6-Max Sit N Go tournaments are a popular alternative to the more common 9 or 10 handed tables. Paying 2 places only these games tend to involve more post-flop play than the full-ring equivalents. Many players make errors in their approach and strategy for 6-max sit n goes which cost money over time. This article outlines the basics of successfully adjusting to the short handed game – to ensure you maximize your profits today.
We start by outlining the key factor which affects all of the strategy considerations – the speed at which the blinds hit each player. Next we look in detail at starting hand selection and position, before finally focusing on late-game play.
Pressure from the blinds drives 6-max SNG strategy in several ways. In a full-ring SNG the blinds will not come around too fast, meaning you can afford to wait for stronger starting hands in order to play. In the short handed game the blinds come significantly faster – after 1 person busts you will spend 40% of your time in one or the other blind position – forcing players to loosen their starting hand requirements.
Looser requirements due to fewer opponents and bigger ‘blind pressure’ then have a knock-on effect for the rest of the table. If your opponents are playing a wide range of hands, then the cards with which you can call or re-raise with can also be proportionally weaker. While this is situational and opponent specific you will see many more pots played with relatively weak hands in the 6-max game compared to full ring SNGs in the early stages.
Position is important in all forms of poker and 6-player sit and goes are no exception. While the button will enable you to extract the most from good hands in a full-ring game, in a short handed game where the blinds dictate lesser starting hand requirements the button is key. In fact there are arguments for raising a huge range when folded to in position, especially if opponents in the blinds are passive and / or straight-forward players.
Bubble play is also affected by the increased blind pressure – in a full-ring Sit N Go with 4 players at the bubble you post a blind 50% of the time, with a 3 person bubble you are posting 66% of the time. While stealing is more important short handed, fear of busting in 3rd should not prevent you calling when you believe that you have a big enough edge against your opponent’s range. This is especially the case where you believe your opponent still has room to fold. Avoid giving your self difficult decisions by being the aggressor and not the caller where possible. If the pot-odds on calling an all-in re-raise after you have raised would commit you to calling then you should push all-in yourself, stealing the blinds can often be preferable to taking a coin-flip.
To summarize, the fact that the blinds come around faster has a significant impact on strategy for 6-max Sit N Go tournaments. More hands need to be played to avoid being ‘blinded away’, which in turn means that opponents can call or raise more hands – ensuring post flop play. Position and aggressive, positive bubble play are also important to consistently winning 6-max SNGs.
