You can sign up to any online poker room these days and start playing sit and go tournaments immediately. But which poker site is the best for SNGs? Allow me to help point you in the right direction.
Sit and go poker sites rankings table.
Rank | Room | Rating | Competition | Lowest | Bonus |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
888 Poker | A+ | Weak | $0.50+5c | $400 | |
Ignition Poker | A+ | Weak | $1+20c | $1,000 | |
Americas Cardroom | A | Average | $1+10c | $1,000 | |
Betsafe Poker | B+ | Tricky | $0.10+1c | $1,000 | |
Betcoin.ag | B | Weak | $1+20c | ฿1 | |
Sky Poker | B | Average | £0.25+5p | - | |
Poker Heaven | C | Average | €1+10c | €1,000 |
What to look for in a good sit and go poker room.
Every online poker room offers SNG tournaments (sometimes referred to as STTs). I could just cobble together any old list of random rooms and call them the 'best poker sites for sit and gos'. However, I enjoy being opinionated, so I won't.
Sit and Go Bankroll Management If you're a skilled sit and go player, one important thing is playing at a site with a slow progressing structure. Fast structures are detrimental to a skilled player, because you want as much time as possible to take advantage of your weak opponents. A sit and go tournament is poker life in microcosm, so you should put all your poker skills to good use when playing these events. How Turbo Events Work The standard prize pool for a sit n go tournament is 50% for 1st place, 30% for 2nd place, and 20% for 3rd place. Sit and Go Shark is a sophisticated Sit & Go advice engine. The software simply attaches to your poker table, observes the patterns and scenarios which give you customized step-by-step advice. Pokertracker is the “standard” piece of hold’em evaluating software. Amongst the things it does for SNG players is store tournament summaries and all the hands in a tournament, separating them by a variety of filters on command.
Here are the factors I looked at when compiling this list of the best places to play SNGs in 2020:
- Poker room player traffic.
- The level of competition (how 'soft' the site is).
- Variety and types of SNG tournaments on offer.
- Tournament fees.
- Basic SNG structure (i.e. starting stack sizes and blind structure).
1) Poker room player traffic.
Without at least few hundred SNG players active in the poker room lobby throughout the day, the action can get a little stale. The more active players there are in the lobby, the quicker the tables will fill up and the less time you have to spend staring at empty seats.
Don't underestimate how annoying it is to wait for a simple sit and go tournament to fill up at a low-traffic room. It's just like driving to a theme park all excited, only to find out there is an hour-long queue for every ride.
Stick with the high traffic sites and ride the roller coasters until you're sick.
2) The level of competition.
Don't forget that you're in this for the money. Sure, playing SNG tournaments at online poker sites is a barrel of fun, but it's even more fun if you're winning money.
There's no shame in hunting down and taking advantage of bad players. In fact, it's just common sense. If you don't win a fish's money, someone else will. If you're a decent SNG player, a high traffic poker room + soft competition = easy money.
3) Variety and types of SNG tournaments on offer.
Even though the Texas Hold'em SNG games are the most popular, there are a bunch of variations of the sit and go tournament on offer. Here are a few of the different types with some examples:
- Number of entrants
- 2 (Heads Up)
- 6
- 9
- 10
- 18 (More than one table)
- Poker games
- Texas Hold'em
- Omaha
- Stud
- HORSE
- Faster blind levels
- Turbo
- Super Turbo
- Extreme Turbo
- Varying stack sizes
- Regular (100bbs)
- Double Stack (200bbs)
- Varying payout structures
- Fifty 50 (PokerStars only)
- Steps
I'll explain more about these different types of SNGs in a minute. But basically, even if you're happy with the standard SNG format it's nice to have a bit of variety to choose from (if you're ever feeling fruity).
4) Tournament fees.
Again, winning money is important. Although the standard fee for a SNG is 10% (e.g. $10 + $1), these fees can and will vary between sites. As you can guess, the smaller the fees in relation to the buy-in the better.
There's often a lot of variation in the size of SNG fees at the lower limits, where the fees can increase up to 20% or more. If you're not a micro stakes player then the size of the fees isn't going to be an issue for you. However, if you're a beginner or have a small bankroll, it's worth searching around for the best price (i.e. poker sites with the lowest fees for SNGs).
5) Basic SNG structure.
This is a non-issue these days, as the stack sizes and blind structures follow a fairly standardised format at the biggest SNG poker sites.
Back in the early days of online poker though the structures of SNGs at some sites were all over the place, and you could either end up with too much freedom to play (games took ages) or not enough (games were pure luck).
