Here you are ,the average SitngoJoe in the middle of a sitngo , and u wake up to Ace King. What do you do?. Not knowing the answer to that question can cost you a boatload of chips. Many of us look at that hand, and fall in love with it. What we dont realize is that Big Slick is a drawing hand. Dont get me wrong, it is a very strong hand PREFLOP. The problem that most of us have is that we cant let it go after the flop, even when we are just DRAWING. When the flop doesnt bring an ace or a king, its like we refuse to believe that our opponent has us beat, and too many times we will call big bets, or even worse, call someones all in, and just like that Big Slick has cost you all your chips.Hopefully you find the following post by Stuart Raffeld as helpful as i did. Please read on.
What Is Big Slick?
The name 'Big Slick' is a nickname for Ace King. Hopefully you knew that. Also Ace king is the 9th best starting hand but is the 7th best starting hand if you get A,K suited!
How To Play Preflop
I know that its a very nice thing to look down at A,K and get pretty happy, but just remember that it is a drawing hand. Because it is as drawing hand, it isn't as strong yet as having a pair.You definately want to make a raise pre-flop with Ace King. Your going to want to use your position to determine the size of the raise. If you are first act then you want to make a raise or around 3 times the big blind. If you find yourself last to act or even next to last to act with Ace King , you want to raise about 5 times the big blind to get all the limpers out. You want to show you have a big hand , but not set yourself up to bust out after the flop if you dont hit.
What To Do After The Flop
After you make your pre flop raise there should technically only be players left with big cards or pocket pairs. The flop will determine your next move. If you dont hit anything on the flop, then dont bet, unless it is checked to you or there is only a small raise made ahead of you. If you are in position and all players have either checked or just limped, then make a big raise. You have the 2 highest cards in the deck, and your most likely up against a weaker hand or a small pocket pair. Do not forget that you still only have a drawing hand. At this point you want to figure out where your at and react accordingly. If the flop is all low cards, you have nothing but high card. If you end up with a flop that gives you a straight possiblity, than your looking at having about 4 outs at best. If you find yourself needing 1 card for the nut flush after the flop, your looking at about 9 outs.
The Bottom Line
Dont fall in love with ACE KING . Its a great starting hand, but if you dont hit on the flip, then you are beat by any pair.(even a stinky pair of 2's). Alot of players just cant let it go. I know you see it happening out there. Remember that if you dont hit on the flop, you are just drawing, and at best only have high card. So analyze the situation and your outs, and adjust accordingly.(its ok to fold A,K somtimes)..lol.... I hope this was helpful. Good luck at the table.
for more information on how to instantly get your odds of winning a hand please read this post.
10 Common Opponent Errors to Start Exploiting Today
Saturday, March 27, 2010
We All can improve our poker game. The best thing we can do to improve is to evaluate our own play and figure out what our weaknesses are and become more disciplined. There are many common mistakes that most of us make and we dont even realize it. For example ,how many times have you lost a big pot and said to yourself "i never should have been in this hand". The funny part is we will make the same mistake the very next game. Please check out the following article by Mark Holland, and hopefully it sheds a little bit of light on what im talking about.
Single table online poker tournaments, popularly known as 'Sit N Go' tournaments are an increasingly popular form of online poker. Usually lasting around 1 hour and playing 3 places these tournaments are available at buy-in levels ranging from just $1 up to $1000! This article focuses on the lower buy-in Sit N Go poker tournaments and examines common errors made by the players you will find there.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #1 - Playing Too Loose Early
Many opponents will play far to many hands at the start of a Sit N Go - when the blinds are low. The most common error is to play 'easily dominated' hands such as an Ace with a small kicker. Playing only the best starting hands early conserves chips for the more important later stages. If your opponents are playing too loose early make sure you raise strongly when dealt a premium hand - they will be a great source of chips.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #2 - Multi-Way Pots and Position
Many opponents will enter a multi-way pot by calling a raise pre-flop with a medium strength hand during the early blind levels. This is a dangerous play with a medium pair (for example), these players will have no idea where they stand after the flop and may be out of position relative to the original raiser. Playing for set-value for a small pre-flop investment is one thing - but calling raises in multi-way pots is usually asking to lose a lot of chips.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #3 - Adjusting to Increasing Blinds
As the blinds increase and the number of players go down then adjustments to your starting hands are required. In the middle stages of a Sit N Go Poker Tournament your raising requirements need to go down the hands with which you can call a raise need to tighten up considerably. A common error would be calling a raise with a small pair - when the blinds reach 10% of your stack implied odds for this play disappear!
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #4 - Bad Play From The Blinds
If you never defend your big blind your will quickly become short stacked in Sit N Go Poker. Conversely always defending will lead to being 'trapped' for a large pot sooner or later. Watch for opponents making errors at the extremes and balance your own play from the blinds - you need to put enough doubt in opponents minds as to whether they can steal from you without going over the top.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #5 - Understanding the Bubble
Many opponents will not understand the dynamic of bubble play in Sit N Go poker strategy. Errors come in various forms and include not being aware of stack size adjustments and calling all-in bets without premium holdings. Most of the profit in Sit N Go tournaments comes from correct bubble strategy. Make sure you check out resources such as the comprehensive strategy articles at 'Sit and Go Planet' to get a profitable edge in this area.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #6 - Understanding Chip Equity Models
The Independent Chip Model (ICM) is a key component of good Sit N Go poker strategy. This converts your chip stack into a dollar 'prize pool equity' figure. This figure is then used to compare your risk against reward for all-in confrontations at the bubble. Understanding ICM and adjusting correctly will give you a huge advantage in Sit N Go poker tournaments.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #7 - Playing 'In The Money'
Once the bubble is burst in a Sit N Go poker tournament your opponents raising and calling ranges will also change dramatically. This in turn will affect how many hands you raise yourself. Correctly understanding the 'In the Money' strategy change will allow you to exploit your opponents weaknesses and move up the payout ladder.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #8 - Heads Up Battles
Once the blinds are more than 10% of your stack it is possible to play in such a way as to become 'mathematically unexploitable'. Of course it is still possible to adjust to your opponents play, but using 'Nash Equilibrium' models will ensure you can not lose more than your share over time. Readers interested in this can search for the freely available Sit N Go strategy eBook 'A Comedy of Errors'.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #9 - Playing Trap Hands
There are many adjustments in Sit N Go poker strategy that do not seem obvious to inexperienced players. One such area is 'trap hands'. As the blinds increase and the number of players shrinks some hands become more or less playable. Examples include AK, Suited Connectors and Small Pairs. Make sure you understand the correct strategy adjustments for various levels and see those results improve.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #1 - Never Stop Learning!
