Single Table Tournament Strategy
Poker Tournament Strategy
Generally there are two different types of online poker tournaments – multi table and single table tourneys. The main difference between them is that the multi table tournaments (MTTs) are scheduled in advance and they take longer to finish. The opposite of multi table tournaments is single table tournaments, which are commonly referred to as “Sit and Gos” or “SNGs”.
When it comes to single table tournaments, the poker game starts as soon as all the seats at one table are taken. Sit and Gos are very popular online because many online players are time poor and don’t have a lot of time to play. Usually, these tourneys are shorter than the multi table ones and that is why they are so exciting.
If you want to take part in SNGs you should be familiar with some basic strategies that you can use during the poker tournament.
Generally, at the early stages of the SNG it is recommended to play more tight than usual. Sometimes you need to be more aggressive, depending on the type of SNG, such as if you are playing in a Re-buy SNG tourney and you have the chance to purchase additional chips so you can play more loose because the rules permits you to do so. But for SNGs with normal blind levels, the blinds are still low during the early stages of the SNG. So, take advantage of this and see more flops, hoping that the community cards will improve your hand. A tight strategy is usually best during the early stages. You can use your tight table image to your advantage later in the poker tournament.
During the middle stages of the single table tournament you should conform your poker strategy with the changes in the blinds. Now the blinds are higher in relation to your stack and it is time to start opening up your game if you really want a good shot of winning the tournament. By now you should have better reads on your opponents and identified the poker players you can target. If you are at early position and you have a strong hand you can raise aggressively, because this can make some of your opponents to fold, but if someone raises before you do not hesitate to fold if your hand is poor and the odds are not on your side. Do not be scared to do squeeze raises with less then premium hands if you expect your opponents to fold, and look to be stealing the blinds. You really want to build your stack in the middle stages so you increase the size of your stack.
Towards the final stage the best that you can do is to consider the situation. First of all, pay attention to your position, the other participants and their chips. Your stack size will dictate how you approach the end game of SNGs. If you don’t have enough chips bet only if you have a good hand. You should be in shove/fold mode in the later stages of the tournament. Do not believe in miracles right now, shove your premium hands and try and double up if you are short stacked. But if are above the average stack you should concentrate your efforts in order to eliminate your opponents. Look to be bullying the smaller stacks.
![mobilecasino[1]](http://www.latestpokernews.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/mobilecasino1-83x55.jpg "mobilecasino[1]")