Thankfully, most poker rooms have now worked out what kind of structure works best. Although there are still subtle differences in the setups for the straightforward sit and go tournaments, the point is they are subtle and are not really worth worrying about.
Types of SNGs in online poker.
We all know how a simple sit and go works – you pay your entry fee, sit down with a bunch of other poker players and try and finish first. Easy.
Obviously some players felt that this wasn't quite exciting enough, so a number of variants to the humble SNG have been developed. Here's a quick guide to the most common types of SNG currently on offer.
The most common types.
![Definition Poker Sit And Go Definition Poker Sit And Go](/uploads/1/2/5/1/125178450/183189081.jpg)
These types of tournaments are available at all the best SNG poker sites. You can probably find them at the worst ones too.
1) Turbo tournaments
How they work: These are just like normal SNGs, except that there are fewer hands between blind levels. Therefore, these SNGs are over more quickly and involve a greater element of luck. There are a few different 'degrees' of turbo tournament:
- Turbo
- Super Turbo
- Extreme Turbo
- Hyper Turbo
...and I'm sure there are a few more speedy-sounding names out there. As a rule of thumb, the 'faster' it sounds, the fewer hands there are between blind level increases.
Pros: Fantastic if you fancy a faster-paced game. Fun and exciting.
Cons: The faster structure means that turbo tournaments are more luck than skill. If you're a good player you may want to stick with the standard SNGs.
2) Satellites
How they work: You buy in for a set amount of money as usual. But instead of the top place prize(s) being a break up of the prize pool, the winner(s) gain entry in to an even bigger tournament with bigger cash prizes or tournament seats.
Pros: Opportunity to enter bigger tournaments for bigger prizes than you would normally be able to afford with your current bankroll.
Cool Story: Chris Moneymaker won his way to the 2003 WSOP through a $39 satellite and ended up winning the Main Event for a total of $2.5 million. Wikipedia has a nice summary of the Chris Moneymaker story. There's a book about it as well.
Cons: You need to get pretty lucky to win your way up to a big tournament through satellites. You then have to get even luckier again to place in that big tournament. Personally I'd rather play standard SNGs and save my winnings as I go along, then enter a bigger tournament if I fancy it (and can afford it).
Less common types of SNG.
These are the more 'speciality' SNG games. They're not available everywhere and are usually unique to just the one poker site.
1) Steps
Available at: Party Poker, PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker
How they work: There are a set number of tournament 'levels' or 'steps'. You can buy in at any step, but the cost of entry increases as you move up the steps. The twist is that you can only win money in the highest step SNG. If you start at a lower step than the top step SNG, you have to win that lower step SNG to move up to the next level (and so on).
I know, I know, you're probably scratching your head right now.
Think of steps tournaments as a pyramid. They are constantly running and you can join in at any level you like whenever you want. Only the top level SNG has cash payouts, whereas the others give you tokens to move up to the next level. The goal is to reach the top step and try and win some of the big buy-in prize pool money.
Pros: Opportunity to win big. Win a bunch of SNGs in succession and you can net a huge payout, especially if you start at one of the lower step SNGs.
Cons: Steps tournaments are kinda like fixed-structure satellites. So again, whilst you can win a heap of money if you get lucky, you do have to get lucky. Also, imagine working your way right to the top and busting out on the bubble – that's a smashed mouse and keyboard situation.
2) Double or Nothing
Available at: Party Poker, 888 Poker, Betsafe Poker
How they work: Standard SNG format with an even number of players (usually 10). However, the game is over once half of the players have been knocked out. The remaining players win double the amount of their buy-in.
Pros: Interesting variation on the standard 1st, 2nd and 3rd place payout structure. There's also more chance of winning something from these tournaments, which is always nice even if it's a smaller amount than usual.
Cons: You'll either love them or hate them. Maybe not quite on the same scale as marmite, but not far off. The biggest disappointing aspect is that you don't get the satisfying feeling of 'winning', as you never truly come out on top – you're always sharing the top spots with other players.
These SNGs are also full of players that sit tight and hope to squeeze in to the money, never really getting involved or having fun.
3) Fifty 50
Only available at: PokerStars
How they work: Very similar to the Double or Nothing tournaments, except the payouts for the remaining 5 players is a little different. Instead of doubling up, the total prize pool is divvied up amongst the remaining players based on the stack sizes. The bigger your stack, the larger your slice of the prize pool.
Note: The Fifty 50 tournaments replaced the similar Double or Nothing tournaments at PokerStars. This was due to the Fifty 50's favourable payout structure. The DoN SNGs ended on the 28th of February 2011.
Pros: The dynamic payout structure of the Fifty 50 tournament makes it more interesting than its DoN cousin. There are more rewards for being active and building a large stack.