Many of your opponents will get into routine of playing Sit N Go poker using the same old ideas and strategies. The real winners in these games are people who take the time to study, find the weakest sites and opponents and look for their own 'leaks' in addition to those of opponents.
Single table online poker tournaments, popularly known as 'Sit N Go' tournaments are an increasingly popular form of online poker. Usually lasting around 1 hour and playing 3 places these tournaments are available at buy-in levels ranging from just $1 up to $1000! This article focuses on the lower buy-in Sit N Go poker tournaments and examines common errors made by the players you will find there.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #1 - Playing Too Loose Early
Many opponents will play far to many hands at the start of a Sit N Go - when the blinds are low. The most common error is to play 'easily dominated' hands such as an Ace with a small kicker. Playing only the best starting hands early conserves chips for the more important later stages. If your opponents are playing too loose early make sure you raise strongly when dealt a premium hand - they will be a great source of chips.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #2 - Multi-Way Pots and Position
Many opponents will enter a multi-way pot by calling a raise pre-flop with a medium strength hand during the early blind levels. This is a dangerous play with a medium pair (for example), these players will have no idea where they stand after the flop and may be out of position relative to the original raiser. Playing for set-value for a small pre-flop investment is one thing - but calling raises in multi-way pots is usually asking to lose a lot of chips.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #3 - Adjusting to Increasing Blinds
As the blinds increase and the number of players go down then adjustments to your starting hands are required. In the middle stages of a Sit N Go Poker Tournament your raising requirements need to go down the hands with which you can call a raise need to tighten up considerably. A common error would be calling a raise with a small pair - when the blinds reach 10% of your stack implied odds for this play disappear!
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #4 - Bad Play From The Blinds
If you never defend your big blind your will quickly become short stacked in Sit N Go Poker. Conversely always defending will lead to being 'trapped' for a large pot sooner or later. Watch for opponents making errors at the extremes and balance your own play from the blinds - you need to put enough doubt in opponents minds as to whether they can steal from you without going over the top.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #5 - Understanding the Bubble
Many opponents will not understand the dynamic of bubble play in Sit N Go poker strategy. Errors come in various forms and include not being aware of stack size adjustments and calling all-in bets without premium holdings. Most of the profit in Sit N Go tournaments comes from correct bubble strategy. Make sure you check out resources such as the comprehensive strategy articles at 'Sit and Go Planet' to get a profitable edge in this area.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #6 - Understanding Chip Equity Models
The Independent Chip Model (ICM) is a key component of good Sit N Go poker strategy. This converts your chip stack into a dollar 'prize pool equity' figure. This figure is then used to compare your risk against reward for all-in confrontations at the bubble. Understanding ICM and adjusting correctly will give you a huge advantage in Sit N Go poker tournaments.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #7 - Playing 'In The Money'
Once the bubble is burst in a Sit N Go poker tournament your opponents raising and calling ranges will also change dramatically. This in turn will affect how many hands you raise yourself. Correctly understanding the 'In the Money' strategy change will allow you to exploit your opponents weaknesses and move up the payout ladder.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #8 - Heads Up Battles
Once the blinds are more than 10% of your stack it is possible to play in such a way as to become 'mathematically unexploitable'. Of course it is still possible to adjust to your opponents play, but using 'Nash Equilibrium' models will ensure you can not lose more than your share over time. Readers interested in this can search for the freely available Sit N Go strategy eBook 'A Comedy of Errors'.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #9 - Playing Trap Hands
There are many adjustments in Sit N Go poker strategy that do not seem obvious to inexperienced players. One such area is 'trap hands'. As the blinds increase and the number of players shrinks some hands become more or less playable. Examples include AK, Suited Connectors and Small Pairs. Make sure you understand the correct strategy adjustments for various levels and see those results improve.
Sit N Go Poker Strategy - Opponent Error #1 - Never Stop Learning!
Many of your opponents will get into routine of playing Sit N Go poker using the same old ideas and strategies. The real winners in these games are people who take the time to study, find the weakest sites and opponents and look for their own 'leaks' in addition to those of opponents.
Bankroll Management : More Important Than You May Realize
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
I used to be one of those guys just like all of my friends who play online , who just make random deposits and play in whatever sitngo we feel like playing at the time. After i realized i was constantly depositing over and over with nothing to show for it , i started looking at my deposits and the games i was playing and i found the following article by poker pro Sean Moranse very helpful and i hope that you do too.
Sit-N-Go's are a great way to make a stable income playing poker online, but many people do not understand the concept of bankroll management. One of the biggest problems many players face when playing Sit-N-Go's is they will play tournaments to high for their bankroll. This can cause you to lose all your money quickly and go on tilt. A general rule of thumb is to have a bankroll of roughly 20-30 times the Sit-N-Go buy in amount. I have made a simple chart below which you can print off and use over and over again. It has helped me greatly.
Lots of poker players throw bankroll management out the door and don't believe in it. I got news for them, YOU NEED TO START BELIEVING, and in a HURRY!
Here is a great tip: Move up or down a level as your bankroll allows. If you are losing, move down in buy-in level and if you continue to win move up. Use good judgment and take action quickly. If you wait to long you will lose, all of it!
Also play at a meaningful money level to you. This means that the buy-in amount should be at ease, as well as challenging. Not so low that a loss is ignored. Nor so high that you are perspiring the entire game!
