5 Tips For Becoming An Effective Sit N Go Grinder

Consider Sit N Goes Profitable Enough For A Steady Income?
Then The SNG Grinder’s Life Is For You!

SNG Grinders are those high volume professional players who make regular profits by multi-tabling the lower to middle-limit Sit N Go tournaments. The best make many $1000’s each month. Many of today’s ‘pros’ cut their teeth as SNG Grinders, and many of tomorrows names will be building their bankrolls at the SNG tables right now. This article outlines some of the key factors involved in becoming a profitable SNG grinder – and highlights some of the expensive mistakes to avoid.

While no single aspect of learning to become a grinder is particularly difficult, the combination of skills and discipline takes some time to learn. Those players who end up with the profits are those who invest in their development as players by continually working on their games. Here we break the core skills down into 5 components.

Planet Mark's Recs: If you are an aspiring SNG pro who is prepared to put in the volume, then cashback becomes a big boost. Second, you'll need to avoid those tables full of Eastern Euro nits, which are harder to profit from. I have recs for both US and International players with this in mind.

US based players should check out America's Cardroom. There is plenty of Sit N Go volume, and a progressive leaderboard, known as 'Sit N Crush'. This adds money for every game played, and distributes it among the highest volume players. You can find out more over at www.americascardroom.com

PokerStars do still have the high volume of games... for me they are a little to 'regular infested' these days!

Becoming A SNG Professional #1 – Bankroll Management

If you are one of the many poker players who feel bankroll management does not apply to them then think again. Variance, the natural swings of fortune inherent in the game, will affect all of us at some point along the line. Ensuring that you are adequately bankrolled for the level you are playing at will protect you from long losing or breakeven runs.

The key factor to bear in mind is that you never want to be worrying about the value of money while playing at the tables. This can and will prevent you from making ‘optimal’ plays based on the situation presented. We have many articles on different aspects of Bankroll Management here at SNG Planet. Our Introduction To SNG Bankroll Management makes a solid starting point.

Becoming A SNG Professional #2 – Poker Site Selection

Headline bonus rates. Loyalty Schemes and Leaderboard Promotions are all factors to be considered when choosing where to base your SNG Career. In my experience the key factor is to counter-balance these with both the quality of the opposition (softer sites can easily add several percentage points to your ROI) and your comfort with the interface and gameplay.

If you play every game with 5 other pro grinders, your profits might be lowered so much that the bigger / better loyalty scheme does not balance this. While beating other winners might be good for the ego, the smartest grinders are those who take a more calculated approach - finding the softest games!

You'll find many articles and resources to help you find the best sites for your individual needs. Below are 2 solid recommendations for those looking to become SNG Pros, for further information check out our Best Site For SNG Tournaments guide, which has been fully updated to account for the latest poker site closures and changes.

PokerStars - Still The Top Grinders Choice (+ Trick For 3 Welcome Bonuses!)

No other site has the volume of games which PokerStars can offer. In fact no other poker site comes close when it comes to your ability to grind different types of Sit N Go right from the micros to the mid-stakes. Combine this with the awesome VIP loyalty program and you'll soon see for yourself why this site are #1 for grinders. Follow the sign-up process below, and you'll get 3 'first' deposit welcome bonuses (100% up to $600 in total) to get your bankroll off to a flying start.

  • Download the software from www.pokerstars.com
  • Create Your Account - Choose 'Marketing Code' from the drop down list and add PSPxxxx in the new box which appears.
  • Hit the big red 'Cashier' button on the lobby (you really can not miss it!)
  • Choose your deposit method and use Bonus Code STARS600 for your first 3 deposits within 90 days.

It is as simple as that, 3 deposit bonuses, the best rewards and 1000's of SNGs kicking off every hour... if you are serious about becoming a grinder, then you need to check this site out!

Becoming A SNG Professional #3 – Learning To Multi-Table

This is a must for anyone serious about making a large profit from SNGs. The key factor here is your hourly rate, or overall dollars earned per hour. While adding 8, 10, 12 or more tables will reduce your profit per table, the additional tables will more than make up for this in terms of total cash won.

We break this subject down into two parts in our detailed guide to multi-tabling SNGs. Firstly we look at the math / ROI factors and show how you can expect your profits to escalate. Secondly we look at the practical issues, these include the debates on Sets vs Continual and Tiled vs Cascaded views.

Multi-Tabling SNGs Part #1 – ROI and Profits

Multi-Tabling SNGs Part #2 – Setup Considerations

Becoming A SNG Professional #4 – Push / Fold Poker

You not only need to understand push / fold poker to become a SNG Pro – you will need to have your ‘ranges’ and ‘equity based decisions’ down to a semi-automated level. That is to say you will need to learn Poker ICM and the math behind dollar equity based decisions.

This will involve going through your own hand histories and looking for spots where you could have improved your profits. Both in terms of your own behavior (pushes / folds) and the calls of your opponents with surprising cards.

I suggest that anyone serious about making many $1000’s from SNG grinding needs to invest in a tool to assist with this analysis. ICMIZER 2 is way ahead of the field when it comes to push-fold math, opponent ranges and showing you the most profitable moves in different common situations - it comes recommended for exactly this purpose! You can check it out for free, with 3 calculations per day, though aspiring grinders will quickly see the value in subscribing. Check out www.icmpoker.com now for the details of how it can make you money! 

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Becoming A SNG Professional #5 – Make Sure It Is Right For You!

Having the right expectations and the right mindset are as important as choosing the correct site and investing in the right tools. The excitement of poker will fade after becoming a grinder for any length of time. It is important that you are able to keep yourself motivated to put in the hours.

A Balanced lifestyle, taking regular breaks and making sure you have no distractions are all key factors – and will become especially important during those inevitable break-even or losing patches.

SNG Grinding can be hugely profitable, we wish you the best of luck and look forward to your feedback at: support@sngplanet.com

 

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