This is the first part of a three-part series detailing the pitfalls to avoid and strategies to employ to crush sit-and-go tournaments.
Part 1 of this series will outline the defining characteristics of a sit-and-go poker player.
If you've ever played online poker be it at Full Tilt Poker or Poker Stars you will undoubtedly have played in one of the many sit-and-go tournaments.
Even if you've never played a sit-and-go but you have played in a poker tournament before you will not be phased by the format although there are a few notable differences between the two: * There is a pre-determined number of seats and the tournament begins once every seat has been filled.
* The prize money is calculated based on the number of open seats.
* The prize money is distributed amongst the top finishers depending on how many players are registered.
(For example a 9 player sit-and-go will pay the top 3 finishers) The main difference between a multi-table poker tournament and a sit-and-go poker tournament is with the sit-and-go variant is you know how many players you are up against before you register, you have a general idea of how long the tournament will last, and generally speaking you are not investing a large sum of money.
With that information in mind let's take a look at the average sit-and-go poker players you are bound to come across: * The risk averse player.
The risk averse player enjoys the low buy-in amounts, and is not confident enough in his skills as a poker player to register in a multi-table higher amount buy-in game.
You can easily identify this player as the one who plays very few hands, only limps-in pots and instantly folds the moment there's a raise.
* The time constrained player He knows that the average 9 player sit-and-go does not last more than 1 hour.
He is merely interested in entertaining himself for an hour before getting back to his normal daily life.
While the majority of sit-and-go players are time constrained, you really begin to see it after 20-30 minutes have gone by.
Suddenly these players will begin playing any two random cards and making irrational plays.
Keep a close eye on these players as they can double you up but can also easily make you go broke with a suck out on the river.
*The "not in it for the money" player The average sit-and-go player knows that there is no real money to be made from playing in a $10 9 players tournament and when they register for that tournament they are not really after that $20 first prize money but more the thrill of the tournament experience.
This type of player is still learning the game and will make very questionable calls and raises with marginal hands.
Often times they may even move all-in with nothing but A-3 off suit as a "double up or go broke" attempt.
While this is a gross generalization of sit-and-go poker players over time you will find that every player demonstrates one of these characteristics and it will be crucial that you can spot these players as early as possible to use the information to your advantage.
Be sure to read the next section in this series to learn how to exploit these shortcomings.