Buy-in + Usual Fee - Bankroll Requirements
$5 + $.50 - $110 - $165
$10 + $1 - $220 - $330
$20 + $2 - $440 - $660
$30 + $3 - $660 - $990
$50 + $5 - $1100 - $1650
$100 + $9 - $2180 - $3270
$200 + $15 - $4300 - $6450
As you can see, you need a proper bankroll in order to play sit-n-go's. Once you master the art of single table sit-n-go's, you can make a nice living multi-tabling sit-n-go's.
Here is where you make some killer money and a stable income, but you CAN'T multi-table until you are continuously winning one Sit-N-Go at a time. Sit-N-Go's are far easier to multi-table then cash games because you don't have to watch every portion of action to weigh your opponents. Almost every popular poker site allows their players to multi-table, Full Tilt Poker and Poker Stars are again my favorites here. When you begin multi-tabling you need to start out with trying two-tabling. In the beginning, most people will continuously be engaged, and at times can be tiresome. If you think you are making awful decisions, try to start Sit-N-Go's at different blind levels, such as the middle stage. Once it reaches the middle stage (4-6x blind increases), then start another Sit-N-Go.
What strategy adjustments do you need to make when multi-tabling? Here it is wise to reduce the number of bluffs. When you really get good a great piece of advice would be to start four tournaments, and then wait for them to reach middle level, and then start another four. There will be different focal points on each stage in the Sit-N-Go's and will help you manage all the games better.
Sit-N-Go's are a great way to make a stable income playing poker online, but many people do not understand the concept of bankroll management. One of the biggest problems many players face when playing Sit-N-Go's is they will play tournaments to high for their bankroll. This can cause you to lose all your money quickly and go on tilt. A general rule of thumb is to have a bankroll of roughly 20-30 times the Sit-N-Go buy in amount. I have made a simple chart below which you can print off and use over and over again. It has helped me greatly.
Lots of poker players throw bankroll management out the door and don't believe in it. I got news for them, YOU NEED TO START BELIEVING, and in a HURRY!
Here is a great tip: Move up or down a level as your bankroll allows. If you are losing, move down in buy-in level and if you continue to win move up. Use good judgment and take action quickly. If you wait to long you will lose, all of it!
Also play at a meaningful money level to you. This means that the buy-in amount should be at ease, as well as challenging. Not so low that a loss is ignored. Nor so high that you are perspiring the entire game!
Buy-in + Usual Fee - Bankroll Requirements
$5 + $.50 - $110 - $165
$10 + $1 - $220 - $330
$20 + $2 - $440 - $660
$30 + $3 - $660 - $990
$50 + $5 - $1100 - $1650
$100 + $9 - $2180 - $3270
$200 + $15 - $4300 - $6450
As you can see, you need a proper bankroll in order to play sit-n-go's. Once you master the art of single table sit-n-go's, you can make a nice living multi-tabling sit-n-go's.
Here is where you make some killer money and a stable income, but you CAN'T multi-table until you are continuously winning one Sit-N-Go at a time. Sit-N-Go's are far easier to multi-table then cash games because you don't have to watch every portion of action to weigh your opponents. Almost every popular poker site allows their players to multi-table, Full Tilt Poker and Poker Stars are again my favorites here. When you begin multi-tabling you need to start out with trying two-tabling. In the beginning, most people will continuously be engaged, and at times can be tiresome. If you think you are making awful decisions, try to start Sit-N-Go's at different blind levels, such as the middle stage. Once it reaches the middle stage (4-6x blind increases), then start another Sit-N-Go.
What strategy adjustments do you need to make when multi-tabling? Here it is wise to reduce the number of bluffs. When you really get good a great piece of advice would be to start four tournaments, and then wait for them to reach middle level, and then start another four. There will be different focal points on each stage in the Sit-N-Go's and will help you manage all the games better.
Pocket Aces..... The Best Hand To Go Broke With !!
I know we all sit there playing in every sitngo hoping every hand we get dealt is pocket aces, even though we all know that this very hand , even though it is the BEST hand in poker is the hand that has gotten us busted out of a game more times than we would like to think possible. Please read the following post which was written by Michael Neilson and hopefully can give a better way to play the aces , by avoiding busting out with it and maximizing its potential.
Anyone who is familiar with poker, especially texas holdem, knows that pocket aces is the best starting hand you can have out of a total of 169 possible starting hands. Why? Because before the flop this hand is way ahead of every other combination. A pair of aces beats everything else. However, once the flop comes, aces can be way behind very quickly.
Lets cover some odds. Pocket kings through pocket twos all have about an 11% chance of flopping trips against pocket aces. This number has been rounded up slightly. It also has about an 8% chance of catching by the river if trips don't happen on the flop. So roughly 20% of the time pocket aces is going to lose to any other pocket pair. So what happens if we introduce another pocket pair into the equation? For this example we have pocket aces up against pocket kings and pocket sixes. For those of you who are very detail oriented the aces are of clubs and diamonds, the kings are spades and hearts, and the sixes are clubs and spades. Guess what happened to the winning percentage for the aces? It went down of course! The pocket aces before the flop are now only about 65% to win with a 0.25% chance of a split pot. The king before the flop is about 19% to win and the sixes are about 16%. So what happens if someone spikes that 11% for trips? Aces now only have about a 14% chance to win.
Now let's examine a 6 handed table. The percentages may surprise you. Pocket aces against the following hands is only about 33% to win - king queen suited of spades (16% to win), seven two offsuit (8%), three four of hearts (18%), jack ten offsuit (10%), and eight ten suited of diamonds (13%). I'm sure those numbers don't add up to 100%, its all roughly rounded. Three four suited is the surprising one. Then again the aces don't share a suit with it, but the same applies for king queen suited, which has a lower chance of hitting. This has to do with the fact that three four suited can be both an up or down straight draw (2-6 or 3-7 or even 4-8), whereas the odds against the up straight draw happening for king queen has diminished due to two aces being missing from the odds.