Cons: Again, you'll either love or hate this sort of format for single table tournaments. Although it's more rewarding to be active in Fifty50 tourneys, you still get the complete rocks playing 0.01% of hands.
4) Matrix
Only available at: Full Tilt Poker
How they work: You are forced to play 4 SNGs simultaneously against the same 8 players across 4 tables. The total prize pool is split up in to 5 parts; 4 chunks for the standard 1st, 2nd and 3rd payouts on each table, and 1 last chunk for 1st, 2nd and 3rd for overall performance.
It's a bit like multi-tabling 4 SNGs by yourself, except that you get rewarded for performing well thanks to your multi-tabling skills.
Pros: Lots of action. With 4 tables open at a time you won't be sitting and waiting for your next turn for long. Plus, you'll have a distinct advantage if you're up against players that are inexperienced when it comes to playing on multiple tables.
Cons: If you're abysmal at multi-tabling and multi-tasking in general, you're not going to do very well in Matrix tournaments. You have less time to focus as your attention will be divided across 4 poker tables. Not recommended if you haven't got some experience with online poker under your belt.
Sit and Go online poker sites FAQ.
Where can I play poker tournaments online for real money?
All of the poker sites in the table above allow you to play SNGs with other players for real money.
Every online poker room I've ever signed up with has offered real money sit and gos. So it's not really a case of where to play SNGs for cash; it's more like which site to play them at.
Which poker site has the smallest stakes SNGs?
One of the sites with the smallest stakes SNGs I've come across is Betsafe Poker. Their smallest buy-in regular sit and go tournaments start at $0.10+1c.
In general, the lowest level STTs at the vast majority of poker sites start at around $1. This is like the industry-standard minimum, although I'm fully aware that some rooms go lower. I've included the minimum stakes SNGs on offer at each room in the table at the top of this page.
If you have a small bankroll, you should check out my rankings of the best poker sites for small stakes players.
Do all poker sites offer SNGs?
Yes.
Sit and Go tournaments are hugely popular. A poker room without a SNG lobby would be like a butchers without beef. You could sign up to any random online poker room and be 99.9999% sure that they have them.
SNGs that is, not beef fillets.
How much can you win from sit and go's?
You could be asking two different things with this question, so I'll address them individually:
- How much can you win from one SNG?
- How much can you win from playing SNGs in general?
1) How much can you win from one SNG?
The payout structure for a standard 9-seater STT is as follows:
- 1st = 50%
- 2nd = 30%
- 3rd = 20%
So if there are 9 players in a $10 + $1 SNG, the total prize pool would be $90 (tournament fees do not count toward the total prize pool). Therefore, actual winnings for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place would look like this:
- 1st = $45
- 2nd = $27
- 3rd = $18
2) How much can you win from playing SNGs in general?
This depends on two things:
- How good you are at playing SNGs.
- How many you play.
You can't win every SNG you play, so the aim is to get a positive ROI. If you can get a positive ROI, it's just a case of how many tournaments you play.
To give a quick example, let's say you have a 5% ROI playing $10 + $1 SNGs. If you play 20 of these a day, you could comfortably 'earn' over $300 a month. Not bad.
Can you consistently win money from SNGs?
Yep, and there are a number of players that make a very comfortable living from playing SNGs online. You just have to learn good tournament strategy and be able to outplay your opponents.
If I could explain how to do this from just a few paragraphs within an FAQ I'd be the most loved man in online poker. However, there is a lot to learn if you want to be able to 'beat' sit and gos for a profit. It takes both time and effort.
If you're really interested in winning money from SNGs, check out my friend Mark's Sit 'n' Go poker strategy site. It's the perfect starting point for beginners.
Useful links.
- Turbo or Regular SNGs? - PokerFives.com
Sit And Go Poker Meaning
Go back to the Texas Hold'em rooms.
Fri, May 24, 2:45pm by Mia Chapman
Last Updated Tue, Oct 8, 12:24am
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Sit-n-go strategy in Texas holdem tournaments is dynamic. SnG events involve one single table full of competitors. It’s like you’ve joined in on the final table of a freezeout tournament. Crafting a strategy for this situation can be difficult, because players may not have played against any of these opponents before. Because you don’t have a book on these players’ habits, it’s natural to focus less on the competition and more on your strategy.
This can be a treacherous way to play poker, oblivious to your surroundings. In this article, I’m going to suggest you have an idea for your Texas hold’em strategy, but pay attention to what’s happening at the table and adapt your strategy to the changing conditions. A sit and go tournament is poker life in microcosm, so you should put all your poker skills to good use when playing these events.
