The most important thing to do is to divide the game into a few stages; early, middle and late. Each of these stages should be approached differently.
In the early stages, you should play only the monster hands. Hold on until you get the pocket Q’s, K’s and A’s. Be very, very selective as to the hands you play and spend most of your time watching the betting patterns of your opponents. Since most sit n go players will start off very aggressive due to the small blinds, it is a great time to watch and learn.
In the middle stages, after about four people (in a 10 person tournament) have been eliminated, you can start to play a few more hands; high suited connectors, lower pairs etc. You should still be very selective since you have yet to make the money.
In the late stages, when there are only four people left in the tournament, a funny thing happens. The once aggressive players tighten up in order to make the money. In the meantime, you have been tight all along, and it is now time for you to make your move. Loosen up, push your chips and watch everyone around you fold. Be careful, don’t be silly, but if you play smart, you can stack up a lot of chips fast before you get down to the final three. Ideally, it would be best if you went into the final three with the most chips, but don’t get too cocky about pushing your chips around because you never know when you are going to go up against a monster. Play smart, but play aggressive.
When you get down to the final two, heads up; you need to play the player as much as the cards. I find that I try to keep track of my raises, and checks etc. so that I don’t become too predictable. Once you get down to the final two, it becomes a big more of a crap shoot, but by this time, you’re made the money, so everything else is gravy.
Enjoy the sit n go, play smart, and you will find that you can make a lot of money without the constant financial risk involved with the ring game.
