 "SnG's" as they are affectionately known by their most ardent fans ( of which there are thousands!) are single table tournaments with a set buy in and a fixed payout stucture of 50% , 30% and 20% to the top three finishers.
This structure of game is not available in a bricks and mortar casino as a cash payout tournament, only as a satellite. And yet online, they are one of the most popular game structures. So what is the attraction and how can you make them pay? Well, the first question is easy to answer!! They offer a complete "mini" game, with a beginning a middle and an end. They have a set buy in and take a relatively small amount of time to finish. Unlike a cash game the amount of money that you commit is limited and unlike a tournament the amount of time that you commit is also limited. And in this age of the internet a quick cheap fix is exactly what poker junkies crave!! But what is a good strategy to make these games pay as many online players do? Probably one of the most inportant aspects of an "SnG" is to play the right "gears". If you imagine driving a car and slowly moving up the gears as you increase speed this is the same way to play a "SnG". Slowly increasing the gears, ie how aggressively you play. When you start the blinds are small and it's a ten handed game so there is no need to bluff pots and steal blinds. As players get knocked out and the blinds increase, it is necessary to play more aggressively; raise and reraise more and put other players to a decision for all their chips. Another important aspect of all online poker is to watch what your opponents turn over! There are no real tells online so an important tool in helping you work out what your opponent is playing, is knowing what and how, they played previously. So it is very important to pay close attention to the game. Something that is minor but I think very important, is not to use the auto raise and call buttons. If you can raise or call no matter what action takes place before you you must have a very big hand, so don't give that information away by using the auto raise buttons! Try to take similar amounts of time in making all your decisions, something important in live play aswell. And last but by no means least play with confidence and assurity! Confident and self assured players are always successful. You must believe in your reads of your opponents and act accordingly. Don't allow yourself to be bullied around too much but have strategic bursts of aggression. Beware, however, of over confidence as the one thing poker should teach us all a little humility, sometimes, no matter how well you play your entire tournament life will depend on the turn of a card :) !! SnG's are a great and relatively cheap way to learn to play poker. They are a really good training ground for the gears required in multi table tournaments and the patience required for cash games as both are needed to be successful. And for the accomplished player they offer a great way to make money at online poker. So really although their popularity is immense it is not really surprising. They really offer something for everyone; money, a sense of victory and accomplishment, constant availability and all this in less than an hour!! What more could any poker player possibly ask for? |
