Making the move to Turbo Sit and Go games

If you're the type who can't sit still for more than an hour at a time or just crave action then perhaps you should take a look at the Turbo Sit and Go games offered at many online poker sites. Compared to a standard Sit and Go (SNG) the blinds are raised at a much faster pace and the game generally last less than forty-five minutes. Perfect for the player looking for a quick fix to soothe his or her poker cravings. Before you head off and buy into one of these games there are a few things to considering as it relates to your strategy. In this article we're going to talk about two areas where you want to make adjustments to your normal style of play in a standard SNG.

Starting Hands

There's an interesting shift that takes place when a poker game becomes short-handed. Because the blinds are passed to each player more quickly you have to force yourself to play a wider range of starting hands than normal. Turbo SNG events are no different as even though the table starts out full (6-10 seats depending on the game you select), the play is much quicker and the blinds increase typically every 3 minutes. So in effect, it's the same as playing short handed in that you must open up your starting hand range. That's not to say that it makes sense to play a hand like 7 5 off-suit from UTG but if you're near the button, that's a playable hand if you're able to limp and see a flop. Essentially, you must make this adjustment in order to survive in a Turbo SNG because you must chip up during the first few levels of these events or face having to push later with perhaps an even worse starting hand.

Pre-flop play at Turbo SNG tables

There's an interesting article that discusses pre-flop raises during Turbo Sit and Go tournaments over at TurboSNG.com and the author makes some good observations. The first is that standard raises don't seem to work as well in the low to middle level buy in SNG's. In other words, if the intended result of a raise pre-flop is to isolate an opponent or run off a few limpers then standard 3X-4X raises simply don't work. The article goes on to explain that in order to narrow down the number of callers you must typically make 5X or larger raises and be committed to getting all of your chips in if need be. The logic being that again, due to the fast pace of these games and the rapidly escalating blinds this is a neccessary evil.

In summary you have to be prepared to shift gears both mentally and in practice during gameplay during Turbo Sit and Go tournaments. Everything happens at warp speed it seems at these tables but if you're able to make the adjustments to compete effectively, you can make a solid profit at these games in relatively short order.