There are many of us who still play low level Sit N Go's, simply because of bankroll, or possibly just the pressure of losing 'more' money.
I've played at many levels / buy ins from $1 to $100, 6 - 10 players , Hold'em to HORSE
Now I would like to share a very common strategy, that is often over looked, or just not practiced hard enough, specially at lower limits.
Some people call it "playing tight", I call it playing possum (aka chicken)
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All possums are nocturnal and omnivorous, hiding in a nest in a hollow tree during the day and coming out during the night to forage for food. They fill much the same role in the Australian ecosystem that squirrels fill in the northern hemisphere and are broadly similar in appearance.
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Although many do not take into account 'image' at the table
simply because at low levels, games are either to fast, or people just don't really know how to play and others just feel lucky.
Later on in the game, when it gets to 4-5 players, they do take notice (of image), but more importantly you should have taken notes of who doesn't.
So to start off the average sit n go,
basically your folding everything under the sun, including:
small pocket pairs (unless its folded to you on the button, limp in)
A9o-A2o (unless u can limp on small blind/ call 1 bb from the big big blind)
folding QJs/TJs/T9s in early middle position ( I know you want to limp in)
let go of drawing hands that don't give you the nuts
more importantly, do NOT raise with a drawing hand!!!
why?
if your re raised all in, do you call? (then u miss the point of this strategy)
if you simply check call, you can gauge exactly how much its going to cost you to the see the next card
ex: pot is 300 and u check your flush draw, and the next player min bets, and everyone calls........ you are getting optimal odds to call.
you check and the next player x3/x4 bets, and someone calls. you fold
unless you hit on the turn, your calling all in on to see the river.
risk vs reward / opportunity vs chance
we all see the donkeys at the table that raise with nothing
peel off a card for free(checked around), if you hit your flush, guess what?
the donkey is still in the hand to pay you off
reasoning
you need to save your blinds
you need to have some chips in your stack to give pressure, when pressure is needed most, around the bubble and into the money.
when your blinding yourself down, and say your down to 1100-1200 chips with 4 players remaining, even when others (10 player 1500 starting chips) have 3000 and 4000. Players tighten up, now its time to strike.
everyone folds to the small blind who limps in to your big blind?
you raise with marginal hands, but remember to raise enough to put pressure, but not look like its just a steal. Use your image for you, not against you.
if you push all in, it looks like a steal, yes it maybe more pressure but do you really want to go to a showdown with a marginal hand? say Q8s?
you notice the big blind plays tight, but he has a nice size stack
and its you small blind vs his big blind....
here is where you can attempt a steal, possibly any 2 cards
but timing, is important.
Don't let the clock run down to long, but don't push to soon
use your image for you, not against you.
the under the gun player limps in, late pos min raises
your in the small blind...........down to 800-900 chips (after posting)
unless you have AA / KK, you fold and hope bb wakes up with a hand
you can not afford to play a 3-4 players with short stack, while more then your stack has now been piled in the middle of the table.
any action you make on the flop, will be disregarded as an attempt to, I dunno hope to get lucky?
?best case scenario if u play that hand?,
you pick up the pot but still short stacked
?best case scenario if you fold that hand?
1 possibly 2 players being knocked
1 possibly 2 players being shorter stacked then you and now having to go through the blinds.
often you hear people saying, "play for first"
thats great advice if your winning a larger % compared to the buy in
you can afford to take that risk vs reward, opportunity vs chance
because you will only need a few wins/seconds to make up for it
but at the lower levels
the payout $% is to small, - rake
it is more profitable to play for the money (any) then to always shoot for the moon. You might be surprised at how often you start winning more too, cause you have set yourself up for the chance to strike while the iron is hot.
yes you will also finish on the bubble more, more then before...
as the times you push/raise
get called by a hand that owns you
and you hit the flop and follow through and bust.
this lesson is about giving you a chance to even consider playing for the money, cause we all have seen on the lower end tables the chip leaders going from stoke to broke.
now you can be the one to break them
I would also like to add the knowledge you will gain with this strategy
be it, playing good poker, playing position, player profiling and note taking
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I do tend to play tighter then most (in SnG's), you can adapt this strategy, I never get good cards anyways, that is why I had to adapt from playing tight.
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I will be following up to this thread with some statistical numbers
from playing 15-25 $1 SnG's a day for 20 days straight in Dec/07
where i went from no rank, to almost cracking the top 2000
update
$1 10 seater sit n go's
total games: 170
total buy-in: $187
total cash's: $304
total profit : $117
34 wins / 26nds / 28rds / 18 bubbles