Imagine what happens if you throw in another 3 or four players for a full table. Those odds go down even more. You have to push out your opponents when you're holding pocket aces or you will more than likely go broke. That's just how the hand plays out. Less players in the hand means better odds for you. Truth be told you could be holding 72 offsuit and your odds of winning increase when you only have 1 opponent, especially when you figure in bluffing, table image, etc.
The problem with pocket aces, especially online, is when you raise a lot of players know that you're holding something good and they want to crack it. Online players know that aces get cracked more often in online poker so they're willing to try it. The reason behind this is simple, it's not a completely random shuffle as it's a computer program trying to randomly shuffle. Most people can't do a perfect shuffle so imagine trying to get a computer program that understands only 1's and 0's (on off) as commands trying to do it. With so many variables that come into play it would be very difficult to include every possible variable. People mess up shuffling, computers can't mess up, thus probabilities are slightly different online than at your local home game. At your home game cards typically don't go 1,2,1,2 so yeah, odds vary from place to place. Sad but true. This doesn't change the fact that you must push out as many opponents as possible when holding aces. Even if the odds change 20% in favor of your opponent due to a bad shuffle you still stand a better chance of beating one opponent than nine.
Anyone who is familiar with poker, especially texas holdem, knows that pocket aces is the best starting hand you can have out of a total of 169 possible starting hands. Why? Because before the flop this hand is way ahead of every other combination. A pair of aces beats everything else. However, once the flop comes, aces can be way behind very quickly.
Lets cover some odds. Pocket kings through pocket twos all have about an 11% chance of flopping trips against pocket aces. This number has been rounded up slightly. It also has about an 8% chance of catching by the river if trips don't happen on the flop. So roughly 20% of the time pocket aces is going to lose to any other pocket pair. So what happens if we introduce another pocket pair into the equation? For this example we have pocket aces up against pocket kings and pocket sixes. For those of you who are very detail oriented the aces are of clubs and diamonds, the kings are spades and hearts, and the sixes are clubs and spades. Guess what happened to the winning percentage for the aces? It went down of course! The pocket aces before the flop are now only about 65% to win with a 0.25% chance of a split pot. The king before the flop is about 19% to win and the sixes are about 16%. So what happens if someone spikes that 11% for trips? Aces now only have about a 14% chance to win.
Now let's examine a 6 handed table. The percentages may surprise you. Pocket aces against the following hands is only about 33% to win - king queen suited of spades (16% to win), seven two offsuit (8%), three four of hearts (18%), jack ten offsuit (10%), and eight ten suited of diamonds (13%). I'm sure those numbers don't add up to 100%, its all roughly rounded. Three four suited is the surprising one. Then again the aces don't share a suit with it, but the same applies for king queen suited, which has a lower chance of hitting. This has to do with the fact that three four suited can be both an up or down straight draw (2-6 or 3-7 or even 4-8), whereas the odds against the up straight draw happening for king queen has diminished due to two aces being missing from the odds.
Imagine what happens if you throw in another 3 or four players for a full table. Those odds go down even more. You have to push out your opponents when you're holding pocket aces or you will more than likely go broke. That's just how the hand plays out. Less players in the hand means better odds for you. Truth be told you could be holding 72 offsuit and your odds of winning increase when you only have 1 opponent, especially when you figure in bluffing, table image, etc.
The problem with pocket aces, especially online, is when you raise a lot of players know that you're holding something good and they want to crack it. Online players know that aces get cracked more often in online poker so they're willing to try it. The reason behind this is simple, it's not a completely random shuffle as it's a computer program trying to randomly shuffle. Most people can't do a perfect shuffle so imagine trying to get a computer program that understands only 1's and 0's (on off) as commands trying to do it. With so many variables that come into play it would be very difficult to include every possible variable. People mess up shuffling, computers can't mess up, thus probabilities are slightly different online than at your local home game. At your home game cards typically don't go 1,2,1,2 so yeah, odds vary from place to place. Sad but true. This doesn't change the fact that you must push out as many opponents as possible when holding aces. Even if the odds change 20% in favor of your opponent due to a bad shuffle you still stand a better chance of beating one opponent than nine.
Tournament Indicator Is The Best Odds Calculator There Is
Sunday, March 21, 2010
I dont think many of you playing in sitngos for hours a day realize that a large percentage of your opponents (especially ones who make it into the money every time) are using odds calculators to help them make quick decisions, especially in the late stages , when you need to fold or push. Tournament Indicator is the best for the price, and also they have step by step videos that show how to properly use TI in every situation possible during the course of a sitngo.
Some of you may be wondering if using odds calculators are against the rules of FULLTILT or POKERSTARS. The answer to that is NO. The use of odds calculators on fulltilt and pokerstars is allowed. In fact , many odds calculators products will offer you their product free if you use their affiliate code when you sign up a new account with full tilt.
The last and most important reason to give Tournament Indicator a try is because you can try it for FREE for 48 hrs. When you do make sure you look through their website and check out a couple of the videos, so that you can use it the most effectively and utilize all the features. Please read the following post, and make sure to click the Tournament Indicator banner on the left to go check it out.... for FREE. Just download it and try it . No credit card info or purchase is necessary to try it!
Some of you may be wondering if using odds calculators are against the rules of FULLTILT or POKERSTARS. The answer to that is NO. The use of odds calculators on fulltilt and pokerstars is allowed. In fact , many odds calculators products will offer you their product free if you use their affiliate code when you sign up a new account with full tilt.
The last and most important reason to give Tournament Indicator a try is because you can try it for FREE for 48 hrs. When you do make sure you look through their website and check out a couple of the videos, so that you can use it the most effectively and utilize all the features. Please read the following post, and make sure to click the Tournament Indicator banner on the left to go check it out.... for FREE. Just download it and try it . No credit card info or purchase is necessary to try it!