How Turbo Events Work
The standard prize pool for a sit n go tournament is 50% for 1st place, 30% for 2nd place, and 20% for 3rd place. When deciding on a strategy, it’s best to determine what your overall outlook is going to be. Some gamblers try for 1st place, seeing it pays 2.5 times more than a third place finish. By this logic, you finish out of the money more, but you have more margin for error, if you push it. If you pay in 11% to the point each tournament, you need to win once every 4 to 5 events (though that’s hard to do). Assuming you’ll occasionally strive for 1st and end up 2nd or 3rd, a more realistic goal is to win once every 7 turbo events (or roughly 14% of the time) to be profitable. Again, that’s not easy, but good players should win more than 10% of the time. If you choose this grand strategy, aggression is your watchword.
If you prefer to place in the top three, then your strategies are going to be less aggressive. Many of your tactics will be based on survival. You’re hoping to make the cut. These players play tighter and hope to grind out wins here and there while opponents knock each other off. If you use this strategy, your aim is to finish in the top three every other sit’n go or, more realistically, every 2.5 turbo events.
Observe and Be Flexible
At the start of a Texas holdem sit and go event, observe your opponents early on. Take down a few notes and sketch a quick profile of these players. If you play at this site a lot, see if you already have a scouting report on any of these players. Use any available site stats to draw a profile on them. Get in your head which play aggressive, which play tight, and which are simple maniacs. Get a general idea of the makeup of your table. This allows you to be flexible with your strategy.
Caution in Early Hands
If you have several aggressive players at the table at once, it’s best to tighten up your hand selection. Let these people pick on another off. A couple will go out quickly and a couple of others will have a big chip stack. Take advantage of aggression if you have a top hand, but otherwise stay out of the way.
Aggression Early On
If you sense that most of the players are playing cautiously, it’s a better idea to play with some aggression. The quicker you sense that you can steal blinds, the better it is for your chip stack. If most or all opponents seem willing to get out of the way and survive, use this to build up a large chip stack.
Aggressive after the Flop
Whether you play tight or loose, be aggressive when you bet. Don’t simply call, because this makes you reactive. If you aren’t comfortable making a wager with the hand you hold, it’s usually best for you to fold. When you pump money into a marginal hand, you set yourself up for failure. Be bold and decisive once you get in the flop. Raise or get out of the way–don’t sit in the middle ground.
Middle Tournament Strategy
Once a few players lose, it’s common for gamblers to become more conservative. When 4, 5, or 6 players remain in a SnG tournament, they can see themselves finishing in the money. They tend to play more selective and go into survival mode. This is when targeted aggression helps you steal the pot and maintain your chip stack. The blinds get bigger at this stage, so you’ll need to steal blinds to maintain what you have.
Sit And Go Poker Tournaments
This is especially true after the maniacs and aggressive players leave the field. Right after a couple of big all-ins, this is when players tend to become conservative. This is a perfect time to start stealing blinds, especially when you’re betting in position.
Playing Near the Bubble
The closer you get to the bubble of making money on the game, the more aggressive you should become. This plays into your opponents’ natural tendencies and gives you a chance to build up your stack as you approach an endgame situation.
Crucial Points
Every hand can be the most important hand of your tournament. Given the compact nature of sit & go tournaments, you could say that’s doubly so in this form of online poker. But each tournament has a few crucial points. One is the dividing time between “in the money” and busting out in 4th place, which is a waste of money and time. Other crucial phases are not as easily noticed.
One of the crux points of a turbo poker tournament is after a big kill-off. Imagine several of the aggressive players have a series of showdowns. Within a few hands, one or two go all-in and lose. These people are eliminated, while one of the aggressors has a massive chip stack now. In this situation, it’s natural for everyone at the table to take a deep breath.
The players who weren’t aggressive become more cautious, as they a big new stack of chips along with the consequences of showing too much aggression. The person with the big stack might bull ahead, now that they have their big stack. If they decide to consolidate or switch strategies for a bit, they might become less active for a few hands. In many cases, this is a point in the tournament where a lull ensues. This could be a good time to steal the blinds on a hand or two.
Play the Circumstances
How you react should be determined by circumstances. If you have the big stack sitting behind you, it might not pay to bet into the pot. If you see the chip leader sit out of a hand and your turn comes, that might be a good time to push the others out of a pot or two.
Texas Holdem Against Computer Opponent
Thus we come around full circle again to my original tip. Be adaptive to circumstances. Don’t have one rigid strategy. Shift gears when it appears you need to. Mixing things up helps throw your competition off and lets you use the reputation you’ve gained in the turbo event to good effect.
Poker Sit And Go Strategy
See also: