No Limit Sit and Go Strategy

If you want to test your Texas hold 'em poker skills to see how well you really stack up with other poker players, a small, quick tournament will give you an idea of just how good you might be.  In this case, a no-limit 9-person sit 'n go tournament is a good way to get into tournament poker.  It's called a sit 'n go because as soon as there are 9 players ready to play, the tournament starts.

The first thing you want to do is make sure to stay calm.  There are players who feel that the cost of 9-person sit 'n go's is relatively low, and they'll immediately try to push the table around by raising often, raising high, and even going all in a few times, if the money lasts long enough.  Even if you have good cards, it doesn't pay to get into these types of battles early on unless you have a nice pair.  Even though these guys often have nothing, you never know whether bad cards become golden after the flop.

Once you've decided to stay calm, you need to check out everyone at your table.  It's not too hard to get a read on most players if you can see them.  You'll know who you can push around if you need to and who you might need to be cautious against.  You'll know who plays really tight and who's not afraid to come along for the ride.  Never play anyone else's game; always stick to what you know.  But make sure you have some kind of idea of how everyone else plays hands.

A nice strategy to take is if you have a pair in your hand before the flop, and no one else has raised, be the first to raise.  Raise only a little bit if you have a very small pair, like 4's, or a very large pair like kings.  Both are meant to feel out the table and eliminate those people who like to see a lot of flops but may not have any kind of hand.  Your odds improve when you get to see the flop because you're playing against fewer players who might get lucky on with the flop.  If you have a middle pair like 8's, raise a little bit more.  If someone comes in over you, then you can decide if you want to pay enough to see the flop or not.  This is why you need to pay attention to the betting patterns of other players.

In a small tournament, seeing a lot of flops is never a good idea, but if you're going to see them, see some early on, when the blinds are low.  You might get the opportunity to build up your stack enough to be able to play more aggressive later on.  Being too tight in no-limit games might mean you might last awhile longer, but you won't have enough money to do anything except hope to be really lucky later on.  Don't always wait for perfect hands, but don't play stupid hands just because you feel they're lucky.  For instance, a suited 10-7 isn't a bad hand to play if you haven't had any in awhile, but always playing 9-5 because you like those numbers will release you of chips needlessly.

Finally, don't always raise or stay in a hand just because you have an ace.  If you can see a cheap flop, do so, but the idea in a tournament is to have a chance to win, and sometimes you have to be willing to lay down hands that might look like something, such as hitting a pair of aces on the flop with a weak kicker, especially if the other player is raising you into a big hole.  Always trust your instincts; if you feel you have the other player, go all in and take your chances.  Otherwise, live to play another hand.