SNG (sitngo) Tools Can Help You Improve Your Poker Game
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Here is a good article i came across recently written by Shawn Konig. It should give you a good understanding of why using poker tools, meaning odds calculators or strategy guides, will help you to dominate in sitngo's. If you are new to online poker , you will be amazed at how an odds calculator will improve your game. It doesnt make your decisions for you and you dont rely on it to play your game. All it does is do the odds calculating for you and tells you what kind of player your up against. It will keep you from making bad calls and to make good folds, which will save you valuable chips over the course of every sitngo you play in. Please click here for a Free Trial or click the banner to give tournament indicator a try for FREE for 48 hours, after reading the article below. I certainly realized how valuable it was after the first 48 hours, and again its free so why not. Please read on.
If you are new to the world of Sit N Go Poker, you may like to know what sorts of SNG tools are available to help improve your game. Poker is very much a game of decisions and knowing the best strategy to use for the hand you have is the way that you increase your chances of winning. SNG tools are what can help you to ascertain exactly what strategies you can use to improve your poker play.
There are two main types of Sit N Go tools, one that analyzes your playing style and teaches you the best moves to make for your particular hand, and one which analyzes the play of your opponent and provides you with data regarding their play so you can second guess their next move.
The key point to remember in Sit N Go poker is that whoever stays in the game the longest is the winner. It doesn't require big bets, but rather a carefully thought out tactic as to how to take the best advantage of every situation. SNG tools can teach you when you are best to fold to stay in the game for longer, and how you can read opponents moves so that you can make bigger gambles at appropriate points in the game.
Once you have used your SNG tools to refine your game and get a better understanding of the opponents that you will likely encounter, you can start playing a more aggressive game and taking home more wins for your efforts.
Shawn has been a SNG Poker Coach and mentor for several years now. Find out more about being a winning SNG Poker player by visiting his website and signing up for his FREE SNG Poker Training Course entitled "From Fish to SNG Poker Shark in only 17 Days"
If you are new to the world of Sit N Go Poker, you may like to know what sorts of SNG tools are available to help improve your game. Poker is very much a game of decisions and knowing the best strategy to use for the hand you have is the way that you increase your chances of winning. SNG tools are what can help you to ascertain exactly what strategies you can use to improve your poker play.
There are two main types of Sit N Go tools, one that analyzes your playing style and teaches you the best moves to make for your particular hand, and one which analyzes the play of your opponent and provides you with data regarding their play so you can second guess their next move.
The key point to remember in Sit N Go poker is that whoever stays in the game the longest is the winner. It doesn't require big bets, but rather a carefully thought out tactic as to how to take the best advantage of every situation. SNG tools can teach you when you are best to fold to stay in the game for longer, and how you can read opponents moves so that you can make bigger gambles at appropriate points in the game.
Once you have used your SNG tools to refine your game and get a better understanding of the opponents that you will likely encounter, you can start playing a more aggressive game and taking home more wins for your efforts.
Shawn has been a SNG Poker Coach and mentor for several years now. Find out more about being a winning SNG Poker player by visiting his website and signing up for his FREE SNG Poker Training Course entitled "From Fish to SNG Poker Shark in only 17 Days"
Why to Sign Up For Both FullTilt and Pokerstars
Monday, February 22, 2010
I play on both Pokerstars and Fulltilt frequently. They both have their own benefits, but either one can fulfill all your online poker needs. I will write a review giving the pros and cons of each site. For now i am just going to give you a few reasons why you should be utilizing the benefits of both sites.
Everyone i know that plays poker online has a favorite for one reason or another. If you are planning to start playing , then of course you need to try out both to even form this opinion. Each site offers different promotions and free tournaments that you can turn into real money. Why not double your chances?
Everyone who plays online, has experienced a slump or a string of bad beats, whether it be on Fulltilt or Pokerstars. When this happens , what better to do than to try your luck at a whole new site and a whole new group of players and try your luck there, before depositing any more money into the same poker room. This is how i actually ended up trying out Pokerstars , after playing on Fulltilt starting out. Trust me, you will feel the same rush trying out the second site as you felt when you began with the other. Everyone has a different style of poker playing. You will find that your style may work better for you on one site compared to the other.
My suggestion to you is to sign up for both sites and give them both a try , so if you ever run into any issues with one or find yourself on a bad streak, go ahead and switch to the other site for a while and most often then not you will find better luck. For me i switch back and forth frequently, and i enjoy having the option to do so. I think you will feel the same way . Please feel free to leave any feedback or any questions you may have.
Everyone i know that plays poker online has a favorite for one reason or another. If you are planning to start playing , then of course you need to try out both to even form this opinion. Each site offers different promotions and free tournaments that you can turn into real money. Why not double your chances?
Everyone who plays online, has experienced a slump or a string of bad beats, whether it be on Fulltilt or Pokerstars. When this happens , what better to do than to try your luck at a whole new site and a whole new group of players and try your luck there, before depositing any more money into the same poker room. This is how i actually ended up trying out Pokerstars , after playing on Fulltilt starting out. Trust me, you will feel the same rush trying out the second site as you felt when you began with the other. Everyone has a different style of poker playing. You will find that your style may work better for you on one site compared to the other.
My suggestion to you is to sign up for both sites and give them both a try , so if you ever run into any issues with one or find yourself on a bad streak, go ahead and switch to the other site for a while and most often then not you will find better luck. For me i switch back and forth frequently, and i enjoy having the option to do so. I think you will feel the same way . Please feel free to leave any feedback or any questions you may have.
Double Or Nothing Sitngo Strategy
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Double or Nothing sitngos are fairly new to online poker. You will only find this sitngo format on Pokerstars. The rules are the same as any other sitngo. Here is the difference between a regular sitngo and a double or nothing game. First off there are 10 people instead of the usual 9. The game lasts until there are 5 players left. Then the game is over, and the 5 remaining players get double what they bought in for. These games range from a 5 dollar buy in to 100 dollars.
I love playing in these games I cash in at least 80 percent of the time i play in them. The strategy is very simple. Because you are only playing until half the field is gone, there are really only 2 stages, the beginning and end stage. The 1st stage is played using the normal Sitngo Strategy.
