Whether you play for fun, for side income, or with sights on professional play, mastering sit and go tournaments is a compact path to improving your poker skills and your results. This guide distills practical strategies, math-backed decisions, mental approach, and tools that I’ve used and refined over years of playing single-table and multi-table sit and go (SNG) events. If you’re looking to sharpen your edge fast, read on.
Why sit and go?
Sit and go tournaments are short, focused tournaments that begin when the required number of players registers. They reward a blend of crisp math, timing, and adaptability. In my early days, I treated them like cash games and lost chips slowly until I learned to respect stack sizes, ICM pressure, and push/fold dynamics. Those lessons accelerated my learning curve more than any long-session cash game ever did.
For players who want fast feedback loops, quick bankroll moves, and repeatable decision trees, sit and go play is ideal. It’s also the best arena to practice three core skills:
- Push/fold strategy and recognizing fold equity
- Bubble and ICM-aware adjustments
- Effective aggression and short-handed play
Core principles that win sit and go
These are the non-negotiables that separate consistent winners from break-even players.
- Respect stack depths in big blinds: Strategy changes sharply between 100+ BB, 40–100 BB, 20–40 BB, and sub-20 BB. Convert stacks to big blinds immediately and use canned ranges until you internalize the dynamics.
- Push/fold is a feature, not a bug: When effective stack sizes get to ~15–20 BB or less, the correct decision is frequently a shove or a fold. Use Nash charts as a guideline and adjust for player tendencies.
- ICM matters on bubble: Playing the bubble like a cash hand is a costly mistake. Your goal often becomes making the money, not maximizing chips. Avoid marginal flips against tighter opponents.
- Table image and timing: Your perceived aggression or passivity changes opponents’ calling ranges. Use timed aggression to steal blinds and to get paid off when you have a real hand.
- Position is king: Steal more from late positions, defend more in early positions, and widen ranges on the button and cutoff when stacks are shallow.
Practical, stage-by-stage strategy
Early stage (100–40 BB)
In deep-stacked sng formats, this stage resembles cash-game play. Focus on extracting value, avoiding marginal spots out of position, and building an image. Don’t gamble poorly to accumulate chips early; pick spots where your equity and position combine favorably. Versus weaker players, widen your raising range in position.
Middle stage (40–20 BB)
Transition to a more aggressive approach. Open-raise sizes can be 2.2–2.5x the big blind to preserve fold equity when shoving later. Start applying pressure to medium stacks; identify who is desperate for chips and who plays passively. This is when I began using a simple push/fold cheat-sheet at the table — it saved more chips than any luck I've had.
Late stage (20 BB and below)
At this point, decisions become binary. Use preflop shoves liberally from late position and against tight opponents. Defend your big blind wider if the shover is stealing frequently. Remember: with a 10 BB stack, a single double-up drastically changes ICM, so push ranges tighten near the bubble. Knowing when to shove and when to fold should be automatic.
Heads-up
Heads-up SNGs are dynamic. The short-handed environment rewards aggression and postflop skills. Adjust to opponent tendencies — exploit timid players with wider aggression, and be prepared to make educated folds against razor-sharp players who trap frequently.
ICM and bubble-specific adjustments
ICM (Independent Chip Model) converts chip equity into payout equity. A coin-flip battle that’s profitable chip-wise can be destructive to your payout chances on the bubble. A few practical rules:
- Avoid marginal shoves/3-bets against short stacks when you are in the money bubble and an elimination is likely to make pay.
- Push more often when the bubble is approaching and you have a large stack — use the leverage of fold equity.
- Observe opponents: if a player is shoving wide to steal blinds before the bubble, tighten your calling range to punish them.
One time I was heads-up to make the money with a tiny chip lead. I folded AJo in the big blind to a button shove from an opponent who had looked unpredictable. Two hands later he shoved with K7o and doubled — my cautious fold conserved my stack because the next shove I made worked. The point: ICM considerations should change your willingness to gamble.
Push/Fold guidelines and examples
Nash push/fold charts are a great starting point. Here are simplified guidelines I use as heuristics (adjust by opponent skill):
- With 15 BB — push any pair, any Ace, most broadway cards, and many suited connectors from late position.
- With 10 BB — tighten slightly: push stronger broadways and pairs, open-shove in late position with Axs and strong connectors.
- With 7 BB — shove very wide in late positions; call shoves carefully unless you have a hand with reasonable equity.
Example: With 11 BB on the button and two players folded, a shove with A9s is generally correct even against big blind calls because fold equity is high and A9s retains showdown value.
Reading opponents and opponent-based adjustments
Mathematics sets the backbone, but opponent reading supplies the muscle. Track these player types mentally:
- Tight-passive: Steal blinds aggressively but avoid getting overcommitted when they wake up with a hand.
- Loose-aggressive (LAG): Trap them with strong hands; call their bluffs occasionally and re-raise with premium holdings.
- Calling stations: Value-bet thinly and avoid bluffing them often.
Simple tells exist online too — timing tells, bet sizing patterns, and HUD statistics (VPIP, PFR, 3-bet) are invaluable. I use HUD numbers as conversation starters with the table: an opponent with 40% VPIP and 3% 3-bet is calling wide rather than raising — so adjust by value-betting more.
Tools and training
To progress faster, combine study and practice:
- Use solvers and push/fold chart apps to internalize ranges for different stack sizes.
- Review hands while focusing on ICM decisions — ask whether a shove increased or decreased your expected payout.
- Watch pro SNG streamers or recorded sessions and pause to think through their choices before watching the outcome.
- Consider training sites or coaches for targeted feedback if you intend to move up stakes quickly.
For practice and quick play, I often open a table on recreational platforms to rehearse shoves and defenses. If you want a fast way to try different SNG variants, check out keywords for a variety of formats and practice options.
Mental game and bankroll management
Emotional control is huge in sit and go. The format’s frequent variance and rapid swings can tilt even experienced players. My routine includes:
- Pre-session limits: stop after a defined loss or win goal.
- Post-session review: take notes on one or two hands that were unclear and analyze them away from the table.
- Bankroll rules: for regular single-table SNGs, keep at least 50–100 buy-ins; for hyper-turbos and heads-up play, increase that cushion due to higher variance.
During a personal slump, I once dropped to micro-stakes, reviewed fundamentals for two weeks, and returned with a clearer approach — that reset preserved my bankroll and sanity. Compounded learning beats stubbornly grinding through tilt.
Advanced concepts
Once basics are solid, incorporate these advanced ideas:
- Dynamic range balancing: mix shoves and folds with stronger hands to avoid being predictable.
- Effective re-steal ranges: against frequent stealers, re-steal with hands that can stand up to a call or that benefit from fold equity.
- Multi-table SNG strategy: manage table selection, exploit weaker tables, and know when to leave a table and re-enter to face better edges.
Checklist: What to practice this week
- Memorize basic push/fold ranges for 10–20 BB situations.
- Play focused sessions of 20–50 SNGs, logging questionable hands.
- Review three critical bubble decisions and one heads-up match.
- Keep a bankroll log and set a small, achievable improvement goal for the week.
Final thoughts
Sit and go tournaments reward clear thinking and disciplined risk-taking. By respecting stack sizes, using push/fold logic, incorporating ICM-awareness, and adjusting to opponents, you can increase your ROI and your enjoyment of the game. Start small, track your decisions, and iterate. If you want to try different SNG formats or practice specific scenarios quickly, explore options at keywords.
Takeaway: the best improvement comes from focused practice combined with honest review. Put these principles into action in the next 50 sit and go tournaments you play, and you’ll notice your decision-making — and your results — improve measurably.
