Poker Sit and Go Report: The Self Check

So you think you are finally making all the right moves. You have your math squared, you understand probabilities, and you play a well rounded, tight aggressive game.

Unfortunately this strategy has turned into a losing streak which has your bankroll on a freefall. In the meantime all the monkeys around you are benefiting from stupid hands, played stupid, with stupid flops. Why do the idiots constantly get rewarded? Why do they outdraw me every bloody time?

If this sounds like the kind of rant that is going through your mind while playing sit and go tournaments, the simple truth of it is - you are on tilt. It’s not them, it’s you.

Recognizing that you are not at your best mindset for playing poker is one of the toughest things to do. Poker is so reliant on your own psychology, that not having a handle on it can tailspin you at any level, at any time.

Consistent, profitable play is a result of constant self checks, not just in knowledge of the game but in knowledge of your own self. If you can recognize losing patterns and the black hole of spinning deep into negative bankrolling, you also have the self sufficient power to retract those pattern exact behaviors. Some examples of negative mindset are accompanied by anger acted out in different ways.

You move to a higher limit table to make up for some losses. This is much more common than you may think and equally as disastrous on your bankroll.

There is a physical urge in your body that wants to exert force on something. This could be as tame as slamming your mouse or as violent as punching a hole in the wall. Ok then, either way, it’s time out.

You are short or ill tempered with people you care about. This has happened to me, and it has happened to everyone. This could be the result of a particularly stinging outdraw or huge self blunder. Whatever the reason, this is too far.

Now it’s one thing to recognize you may not be at your best, it’s entirely different if you still cannot do anything about it. In other words, does your urge to continue playing still override everything else? Then you are setting yourself up for tilt play, or even worse.

Stop playing, take time to think, because poker is a thinking man’s game. Thinking about the game and yourself is going to allow you the opportunities to not only improve but gain an introspective that will help you come to terms with the psychological complexities of the game.
If you aren’t ready for that, at least stick to the low, low entry fees.

Poker Sit and Go Report: How Sit and Go’s are NOT good training for MTT Final Tables, sorry Howard Lederer!

Howard Lederer is one of the best poker players on Full Tilt and for that matter, in the world. He started his career in the dark corners of New York’s pool halls and betting parlors. He is regarded as one the smartest players ever and has taught numerous professionals to be better. In fact, Howard is nicknamed “the professor”. Howard penned an article regarding sit and go strategy, that on premise is quite right, but like a rebel student, I disagree with a major point in it.

The point in question is the comparison of single table sit and go tournaments to the final table of a multi table tournament. Howard says the sit and go tourneys train you for when you get to a multi-table tournament final table – which you may know can be months in between appearances. He is right in the sense that that they are both tournaments and when someone gets eliminated, no one replaces that player and the table reduces in numbers. It’s about there the similarities end.

Most sit and go tournaments don’t last much more than an hour at a full 9 or 10 seater. By the time you make a final table tournament, you have been playing anywhere from 3 hours to 3 days! The big Sunday tournaments online can last 6 or 7 hours before the final table is seated. You only get a few 5 minute breaks, so you can well imagine not being as “fresh” as you would be sitting down to a single table tournament. In fact, you can be well worn, irritable, and impatient.

Making the final table also means (save for a few select tournaments) that you are not only in the money, but have made a substantial return on your entry fee. Some players let their guard down in that spot and play loosely because they are already ecstatic they made so much money! In most 9 or 10 seated sit and go tournaments only the top 3 pay prize money, and everyone who starts out is intent on getting to that final 3.

The start of a sit and go also means the exact same chip stack for everyone! When was the last final table you made where everyone’s M was exactly the same? In an MTT you are faced with stacks bigger and/or smaller than yours from the very first hand. Sometimes, the stacks of your opponents are much bigger or smaller than yours. This has a huge impact on hand selection and position play right from the first deal. All players at the start of a sit and go have the option of playing very tight, without falling behind or risk of being eliminated or blinded out in the early going.

If you really want to play a final table “simulation” for practice, there are programs available that are much more representative of the common situations found at an MTT final table. I have a list of them at tilt.org. I still think you are great Howard – but can we agree to disagree here?