Stage 1: Only play premium hands (aces, kings, queens, AK). Sit back and watch everyone else get taken out or lose half their chip stack. Do not call any raises , Unless you have a premium hand. If you find yourself with a premium hand, DONT slow play it . Reraise all in ! More often then not , the person will fold, because stack preservation is the most important thing in this format. With that being said , the risk of busting out , outweighs the reward of doubling up. Hopefully , you will have won a large pot or even double up by the time stage 2 begins.
Stage 2: Stage 2 begins when there are 6 to 7 players left. Stage 2 strategy must also be used if the big blind reaches over 150 chips, no matter how many people are left , because you dont want to be blinded out. Every now and then you find yourself in a game and the blinds are getting high and only 1 or 2 players have gone out. Position is the key in stage 2. You still dont want to call any raise unless you have a premium hand. Anytime you have a good hand or a pair with only 2 or 3 people left to act. Raise! If you get reraised, FOLD. If you get a caller, and the flop hits you , or you think the other player didnt hit anything , make a continuation bet, and 8 out of 10 times will take down the pot. You need these chips to pad your stack and help you to outlast the field. At this stage there will be probably one person with a huge chip stack, and at least 2 very short stacks. Pay attention to the short stack players. they are likely to go all in at anytime , with anything, in the hopes to take down the blinds , or to be double up. Hopefully you arent one of these guys. Pay attention to everyone's stack in relation to the blinds and try not to get into too many confrontations. Lets say , you have more than double the amount of chips as 2 players left. Keep folding and try to let these guys get taken out.
All you need to do is stay ahead of the shortstacks , and make sure that you dont become one of them , by taking down the blinds while, in postion. You will notice that YOUR blinds will be getting stolen as well. This is ok. Only push back , if you have a big hand , and more often then not , the guy trying to steal the blinds will fold , unless he has a monster (or a huge chip advantage). If you stick to this strategy, you should DOUBLE YOUR MONEY at least 75 percent of the time.
Additional tips: If you happen to find yourself with a very large chip lead over the field, dont start playing super aggressive or loose. You dont want to be doubling people up and prolonging the game. What you do want to be doing , is using timed aggression to steal the blinds in position. Everyone at the table will be scared of you and try to avoid you, unless they have a monster hand and then they are looking for you to call and double them up. Dont waste the chips , just because you have them. use them at the right time to start chipping away at the other players stacks, making them more desparate , and likely to go on tilt.
If you find yourself extremely shortstacked, dont panic. Pay attention to your position. go all in with any medium ace or pair when there are only a couple players left to act and there has been no raise. Anyone with an average stack and even a decent hand will fold, for fear of losing any chips and becoming a shortstack themselves. If you can , try to avoid going all in when the player with the big stack has yet to act, because they are liable to call you with anything, because they can afford to call you in hopes of getting you out of the game. Be patient, and pick the right spot. One double up or a few times taking down the blinds in position, can get you into the money. Ive come back to make the money numerous times with less than 200 chips left.
I love playing in these games I cash in at least 80 percent of the time i play in them. The strategy is very simple. Because you are only playing until half the field is gone, there are really only 2 stages, the beginning and end stage. The 1st stage is played using the normal Sitngo Strategy.
Stage 1: Only play premium hands (aces, kings, queens, AK). Sit back and watch everyone else get taken out or lose half their chip stack. Do not call any raises , Unless you have a premium hand. If you find yourself with a premium hand, DONT slow play it . Reraise all in ! More often then not , the person will fold, because stack preservation is the most important thing in this format. With that being said , the risk of busting out , outweighs the reward of doubling up. Hopefully , you will have won a large pot or even double up by the time stage 2 begins.
Stage 2: Stage 2 begins when there are 6 to 7 players left. Stage 2 strategy must also be used if the big blind reaches over 150 chips, no matter how many people are left , because you dont want to be blinded out. Every now and then you find yourself in a game and the blinds are getting high and only 1 or 2 players have gone out. Position is the key in stage 2. You still dont want to call any raise unless you have a premium hand. Anytime you have a good hand or a pair with only 2 or 3 people left to act. Raise! If you get reraised, FOLD. If you get a caller, and the flop hits you , or you think the other player didnt hit anything , make a continuation bet, and 8 out of 10 times will take down the pot. You need these chips to pad your stack and help you to outlast the field. At this stage there will be probably one person with a huge chip stack, and at least 2 very short stacks. Pay attention to the short stack players. they are likely to go all in at anytime , with anything, in the hopes to take down the blinds , or to be double up. Hopefully you arent one of these guys. Pay attention to everyone's stack in relation to the blinds and try not to get into too many confrontations. Lets say , you have more than double the amount of chips as 2 players left. Keep folding and try to let these guys get taken out.
All you need to do is stay ahead of the shortstacks , and make sure that you dont become one of them , by taking down the blinds while, in postion. You will notice that YOUR blinds will be getting stolen as well. This is ok. Only push back , if you have a big hand , and more often then not , the guy trying to steal the blinds will fold , unless he has a monster (or a huge chip advantage). If you stick to this strategy, you should DOUBLE YOUR MONEY at least 75 percent of the time.
Additional tips: If you happen to find yourself with a very large chip lead over the field, dont start playing super aggressive or loose. You dont want to be doubling people up and prolonging the game. What you do want to be doing , is using timed aggression to steal the blinds in position. Everyone at the table will be scared of you and try to avoid you, unless they have a monster hand and then they are looking for you to call and double them up. Dont waste the chips , just because you have them. use them at the right time to start chipping away at the other players stacks, making them more desparate , and likely to go on tilt.
If you find yourself extremely shortstacked, dont panic. Pay attention to your position. go all in with any medium ace or pair when there are only a couple players left to act and there has been no raise. Anyone with an average stack and even a decent hand will fold, for fear of losing any chips and becoming a shortstack themselves. If you can , try to avoid going all in when the player with the big stack has yet to act, because they are liable to call you with anything, because they can afford to call you in hopes of getting you out of the game. Be patient, and pick the right spot. One double up or a few times taking down the blinds in position, can get you into the money. Ive come back to make the money numerous times with less than 200 chips left.
