Sit 'n Go Strategy: Expert Advice for Beating One-Table Poker Tournaments (Other Poker Topics)

I've read a few poker books and I play almost exclusively SNG games the exception being the recent addition of rush poker which I play a little bit of now and then. But for all practical purposes, I'm an SNG player.What I like about this book is that there is quite a bit of solid advice. I've seen other reviewers mention that the majority of the book is examples with no theory behind it. I couldn't disagree more. In many of the examples, the book explores the scenarios for what would happen if you did something else. In many cases, the book lays out multiple ways to deal with a given situation. Most books don't dare do this, and basically give you hard and fast rules to live by. Unfortunately for them, holdem is a very dynamic game and there is no one-size fits all strategy for every situation. There are just too many factors to make hard and fast rules. This book does well at teaching one to be flexible, shift gears mid-game, and provide multiple outlets and theories for especially tough situations. Having said that, the book doesn't deal with every day, simple situations, which one should already be familiar with when picking up this book.The vast majority of the book were things I already figured out through years of play. I have to say, I agree with much of it. I did pick up a bit of insight and learned a few angles that I hadn't considered before. Employing (albeit with big reservations) some of the tactics in this book had me win an SNG as a direct result, so the book paid for itself in one game.So why 3 stars? I'd like to say 3.5 actually, but there are some things in this book that can get you into trouble, the author knows it, and then makes excuses for it.Here's an example; we're told to push all-in in middle position against a pot sized reraise in UTG position with AKo when the blinds are low or the tourney is just starting off. Ok, well many players will both agree and disagree with this tactic. The problem however, is that this contradicts lessons in the book. For instance, up to that point we're told to avoid big pots early in the game unless we're certain that we're winning. Ok... furthermore, we're told to lay down pocket pairs up to and including QQ when facing a reraise early in the game. To me, this seems inconsistent at best. I'm supposed to fold a made hand early on, but push all in out of position. The reasoning the author gives? You're gonna love this...Because he's assuming that you're up against a pocket pair, and because you're about 50% to win, this is a good move considering the blinds left in the pot when everyone folds. A 50% chance to win 1.5 blinds more than you bet, in a section of the book about low blind play. Then, we're told basically to expect defeat, move on, and just be happy that we made the right move.But what really doesn't make sense is making an argument for a 50/50 hand where one 50% is somehow better than another. That would be akin to us flipping a coin for $10/pop, and you agreeing to play every time if you can pick tails. But if you have to pick heads, you'll never play? This doesn't make sense. 50/50 is a 50% chance regardless of whether you're the first 50 or the second 50. Even worse, any pocket pair is actually slightly higher than 50% to win against AKo. So really, if you wanted to pick one side to play, the advice should be reversed. Fold the AKo, push with the pocket pair. If you were say AKo against QQ, you're 43% to win. Not counting split pots, consider 43% vs. 50% x 1000 times in that situation and see that you're making a negative ROI move when compared to doing the exact opposite with the pocket pair, but whatever...I don't know about you, but I don't push all in expecting to lose. I might bluff with an all in push, but only if I think I'm going to win with it.Truth be told, the argument here in this example can go either way. BUT! The real problem here is that the play is inconsistent with the perspective the author tries to instill in the reader. So whether you agree with the example or not, the author tells us to do something that his theory contradicts. So you either disagree with the play, or his theory. Your choice.Another example is that we're told to call on the button with A4s with four other players in the pot. Ok, if you like that move, why then are we told to fold AJ in the same position earlier? I agree with the author that AJ is often a second best hand and leads to trouble. But I don't understand how A4 isn't.I could go on, but just bear this in mind; the advice here is mostly good. That which is questionable can be argued for either way. The complaint however is that the author provides examples contrary to his tactics and theories. This gives the work a high level of inconsistency and will confuse many players. The other problem with it is that going by this book, one won't have a clue what to do in situations where there aren't examples (at least, they won't have learned from here), and the previous samples have the tight and loose play contradicting one another.Another case in point is that the author, Moshman, is a more successful author than he is poker player, which may lead some to believe that he's selling an idea rather than working it. Take a look at Johnny Chan, Hellmuth, Hansen, Bruson, Ivey... in all of these examples their poker careers far overshadow any media they've produced, but I suppose it's worth noting that one doesn't have to be well known to give solid advice. I know from experience that there are nearly bulletproof players earning a living from poker in high stakes that nobody has ever heard of, so I give Moshman a pass here.In summary, the book is good enough to have me trying a few new things, and that's after 4 years of SNG play. I've just now started to break even, having learned by sitting at the table for the first 3 years alone, and no help. I'll be making a new database for poker tracker and see how things turn out.Good luck out there!And yes, I do recommend this book. It is better than most.

