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Some people state that winning is not everything. To some extent we agree! When you play Sit & Go tournaments it is your first concern to end up winning money but not necessarily ending first. To finish in the money (ITM) is crucial for your long term result. Therefore your first task should always be to end up ITM. When you accomplished this first goal and secured some price money your next and second goal should be to win the tournament. The reason is that the price structure normally is progressive. The first place pays a lot more than second or third.

Price structure

Most online poker rooms share a common price structure. Some online poker rooms differ a bit but usually they have approximately the same price structure. If you play a 10 handed Sit & Go tournaments the normal structure is first place pays 50%, second place pays 30% while the third place pays 20%. So if you play a $10 + 1 tournament at a 10 handed table the price pool is $100 and the winner is paid $50. If you play a tournament with 6 players the winner is usually paid 70% and the runner up gets 30%. Be sure to check the price structure before you start playing. It is important so you can adjust your game accordingly.

What is the long term winning strategy?

As stated in the beginning of this article it is important to stay alive long enough to end up in the money (ITM). In other words your strategy should be to end up in the top three places. But what strategy should one use? Should I play tight, loose, or tight? The answer to this question is actually not that straightforward since optimal strategy changes throughout the game. In other words we can´t give you one piece of advice for the entire tournament. Instead we have to give you different advice for different parts of the tournament. In other words, strategy changes significantly throughout the tournament. Playing tight might be the right thing to do in the beginning but playing tight at the end will be a catastrophe. 

To illustrate the importance of using the right strategy we below present four different player types. Each player type uses a different strategy, each having a last name that reflects their choice of strategy. In the examples each player has entered a hundred 10 handed $10 + 1 tournaments. Each player has paid a total of $1100 in entry fees.

Player one – Tara Tight

Tara plays a very tight game. A lot of times she manages to stay alive long enough to finish in the money. The main problem for Tara is not changing gears and only playing good hands. Most of the times the chips just run out and she only ends up in third place. Sometimes good cards help her out and a win or a second place comes a long. Tara is ITM 43% of the games played. Even so the 5% wins, 5% second and 33% third places are not enough to break even. So despite the great number of games ITM she still looses money!

Player two – Lisa Loose

Lisa plays a loose game and takes a lot of chances. When it comes to finishing ITM she will not be as successful as Tara, but if she gets to final three (ITM) she will have a much better result. The reason is simply that she plays a looser game at the end. She finishes ITM 29%, 12%, first places, 12% second and only 5% third places. However she just like Tara will not make any money. She plays to loose.

Player three – Bert Balance

Now let us instead follow the more balanced player Bert. He starts of with a tight game and then opens up a bit as the game carries on. He still isn´t able to finish ITM as often as Tara but has a much better chance of winning since he often has a larger amount of chips in front of him. Even so Bert manages to get a decent long term result with a 36% ITM. He finishes first, second and third 12% each. Bert makes the top three often enough but should be able to finish first and second more often. As we can see from the below graph Bert is actually making money. 

Player four – Uma Ultimate

At last let us see how the most effective player, Uma, plays the optimal strategy. In short the ultimate strategy is to play tight to start off with, loosen up somewhat as the game progresses and then be very aggressive when you reach the money. With this strategy you will mainly lose your chance to finish second and instead finish first and third instead. You will get ITM just as often as Bert, but hardly ever finish 2nd. Instead you finish first and third 17% each and second place only 2% of the time.

Conclusion

As we can see from the above examples the optimal strategy is the combination of three. First we play tight. Then as we progress we start to loosen up. When we reach the money we open up considerably and become very loose and aggressive. In other words we apply different strategy in different parts of the game.

When you have reached the money you should take some extra risk to get a better chance of winning the tournament. Since first place is paid a relatively larger amount it´s more profitable to aim for first place. Bert Balanced above had a great result with about 10% return on his investment. Even so Uma Ultimate got a 50% better result! As we can see from above, having the right strategy at the right moment in the game is very important and a key win factor in the game of Sit & Go.

Bankroll

When it comes to bankroll you need enough money to buy into several tournaments. We recommend that you have about 20 – 25 times the buy in level. This advice is valid for a level where you normally are a winner.

If you play somewhat loose you need to have a bigger bankroll since this will give you bigger swings in your bankroll.

If you play outside your comfort-zone you risk playing to tight and that will cost you money in the long run. Your bankroll will then do better if you step down a level. If you feel comfortable with the amount at risk you can relax and play at your best.

When it comes to moving up feel free to do so whenever you feel that your bankroll is big enough or if you are prepared to risk a bigger amount to be able to win a bit more. But take it from us who have played a lot of these tournaments: don´t be in a hurry to move up. Build your bankroll at each level and then move up.

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