Basic Sitngo Strategy.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Here is the Basic Sitngo Strategy that i have learned over many hours of playing and doing a lot of research online, and purchasing a few different strategy guides. The game starts with 9 players , all starting with 1500 chips. The top 3 finishers win a portion of the prize pool. These 3 players are also known as being In The Money. First place will take down 50 percent of the prize pool, 2nd place takes 30%, and 3rd place 20%. Sitngo's are the cash cow of online poker. There is virtually no wait to get into a sitngo , regardless of the buyin level. A game will be starting at the level you want to play approximately every 2 minutes, and they average about an hour in duration. There are three stages to a sitngo, which i will explain to you as we go on.
Stage one of the sitngo is the Early Stage. During this stage , you want to sit back and watch the action and play nothing but level one , or premium hands. These hands are basically, aces, kings , queens, or ace king, and jacks*(be careful with jacks). With hands jack queen , 10s, 9s, ace queen, king queen, or ace jack, you only want to call if you are almost last to act and there has not been a considerable raise. I know its hard to fold if you have one of these good non-premium hands, but trust me , for the most part you will only get yourself in trouble. Here is one example you will often see in the early stages of a sitngo. Someone makes a large raise, and one player calls. The flop brings out a Queen as the high card. The original raiser makes a pot sized bet , and the other player reraises. The next thing you know there are 2 players all in. Then you see that the original raiser has ace queen , up against king queen. Needless to say , the guy who thought his king queen was way ahead , finds himself trying to find the next sitngo to register into. It has happened to me countless times, and probably you too. When you do find yourself with a premium hand , make sure you raise at least 5 times the big blind. You may think that you want to get a lot of action with kings or aces. But the reality is you dont. You would rather be heads up against one caller, and take all that players chips. You may have learned this lesson already by having your aces or kings cracked by something like 9,10 suited. You want to bet that person out of the hand and hope the guy with Ace queen calls and you can get all their chips, and when stage 2 of the sitngo starts, you have more chips to make moves with. Remember to play tight and watch players knock themselves out, and hopefully you can get a premium hand and knock someone out yourself, but if not its ok. Most often then not , stage 2 will start and you will have less chips then you started with.
This brings us to the Middle Stage of the sitngo. This stage begins when there are either 3 players out , or the big blind has reached 100 chips. Ideally, there will be 3 players gone once the blinds reach 100 , but that is not always the case. During the middle stage, it is ok to call a raise or raise with hands like ace queen or ace jack or a pair like 9s, or 10s. One thing that ive learned from my personal experience, after making a raise preflop, getting a caller , and then hitting the high card on the flop. Of course you are going to make a large bet to get the person off their hand. If that person , reraises all in or even reraises at all, chances are you need to get out of the hand regardless of how much you have in the pot or how good you think your top pair is . The odds are that you have run into trips or 2 pair and your high card with a great kicker is now trash. A big part of becoming a GREAT poker player, is the ability to make a good lay down. It takes time to learn this , but it is very true. During this Middle Stage , position is key. You want to be raising with decent hands with only a couple players left to act, and hopefully taking the pot down preflop. You want to be going all in with premium hands no matter what position you are in. Taking down blinds is very crucial, because you dont want to enter the late stage shortstacked if at all possible.
You have finally made it to the Final Stage of the sitngo. At this point , there are 4 players left. Remember that the final 3 players are IN THE MONEY. Everyone left is on the bubble. Because the amount of the big blind is huge compared the the chipstack at this point, most players are either all in or folding. Be careful if someone just calls the big blind which happens to be one third of their chipstack, because most likely , they are setting a trap for you to raise the pot so they can go all in. You should probably just fold your decent hand in that situation. Also remember that you want to be the person making the raise or going all in and taking the blinds , and not the person calling (unless you have a premium hand of course). While on the bubble, be aggressive with decent hands in position, because NOBODY wants to go out in 4th. I know it will get annoying because you will realize that people are raising in position to take the blinds. Let them! eventually you will have a good enough hand to call them and either take them out or double up. Once you get into heads up play , the basic rule of thumb is going all in with any ace or any king, and only calling an all in with a pair or a medium ace or medium king. When you make your pushes you want to primarily be first to act. Your opponent will be more likely to go all in , than to call your all in. (be aware that someone having a large chip advantage will play a role in this as well). Play smart , and hopefully you can take down first place, But the main objective when you are playing in sitngos is to cash, or make it in the money. A successful sitngo player will cash in at least 75% of sitngos played.
What i have just explained to you is just the BASIC sitngo strategy, for more in depth strategies i recommend you get a strategy guide as well as read the other posts on this blog , which i will be updating daily to help you get the edge on your sitngo opponents. If you have any questions or requests please contact me directly or leave a comment, and i will give you a quick response. Good luck at the tables. There is a sitngo starting in 2 minutes waiting for you to register in.
Stage one of the sitngo is the Early Stage. During this stage , you want to sit back and watch the action and play nothing but level one , or premium hands. These hands are basically, aces, kings , queens, or ace king, and jacks*(be careful with jacks). With hands jack queen , 10s, 9s, ace queen, king queen, or ace jack, you only want to call if you are almost last to act and there has not been a considerable raise. I know its hard to fold if you have one of these good non-premium hands, but trust me , for the most part you will only get yourself in trouble. Here is one example you will often see in the early stages of a sitngo. Someone makes a large raise, and one player calls. The flop brings out a Queen as the high card. The original raiser makes a pot sized bet , and the other player reraises. The next thing you know there are 2 players all in. Then you see that the original raiser has ace queen , up against king queen. Needless to say , the guy who thought his king queen was way ahead , finds himself trying to find the next sitngo to register into. It has happened to me countless times, and probably you too. When you do find yourself with a premium hand , make sure you raise at least 5 times the big blind. You may think that you want to get a lot of action with kings or aces. But the reality is you dont. You would rather be heads up against one caller, and take all that players chips. You may have learned this lesson already by having your aces or kings cracked by something like 9,10 suited. You want to bet that person out of the hand and hope the guy with Ace queen calls and you can get all their chips, and when stage 2 of the sitngo starts, you have more chips to make moves with. Remember to play tight and watch players knock themselves out, and hopefully you can get a premium hand and knock someone out yourself, but if not its ok. Most often then not , stage 2 will start and you will have less chips then you started with.
