If there is one player with you and it is a bad flop, such as QJ4, then there is a probability that the player with you will call a continuation bet. Beware! Some maniacs will also call a continuation bet in the initial stages of the game, with a mere 55.

If you get a bad flop.
What to do when you make a pre-flop raise and you get a bad flop? The best thing to do is slow down and refrain from bluffing your chips. In this situation, if you check and your opponent bets, there are chances that your opponent is bluffing.
However, there is no harm in folding at this stage, as you possess sufficient amount of chips to be used when you grab a
strong hand.

Beware.
Many times, as the game progresses in the early stages, you might feel as if you are lagging behind everyone because all others are busy building their chip stacks and you are folding. This is a tricky situation. It gives a nice feeling to have a huge stack in the early stage of the game, but it is not absolutely essential.
Remember: the crucial period of a Sit'n'Go game is at the middle and later stages. It is here that the "monsters" amass an appreciable amount of chips. Never play start playing hands. Just because you think you should build a stack. The early stage of the game is such that you can fold each hand and still hold a good position to enter the middle stage of the game.