I'll be honest right from the start:I had lots of hesitation about reviewing this one.I mean it helped me so much with Sit n' Go's that I am feared of what it would do if it was read from many more people. I would prefer not to face an opponent who read and understood its concepts.OK, down to the bone of it: This book is not huge in content, which is good. Second, this book is not about how to learn playing poker, but it is about how to play Sit n' Go's. I mean cash games, Multi table and big live tournaments are so much different, that if you use some approach you developed on them you will fail. For example, try to play a Sit n' Go the "Harrington Way" and expect to be blinded out soon before you have any chance of making it into the money. Harrington has done a good job talking about Big tournaments and Sklansky, Brunson etc have also done great job in their fields. Believe me, I have bought and read all of them...But this one is focused on one thing: How to beat the Sit n' Go tournaments. And it does a great job on this.Its division into Low blind play / medium blind play / high blind play (although blurred at times, as it is on reality after all) is very effective.Its examples and suggestions are all written in a very simple and understandable language.The big plus in it is that it has examples with small variations that make it so much more useful! That means, it teaches you how to adjust your play in the conditions you have in front of you! That is (in my opinion) the most valuable concept of this book!Want an example? Here is the first that I found in front of me, there are lots of them all around.Example 2-19: with 50-100 blinds and 7 players, you have a stack of 1600 and hold a pair of 8's in the cut-off seat. How do you play?Example 2-20: with 100-200 blinds and 7 players, you have a stack of 1600 and hold a pair of 8's in the cut-off seat. How do you play?I won't give you the answer to it, you can always buy the book and see to it. But isn't it a surprise that there are different answers to it? And you will find such examples (with small/tiny changes that change your optimal play) in all places!I won't write about anything you can read in other reviews. I will just say that (being a book lover) it was one of the rare times that I studied a book not page-by-page but word-by-word and one of the rare times I actually had a yello marker to mark all the interesting points in it! And believe me, I treat my books with such respect, that even the smallest mark on them annoyes me!But this is not a simple book. This is a weapon, and for the growing field of poker players who love to play Sit n' Go tournaments, this one will be a revelation!PS: If you do buy it and use it, email me and lets avoid each other in the tables. I play to win, and you won't make it easy on me...PS2: the answers above are 1) (ex.2-19) raise to 300 chips and 2) (ex 2-20) raise all in. That's the easy part. The soul of it is in its why explanation... Go get the book and find out.PS3: For the ones looking for deep concepts and theory, this is not a book for you. The writer doesn't want to go into much theory, Sklansky, Brunson, Harrington have covered these areas. For the beginner or intermediate ones playing online and trying to upgrade their game skills on Sit n' Go tournaments, what are you doing still reading this review? Go push the "Buy" button, you won't regret it!PS4: Thanks, mr.Moshman, for a great book and your sharing of great ideas about the game.

Clear thorough analysis of poker game dynamics during each stage of a "sit & go" poker game.

By far the best book sitngo tournament.

A+

I first read this book in 2010. I did not get it then and I still do not get it in 2022. It is a ramble, rather like a repeated dream that does not relate to reality. On-line poker tutorials (mostly free) are a far better way to learn Sit 'n Go and other poker strategies.

Fantastic book. arguably the best ive read ( ive read at least 20). It really gets you to adjust your play to suit the sit and go format. Which basically is a very tight early some normal-ish play in the middle then push or fold in the end game. ( when effective stack less then 10 bb).He makes concepts like the icm model easy to understand and incorporate in your game. Its quite a "mathy" approach but it makes perfect sense and just understanding it will improve your results. you dont need to be doing perfect icm calculations in your head but know it factors especially on the bubble.