This brings us to the Middle Stage of the sitngo. This stage begins when there are either 3 players out , or the big blind has reached 100 chips. Ideally, there will be 3 players gone once the blinds reach 100 , but that is not always the case. During the middle stage, it is ok to call a raise or raise with hands like ace queen or ace jack or a pair like 9s, or 10s. One thing that ive learned from my personal experience, after making a raise preflop, getting a caller , and then hitting the high card on the flop. Of course you are going to make a large bet to get the person off their hand. If that person , reraises all in or even reraises at all, chances are you need to get out of the hand regardless of how much you have in the pot or how good you think your top pair is . The odds are that you have run into trips or 2 pair and your high card with a great kicker is now trash. A big part of becoming a GREAT poker player, is the ability to make a good lay down. It takes time to learn this , but it is very true. During this Middle Stage , position is key. You want to be raising with decent hands with only a couple players left to act, and hopefully taking the pot down preflop. You want to be going all in with premium hands no matter what position you are in. Taking down blinds is very crucial, because you dont want to enter the late stage shortstacked if at all possible.
You have finally made it to the Final Stage of the sitngo. At this point , there are 4 players left. Remember that the final 3 players are IN THE MONEY. Everyone left is on the bubble. Because the amount of the big blind is huge compared the the chipstack at this point, most players are either all in or folding. Be careful if someone just calls the big blind which happens to be one third of their chipstack, because most likely , they are setting a trap for you to raise the pot so they can go all in. You should probably just fold your decent hand in that situation. Also remember that you want to be the person making the raise or going all in and taking the blinds , and not the person calling (unless you have a premium hand of course). While on the bubble, be aggressive with decent hands in position, because NOBODY wants to go out in 4th. I know it will get annoying because you will realize that people are raising in position to take the blinds. Let them! eventually you will have a good enough hand to call them and either take them out or double up. Once you get into heads up play , the basic rule of thumb is going all in with any ace or any king, and only calling an all in with a pair or a medium ace or medium king. When you make your pushes you want to primarily be first to act. Your opponent will be more likely to go all in , than to call your all in. (be aware that someone having a large chip advantage will play a role in this as well). Play smart , and hopefully you can take down first place, But the main objective when you are playing in sitngos is to cash, or make it in the money. A successful sitngo player will cash in at least 75% of sitngos played.
What i have just explained to you is just the BASIC sitngo strategy, for more in depth strategies i recommend you get a strategy guide as well as read the other posts on this blog , which i will be updating daily to help you get the edge on your sitngo opponents. If you have any questions or requests please contact me directly or leave a comment, and i will give you a quick response. Good luck at the tables. There is a sitngo starting in 2 minutes waiting for you to register in.
PROJECTSNG : Review ......The best sitngo strategy guide to date
Sunday, February 14, 2010
The first strategy guide i want to talk about is ProjectSNG . Ive purchased strategy guides in the past and picked up and few helpful things here and there. I was disappointed more than once to find out that what i purchased was information i already had, just basically worded differently. Then i came across Projectsng. This guide has everything any other strategy guide out there has to offer times 10! .
This guide will take you through the beginning, middle and late stages of a sitngo , telling you what to do in each situation you will encounter along the way. The information on what to do once you get heads up is going to really boost your profits. I dont know about you, but i was finding myself finishing in 2nd place way too often, even when i had the chip lead going into heads up play. This guide will show you how to take down first!
Here is where ProjectSNG really stands out above the rest . There are strategies explained that I've never heard of, such as the ICM CONCEPT, and the M system . This information alone was worth the money. Trust me! On top of that , he is going to show you how to properly execute and when to make a continuation bet., build your chipstack while on the bubble, and many other useful tips that will get you into the money, and then finish the job. I actually found myself laughing out loud after stealing peoples chips or forcing them into making bad all in calls , especially when i realized , I used to be the guy that this was being done to!
ProjectSNG is the best guide out there to date , with the most secret and exclusive strategies your going to find. I personally suggest that you give it a try .It is well worth the money. It paid off for me immediately. I havent had to make a deposit on my account since i purchased it 2 months ago . If you do give it a try , please come back here and let me know how well it worked for you. If you click the purple links in this review it will take you to the site so you can see more about how to get the guide.
This guide will take you through the beginning, middle and late stages of a sitngo , telling you what to do in each situation you will encounter along the way. The information on what to do once you get heads up is going to really boost your profits. I dont know about you, but i was finding myself finishing in 2nd place way too often, even when i had the chip lead going into heads up play. This guide will show you how to take down first!
Here is where ProjectSNG really stands out above the rest . There are strategies explained that I've never heard of, such as the ICM CONCEPT, and the M system . This information alone was worth the money. Trust me! On top of that , he is going to show you how to properly execute and when to make a continuation bet., build your chipstack while on the bubble, and many other useful tips that will get you into the money, and then finish the job. I actually found myself laughing out loud after stealing peoples chips or forcing them into making bad all in calls , especially when i realized , I used to be the guy that this was being done to!
ProjectSNG is the best guide out there to date , with the most secret and exclusive strategies your going to find. I personally suggest that you give it a try .It is well worth the money. It paid off for me immediately. I havent had to make a deposit on my account since i purchased it 2 months ago . If you do give it a try , please come back here and let me know how well it worked for you. If you click the purple links in this review it will take you to the site so you can see more about how to get the guide.
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