Virtual Poker Coaching

An important part of playing Sit and Go’s, and online poker in general, is knowing how to pick a table. When you first start off playing online poker, you may just sit down at the first table you see, but this can make it much more difficult to be a winning player. Make it easier on yourself by following a few guidelines, and you’ll find it much easier to be a winning player. Picking a table that matches your desired game type, doesn’t require too much of your bankroll, and isn’t filled with grinders, is an important first step in becoming a more successful Sit and Go player.

Types of Sit and Go’s

Figuring out which type Sit and Go you’re looking for is the first step in choosing a table. Currently, there are two main types of Sit and Go’s, the traditional ones, where 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place are in the money, and Double or Nothing’s, where the top half of players win. There are also a different number of players at different tables, the most common are 6, 9, and 10 man Sit and Go’s. Our video series, and this blog, focus on 10-man traditional Sit and Go’s.

Know Your Bankroll

The amount of money in your account is the determining factor when deciding which stakes you will play for. Only two percent of your bankroll should be invested in any single tournament. This is stressed in the videos, but deserves repeating. Poker has ups and downs, and by only risking two percent of your bankroll in any single tournament, it makes it much more likely you’ll be able to ride out bad breaks, keep playing, and win more than you lost.

Analyze the Rake

Rake is another important factor to consider when choosing a table. The amount of rake you’re paying compared to the buy in varies significantly. In a traditional Sit and Go, the rake can be anywhere from 4 to 20 percent of the buy in. The rake is generally a higher percentage in lower stakes games, so I recommend starting off with at least $100 in your bankroll so that you can play at a slightly higher level and avoid the most extreme rake. Another good way to cut down on rake is to play in turbo Sit and Go’s. The rake in a turbo Sit and Go is usually less that in a regular Sit and Go with the same buy in. This allows you to play more games, and pay less in rake, than traditional Sit and Go’s.

Watch Out for Grinders

The biggest threat to being a profitable Sit and Go player is grinders. These are people who will generally play tighter, and at a higher level than the average player. The way to figure out if there are grinders at your table is to open up multiple tournament lobbies and see who’s registered. If you see more than four people registered at multiple tables, you may want to find another table. Playing with grinders does have its advantages though. Because grinders are multi-tabling, their attention is split between many table, making it more difficult to get a read on you. Another advantage is that grinders will generally play very tightly most of the tournament, making it easier to steal pots from them.

Poker Stars has a huge amount of Sit and Go’s to choose from, and always has new Sit and Go tables opening up and running . Full Tilt Poker is another excellent site for Sit and Go’s, as it also has a very large community and selection of Sit and Go’s. Using the marketing code VPC600 at Full Tilt Poker will net you a 100% sign up bonus up to $600 to get your bankroll growing even faster.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for topics, send
me an email at virtualpokercoaching(@)gmail.com.