NLHE Turbo Sit N Go Strategy

No limit hold’em turbo sit n go’s have become a very popular tournament format over the past year or two. The reasons behind this are the fast tournament times, the quick action and the chance to go on some real runs. There are some other advantages too. Many people play turbo tournaments because they don’t have the time or patience for regular tournaments and sit n go’s. This is definitely something you can use to your advantage. Because hold’em has become such a popular game, many players are just looking for the quick win. They aren’t willing to invest the time into becoming a solid, profitable player, so they look for the easy way out. A turbo sit n go offers players a nice payout with very little commitment in terms of time and energy. Although because of the nature of these tournaments the variance is higher, a player with good hold’em skills can become very profitable at turbo sit n go’s. There are some adjustments and other considerations you will have to make however. This two-part article will give you the basics for adapting to the no limit hold’em turbo environment through out all rounds of the tournament. Read section two for late game strategies and tips.

Starting hands and aggression early on

For starters, if you have a problem playing aggressively or you just really like to sit around and wait for the best possible hands, then we highly recommend you just stick to the normal tournament format. There is just too much action and variance taking place in a turbo game to sit around and wait. You’ll either need to make a change to your playing style or just stay away from the games. With that in mind you’ll need to be selective and aggressive in the initial rounds of the tournament. Lowering your starting hand requirements is not only a must, but in some cases your cards may not even matter. Make sure you are aggressive in middle or late positions with hands like 55,66,77,88,99, KQ suited or not, KJ, suited or not, AT suited or not and even consider aggressively playing the suited connectors. Like all things in poker though, you need to do this with tact and care. You obviously shouldn’t be playing suited connectors from early position against a player who is likely to raise. Similarly, don’t commit your whole stack to some of the more speculative hands mentioned above. Make smart, pot or near pot sized bets to ward off opposition and steal some pots early.

Get ahead, but its okay if you don’t.

If would be best if in every no limit hold’em turbo sit n go that you played, you kept winning throughout the blind increases and kept your stack proportionate to the blind. It would also be best if you won the lottery. Okay now that we realize that’s not going to happen every time, you need to understand that sometimes you are going to have to play from behind, it is simply the nature of the game and especially true for a turbo format game. If you find yourself behind early on in a turbo event, keep the following things in mind:

• Its okay to tighten up and wait for a hand to come if the tournament is early enough and the blinds are still low. Remember, the blinds go up, but play the game for what it is now, not what its going to be in five or ten minutes.
• Look for other players on a short stack; they are vulnerable, especially to aggressive play and raises. If you see a timid mark low on checks, make a move and take him down. If anything, a move from someone with a low stack is more likely to make him think about it then a big stack who the player will think is simply trying to push them around.

Middle rounds, big blinds and the bubble

The most important thing you can do as you leave the early rounds and start to get into big blind territory is to recognize the different player types that are at your table. It should become clear who is tight, who is loose and who is a wild animal if there are any of them left! Keeping notes early on in the tournament will help you when crucial situations arise in the later rounds. Keep these points in mind regarding the different playing styles:

• Tight is right but in turbo games, especially no limit hold’em ones, it can be a drawback. You should look for players who are overly tight or ones that consistently show down with only premium hands. These are the kinds of players that you are going to be able to steal blinds and antes from. They are also the players that you will be able to steal a pot away from when they miss with a hand like AK or KQ.
• Crazy maniacs who have made it far into the turbo tournament can be a problem. They generally don’t play that well, but they are going to use their chips to try and punish you and force poor decisions. The strategy then is to be equally aggressive back at them when you have a decent hand. A lot of the time they won’t have a decent hand so the trick is to expose them when they have erred in judgment by trying to push you around.

Betting strategy

Although you need to be aggressive and play strong with your chips in the late rounds, it’s very important that you don’t throw all your chips in on a silly hand. There is nothing worse than putting in all your money with a hand that is easily dominated. Being successful at aggression in no limit hold’em is all about doing it at the right time. Late in the tournament you don’t want to get committed to the pot with a hand like T8 suited. Although from late position it could be playable, and with the right flop it definitely could be, it is very likely that if you are challenged with a raise that you will be behind. If you can make the following statement when you raise late in a turbo no limit hold’em tournament, then you are making the right play:

• If my opponent were to raise me after I make this play, or if they were to shove in all their chips, I would welcome that move.

Just remember that speculative hands in Texas hold’em are just that and even though the name of the game in a turbo environment is aggression, you can’t be committing yourself with hands that are easily dominated. It is at this point in the tournament where you really need to put together all the information you have gather on your opponents and put it to work. This means chipping away at the tight players and punishing the crazies when they make mistakes. If you find yourself up against other excellent opponents much like yourself, then the best way to outplay them is through superior hand selection and selective aggression. You should be able to key in on a style or move they like to make. In poker you have to turn this against your opponent and build your stack. The veracious nature of the blinds in a turbo format will afford you the opportunity to strike when your opponents are least expecting it. Your ability to constantly switch up your play and confuse opponents is paramount when trying to take first place in a no limit hold’em turbo sit n go.