Overview of SNGs, Strategy Basics And Sit N Go Success Factors
For Players New To This Form Or Poker.
Firstly, Welcome to SNG Planet! Every SNG Poker player started somewhere and for those of you new to the area you just made a great choice for improving your understanding of sit and goes and learning the winning strategies for this particular form of poker.
This article will introduce SNGs for the smart newbie. Firstly explaining what is a SNG, giving pointers to how you should approach this form of poker and finally suggesting which poker sites are best suited to the new SNG player.
Before we start, we strongly advise you get your copy of my popular free Poker Course "Planet Mark's SNG Blueprint' this is designed for the lower limit and newer players and is a 4-part e-mail course which will take you through the various stages of SNG tournaments providing insights and SNG strategy tips along the way - I strongly believe that anyone with a little motivation can get to $16 per hour profits within 4-weeks! The registration form can be accessed from the main SNG Strategy Articles page or view the preview via the banner above.
New Players SNG Guide - What Is A SNG And Why Are They Such A Popular Form Of Poker?
Simply put a Sit and Go is a tournament with no scheduled start time. Once the required number of players register the tournament will start. Most SNGs are for 6 to 10 people, there are also many multi-table sit and go tournaments with anything from 18 to 180 players. Finally heads-up (or 2 player) SNGs are also available.
Planet Mark’s Rec: The Easiest Sit and Goes Online are Over at America’s Cardroom!
You can use them to grow a bankroll, qualify for online tournaments, or even to help you win a seat in the World Series.
Instead of tables full of ‘regulars’ who know the math, bubble strategy and hand ranges, ACR Poker is recreational. Compare the fields to the bigger sites, and you will quickly see how soft they are for yourself.
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New Players SNG Guide - The 1-Table SNG Tournament
Buy-ins vary enormously for SNGs, from $1+0.10c up to $1000+50. The first number is the amount that will be put in the prize pool, the second is the rake (or fee) that the poker site will take. Thus a 10 player SNG at $10+1 will have a $100 prize pool and the poker site will take $1 from each player as their fee. Prizes for 10 player SNGs are usually distributed as follows. 50% to the winner, 30% for second and 20% for 3rd. The remaining finishers get nothing.
Each player is given a stack of chips - usually 1000 to 1500 (depending on the site). The blinds start off as a low proportion of these stacks and increase at pre-defined intervals. The main factor in how quickly the blinds increase is whether you choose a 'regular' SNG or a 'Turbo' SNG - how quickly the blinds increase will have a big effect on your strategy.
Most SNG Strategy guides break these tournaments into 3 or 4 stages which are defined by the ratio of the blinds to your chip stack. These are the 'early-game' when the blinds are small compared to your stack, the 'middle-game' when the blinds are 10 to 15% of your stack, the 'bubble' (the point at which there is one more player to go before the money - usually with high blinds) and finally 'In the Money' (ITM) play.
Your play should change for each of these stages both in terms of playable starting hands and bet sizes. Once again we refer you to 'A Comedy of Errors' for information on the mistakes your opponents will make at each level (and ones you should avoid!).
The most important stage of a SNG tournament is the bubble. It has been estmated that up to 70% of your profit from playing SNGs will come from the decisions you make when there is only 1 person to go before you are in the money.There are many articles on Bubble Poker Strategy here at SNG planet - once you have mastered the basics reading these will increase your profits enormously.
Here are the top 5 factors that are critical for success in this increasingly popular form of poker. Each area has its own list of articles here at SNG planet.
- Understanding how your strategy must change as the blinds / antes increase and the number of opponents is reduced.
- Correct bubble play - the ability to understand the dynamics of prize pool equity and adjust to your opponent’s all-in ranges accordingly.
- Good SNG bankroll management. Having the correct number of buy-ins for the level you are playing.
- Table and Poker Site Selection. Some poker sites have tables literally half-full of winning SNG experts! You need to know which sites these are and avoid them. Our Rooms reviews section highlights which poker sites are best suited to those players new to this form of poker
- Bonuses. Having a good initial bonus structure and regular reload-bonuses is critical to growing your SNG bankroll. Smart players make sure they play at several sites to take maximum advantage of these. Without a good bonus strategy you'll literally be throwing away money - check out our Best Poker Tournament Sites section for the latest news on this important and protentially profitable area.