Common Mistakes in Sit and Go Poker
Sit and Go poker tournaments are fast, practical and extremely profitable. If you want to take advantage of these short tournaments then you need to avoid a few common mistakes. Here are some errors to look out for.
Playing Too Many Hands
When you play texas holdem, it's understandable that you want to get involved in plenty of pots. By winning pots and accumulating chips, you'll be in a better position to be the last remaining player at the table. Poker takes patience though. You need to wait for the right opportunities to come along. If you're playing seven out of every 10 hands that you're dealt, you're actually hurting your odds of winning, that's basic texas holdem strategy. Some players get lucky and get dealt amazing hand after amazing hand for long periods of time. If you're getting super cards, play them. If you're itching to join the action with a high card and a low off-suited kicker, then you need to chill out. The more people that participate in the pot, the more likely it is that someone will be going home. If you can limit the amount of hands you play (especially in the beginning of the tournament), you'll allow more aggressive players to dwindle their stacks. By picking your battles and reducing the amount of marginal hands you play, you’ll be less likely to have an early exit.
Being Too Predictable
There are only so many players to take notes on in a sit and go tournament. If you don't switch up your style, your opponents are going to pick up on your playing tendencies. Mix up your betting habits. Play different kinds of cards. Play tight in the beginning but loosen up in the middle rounds. When it comes to short handed action and heads up play, you need to play as aggressive as possible.
Stealing Small Blinds and Making Large Bets to Steal Small Pots
Early on in the tournament, it really doesn't make any sense to steal blinds. They're too tiny so it's not worth a confrontation to make a play for the blinds until later in the tourney. The same is true for small pots. Buying the pot is what you do when a check-happy table wants nothing to do with a particular hand. If your opponents limped in and missed the pot, they're going to want to get out of the hand quick. Giving these people a reason to fold is a good idea, but not when the pot is 30 chips. Don't bet twice the pot because you're trying to force someone else to lay down. Wait until the pots get bigger before you try to claim them with a large bet.
Don't play too many hands. Be tight about which hole cards you decide to be aggressive with. Mix it up a bit. Don't approach the same hole card, board and betting situations the exact same way every hand. Stealing small blinds and making outrageous bets to win small pots is a bad idea. Start stealing blinds and buying pots in the middle and latter stages of the tourney, when the stakes get higher. If you can limit your mistakes, you can earn some serious cash playing Sit and Go tournaments.
