Sit and Go Strategy - Getting the maximum value.

Online poker sites offer a wide range of sit and go poker tournaments for players of all skills and bankrolls. I highly recommend new players start in the sit and go circuit so as to make the most of their deposit, limit their risk, and learn the game as you go. Some sit and go tournaments actually start at under a dollar! Just go to your poker site lobby and look for the sit and go section. They all have them. For me I decided to play this 6 seated sit and go tournament. A lot of the 6 seated sit and go tournaments can be played for tokens to bigger tournaments as well.

Just a few hands into the sit and go tournament I get dealt T9 off suit.

I will normally NOT call any type of rise with this hand, at this stage of the tournament. Since it is early, I know very little about my opponents style of play, but generally assume most to weak to moderately experienced.

The flop.

The small blind calls to make the pot 60 and three players see the flop of Qd6sAh. Both of the blinds check to the limper but surprisingly, he checks as well. If someone comes into the pot voluntarily in position, you would normally expect a bet out of them here with that ace on the flop, and I think this player missed an opportunity to take the pot right here. So not only should he have raised preflop, he should be betting now. That leads me to believe he is too passive a player and will be an easy opponent.

The turn.

The turn card is the eight of clubs,and possibly the only rank of card that might keep me in this pot. After a few seconds the small blind puts out a bet of 20. That turn card has presented an opportunity for me now in that I have an up and down straight draw, meaning if a 7 or Jack comes on the river I will have a straight. Even though the pot is only 80 chips now, I choose to call this bet because of the potential implied odds here. Also, the passive limper is not likely to reraise now, so I have limited risk for huge potential. If I miss my draw, I am not planning to bluff at this small pot. I will simply check/fold at this early stage as part of my normal sit and go strategy. I call the 20 and the passive limper calls too. The pot is now 120.

The river.

Would you believe the 7 of hearts lands on the river? Not only do I have a straight, I have the nuts - the best possible hand. Now I must figure out how to get the most out of this situation. This is where your implied game comes into play, because hands like these are the reasons why you call for implied odds. So when they come along your job is to extract all you can. Now the small blind acts first and bets the pot here - 120, making the pot 240.

If he had checked I would be leaning to do that same bet myself, hoping for at least one caller. His turn bet was small enough for me to think he was just trying to pick up an orphan pot. But I don’t think that anymore. Now I think he has at least a strong pair, even more - two pair. I must reraise now, because I have at least one customer who certainly has something. If he was playing something like K8 or J8, I don’t think he would value betting the river here, since two players called on the turn.

Two pair or a even well disguised set. Because I can put him on a good hand here, I decide to go all in. Most players with two pair, a set, or a weaker straight will NOT fold to this bet, and I will get paid off the vast majority of the time. The passive limper quickly folds.

The winning poker hand.

The small blind contemplates, and makes the call. He turns over 5 of clubs and 4 of hearts, for a lower straight, which under the circumstances is a strong hand as well. Not many players would fold that hand, probably myself included, but this was about extracting the maximum amount of value from this rare opportunity. Had I bet any amount less than all in, he would have likely just called, reducing my take in this pot. The player was eliminated a couple hands later.

Marty Smith creates poker tournament strategy videos for new online poker players. You can sign up for free and get them delivered directly to your in box.