Limit Hold’Em Turbo Sit n Go Strategy Part One

Although not as popular as they’re no limit counterparts, you can certainly find limit hold’em sit n go’s in the turbo format. These events are much different however than the no limit games and you will need to adapt a different strategy to be successful. It is also important to realize the adjustments you will have to make from just a normal format limit hold em sit n go. This two-part article will explore some of the adjustments and considerations you will have to make when playing a turbo limit hold’em sit n go.

Early rounds

Unlike a no limit event, you aren’t going to be able to shove in all your chips to make a point. You are going to have to use good old-fashioned solid play. This includes selecting good starting hands and being as aggressive as possible when it comes time to bet. Even though you can’t push all your chips in, you can make a statement by raising and re-raising, especially when you have a solid hand. One thing you will want to do early on is be very dominating pre flop when you come across a dominant hand like AA, KK, AK or AQ. There is no time or reason to slow play in a turbo environment. You need to raise pre flop and re-raise if you have the opportunity. By building an aggressive table image early you will be able to buy yourself some breathing room when you make it into the late rounds of the tournament.

Despite the fact that we have preached aggressive play, its important to note that in the very early rounds of the tournament you don’t need to be an idiot, its okay to wait for some hands. It would be best to lower your starting hand requirements some. If there is a set of hands you play in ideal conditions in a normal tournament, then a set of hands you play in a short handed game, imagine the ideal set for the initial rounds of a turbo tournament somewhere in between. While you would play KT offsuit from middle position short handed, its okay to wait for that hand in late position in the turbo format sit n go. You basically can add speculative and offsuit face card hands to your middle and late position arsenal but it’s still pretty important to stick to only the best hands in early position. Remember, you can shove all your chips in with KJ offsuit from the big blind to make a statement. In the early rounds you’ll just get called down and made to be a fool.

Eliminating weak players

A turbo limit hold’em event is a real good place to find weak and inexperienced players. Sometimes they won’t even realize they are in a turbo event or what that is. You can take advantage of this and increase your chances of finishing in the money. Here are some tips for finding out who the weak players are:

• Any player that cold calls raises, especially when they are in early position is probably a poor player. Use the quickly escalating blinds to run them out of chips. They won’t realize just how quick their stack dwindles when you consistently raise into them pre flop.
• A player who doesn’t raise often most likely hasn’t adjusted properly to the turbo format and is prime for the taking.
• Finally, players who are afraid to cap the betting in a turbo sit n go might be displaying some weakness. Capping the betting is the one tool you have in a turbo limit sit n go to really move the chips around. A player not willing to do this, while better than an absolute beginner, could have some weaknesses.

If you are a regular cash game player or you are trying to get into some limit play from the no limit arena there are a few things you should know about the late stages of a limit hold’em sit n go, especially a turbo one:

• If you have a short stack, you might as well be playing no limit. There is one problem though, when you go all in it usually doesn’t mean “I have the best hand” It means “well, this is my last shot, and I better take it”.
• Even if you don’t have a short stack, the tournament can start to play very much like a no limit tournament. The blinds will be completely disproportionate in relation to you and your opponents chip stacks and a highly contested pot could put one or more players all in quickly.

With these things in mind, its important that you pick your battles in the final rounds of a turbo limit hold’em sit n go. You might be thinking to yourself “oh I can try this hand, its only limit, I won’t be risking much if I try”. You will though, if you catch something miniscule on the flop, you’ll find yourself chasing the hand and before you know it you’ll be showing down middle pair on the river with 80% of your chips gone. So, in the final rounds of the tournament, use the tight and aggressive table image you have secured in the early rounds to buy some pots and steal blinds. Most players by this point should have a fair amount of respect for your play, so use this to your advantage to steal blinds and antes.

Much like a no limit event, the turbo format is going to force you to be aggressive in the final rounds of the tournament. You simply won’t be able to win unless you are willing to take some risks and gamble. Once it is down to the final two or three players, pretty much anything goes and you should be raising most of the time pre flop. If you are going to enter the pot, raise, simple as that. Single aces or face cards are all game now and they should be played fast and hard. Remember, by the time you get to a showdown, you could have quite a few of your chips in the middle. It might have taken you two or three rounds of betting, but the blinds and limits have raise so quickly that the tournament plays similar to a no limit event. Sometimes the limits can get so high that it is simply a matter of time until the tournament is over. In situations like this you are going to need some luck, but you need to continue to be on the offensive and take chips rather than wait and see. Because the final moments of the tournament can get so volatile, go ahead and slow down the action by taking more time to act. If you can get to the flop, you now have an opportunity to make convincing plays and moves that will give you a chip edge. Using deception and bluffing at the end is one way to try and carve out a profit when you have made it to the money.

Remember, turbo limit hold’em sit n go’s can get very crazy, especially towards the end. You are going to need some guts and a little tenacity to be able to win at these events. Also remember to keep a strong bankroll of at least fifty to sixty buy ins. The variance in the tournaments is high so you will need a big bankroll to withstand the swings and be profitable.