Posted by Dr Fro 10:03 PM
I will warn you that this is probably pretty boring. I usually try to write with the reader in mind, but this one was for me. Enjoy it if you decide to read, but you won't hurt my feelings if you don't:

Here are the results of my dabbling with Sit&Go's. S&G's are an area where I have little experience, but John and Mark's earlier posts inspired my to try it out.

Sit and GO #1
As stated, my strategy was largely going to be the John Greene strategy. I folded a lot of hands and watched a lot of people get knocked out. Twice I saw the flop for free with rags in the big blind. Both times I hit the flop, 1 win - 1 loss. My $800 was down to $300 with the blinds at $50/$100. I had to make a move or I would be out of chips…I went all in with A8s and got a call from K9o; I won with Ace high. (Why would he call an all in bet w K9o)

Then I went all in with AT and doubled up when my A paired up to beat 55. It didn’t take long before I was down to $650 – damn those big blinds come around quickly. I posted a $300 big blind. A guy goes all-in and it was on me to call the remaining $350. I held 8To. Geez. I had to fold, thinking that I would be able to see about 5 more hands. MISTAKE. I didn’t realize that the blinds went up the next hand, so my small blind was $200, leaving me with $150. I told myself before I saw my cards that I would be all in no matter what. My 85o did me no good and I got fifth place.

Lessons:
1 pay attention to when the levels will change
2 blinds come around very quickly and eat you alive

Sit and GO #2
I decided to alter my strategy. I would still play very tight, but when I come into the pot it will almost always be for a very big bet…at least 3x BB if not more. “If it ain’t worth a raise then it ain’t worth a call”

I bet JJ all-in and got called by A8 when the board showed Kxx. Huh? I was largely on a steal hoping to get King/bad kicker to fold. But calling a flop with Ace high? I won.

I went all-in with AK, but lost to a boat. I got the side pot of $460. Then I went all-in with AK again and doubled up when AK hit runner-runner.

There were 4 of us left now and it was very likely that my losing streak would end. I went all in with 66, won and made it into the money. My first win in November!

I got AQs on the BB, the button raised and I came over the top. He called w AJ. I won. Now I am heads-up.

Heads up is my weakness because I simply don’t have a lot of experience. The lead went back and forth and I finally lost. Second place $60. Halle-freaking-luiah I can’t believe I finally won.

I took my confidence to the cash games and won another $100. The poker gods don’t hate me after all

No new lessons learned really

Sit and GO #3
I decided to alter my strategy slightly after seeing that nobody was raising pre-flop. I decided to play more hands as long as I could do it for the amount of the BB. Same strict starting requirements for raised pots. Also, I wanted to try to steal some blinds when possible – I love winning nothing but the blinds because you can finance the next round of blinds that way.

I thought this strategy would work as the extra opportunities to win pots could save me from those damn blinds that keep coming around and eating into my stack. Fairly early, I ended up heads up with KTs versus 88 & KA – all of us all in. I was on a steal. I had a 26% chance of winning (actually that surprised me…before I calculated it, I figured I was a bigger dog). I won. My $800 became $2100.

So back to the looser starting hands…I was right 99% of the time that I got into a pot and guessed that it would not be raised. However, I don’t recall ever connecting with the flop – and I saw a bunch of them. So next thing I know I am out of chips and in 6th place.

Lesson learned:
The strategy of seeing more flops to get the opportunity of winning some extra chips to cover those blinds backfired. It seems the best way to pay for the excalating blinds is to not spend your money in the first place

Sit and GO #4
OK, play tight. Raise big. Occasionally steal the blind. That is what I did and it was really the best I played, although the result wasn’t great. I got down to 5 players. One guy couldn’t even afford the blind on the next hand. Two of us were tied and then two other guys had really big stacks. I could have had 4th shored up by waiting one more hand, but at some point I would need to do something to get in the money.

Flop comes QsQh2s7s. I have Q9 in the blind. I am looking at trips and there is a flush out there too. He bets and I come over the top. He thinks forever. This is good. He must have the flush and is scared I have a bigger flush. This is what I was hoping to do – make a better hand fold. He calls. CRAP. He shows Q6. YAHOOOO. River is 6. CRAP.

So I lost, but I find it interesting that had I won that hand (and I was way ahead) that my orignal prediction of 2 out-of-the-money finishes and a 2nd and a 3rd would have probably come true. Total result 4 x $22 = $88 paid minus $60 won = $28 loss.

Conclusion
I think I learned a bit about Sit and Go strategy and look forward to playing some more. Oh, and I won again in the cash game, so the losing streak died. Unfortunately, November should in “in the red” unless I really hit the jackpot. Oh well.

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