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How to be profitable in turbo sit and go tournaments

I typically play micro turbo sng’s. These micro games can be profitable and also help you build a roll, with minimal risk. I choose turbo’s because I find them to be the quickest and easiest routes to make money. Last I checked I had a 55% ROI in turbo’s, most of which is from 1.10 45 mans and 1.75 18 mans on Pokerstars.

Overall Approach

Whether you choose to go the 18 man or 45 man route, you have to keep a couple thoughts in mind. First and foremost, you have to play to win. If you are in it to cash, you already have the wrong mindset. You must want to win. When you get to the bubble, we will worry about cashing (this comes later), but at the beginning of the tournament, you must go in wanting to win. Also, the level of play at the micro level is not very strong. You have to remember that when a person pushes pre-flop, they may not have that strong of a hand.

I will start off with the 1.75 18 mans, my personal favorite because they can lead to quick money. In the tournaments that I have won, I find them to take anywhere between 25-45 minutes to take down first place. This all depends on how loose the players are and how you choose to play. I play very tight aggressive poker, which I find to be a suitable fit for a turbo of this size. Even though this is a turbo tournament, do not try to hurry or rush into hands. If you’re playing your hands right, you should be very selective. The reason I say to be very selective in the hands you play is because a lot of people will end up pushing KQ all in and you don’t want to be stuck with a 4X BB raise on a QJ or JT suited and so on, looking at an all in. After all, you only need around a 3K stack minimum going into the final table to be ok, so why go chasing after a flush draw when it’s not worth the risk?

Early to Mid-Stage Play

Typically, the blinds going into the FT are 150/75 or 200/100, so there is no need to rush. Once you’re at the final table, the rest of the players begin to tighten up. Don’t be afraid to raise suited connectors 2 ½ to 4X BB (Depending on your comfort level at the table) in an attempt to steal blinds. If you do get a steal out of it, flash them that 45 suited so when you raise 4X the BB with AA or KK, and they come over the top with a small PP, you have trapped them. Then all you have to do is hope your premium hands hold! Note: If you are Under The Gun (UTG) do not attempt to steal a blind. UTG means that you are the first person betting, or left of the big blind. Attempting to steal here multiplies your chances of getting brought over the top by some nutcase. In higher stakes, a big raise UTG usually tells the table you have a great hand, but people at this level are not that poker savvy in my opinion, so keep that in mind.

In an 18 man tournament, the top 4 places take money. Here you have to remember that a lot of people play to cash at this level. With 6 people left, they’re going to start smelling that money and getting very tight, making blind stealing even easier. Taking blinds is critical if you hope to avoid getting blinded out on the bubble. Don’t try to steal blinds from the large stack or the small stack at the table. Stay focused on the middle stacks, because they know they can fold to cash if they have to. The small stack will take his chances with what he can get and the big stack will also take chances, because he knows he can bully, so play smart.

When down to 5, be very smart and extremely selective in your hand play. If you have a nice stack, don’t get fancy, and don’t overbet trying to steal. There is no use in taking a chance that you will lose your chips, because you need them to take down the other 3 guys/gals when you’re in the money. Once in the money, play your game. I don’t try to steal blinds as much as I do try to get a set of high cards and call someone’s all in. I become more of a mix between loose and tight aggression. Many people will push suited connectors of 98 and up this late to steal blinds. Time it right with an AT and up or a PP and you should be good to go. Take it heads up and dominate your opponent.

As for the 45 man turbo’s, my style does not change much, but the stack I need to have for the final table does. You’re going to be looking at blinds of 200/400 minimum at the FT, so a 6k stack is the minimum you will need when you get there in order to bring it home. At the beginning of these tournaments, your play needs to be extra tight. Don’t try limping with AA, push it all in, no caller, then too bad. If you do get a caller, chances are that you will win. Same thing goes with KK or QQ, I go ahead and push them all in early in these. No limping around. Other than those hands and AK AQ and other monsters, I don’t play around. Once I get to 27 left, I know play will tighten up a bit, but not totally. A 3k chip count at this point would mean you’re in great shape. Higher? Immaculate! Still at 1500 chips? Don’t fret it. Play just as I explained for the beginning of an 18 man in the paragraph above. If you’re at 1500 chips, then you definitely would want to double up before you’re down to the final two tables, or at least get to 2400-2800 chips. If you’re at 3K in chips , then you would want to get to at least 4K or more, with 5K being ideal going into the final two tables.

The Endgame

I play the final two tables of a 45 man like the final table of an 18 man. Everyone can smell that money (top 7 pay), so play begins to tighten. You don’t want to go right into stealing blinds, but it is possible to get by with it sometimes, but is not always needed. After all, your blinds here are probably going to be in the 100/200 range, and stealing blinds won’t be as crucial yet, especially if your stack is in the 5k range. At around 14 players left is where you want to start raising with things like suited connectors and hoping to steal blinds, or hit the flop. This is the point where players get really tight. Try to get that stack to at least 6K with 8-10K being a perfect stack to get to the final 3, giving yourself a shot at the win.

At that final table, everyone is very tight at first, so blind stealing is easy unless someone has a monster. Go with your gut on all your plays. If you make the FT and are low in chips, catch an Ace or high card and push it. Rule is, if you’re under 10X the BB, then its all in or fold. You cannot afford to see flops. Patience is key, and timing is everything.

So far, you have put those two together and had a few good hands and you’re in the money! Now that you’ve gotten this far, players get loose again for some reason. I think it’s the anxiety of waiting to get to the money, and now that they know they’re in, they tend to loosen up their play. Don’t let this be you. Stay tight for a few, and before you know it, you’ll be guaranteed 4$ for sure, maybe 5$. With 4 or 5 people left, if you’re the big stack, take those blinds when you can to build your stack. Remember to go after those middle stacks, not the small ones. If you take a blind here and there, before you know it you’ll have a 10K chip lead, and when you get AA someone with QJ will push their stack, and you get an even bigger lead. If you’re the small stack, get some face cards, or something suited, push it. Worst comes to worst, you take 4X to 5X your money back, but if you’re lucky, you’re looking at 7-14$, which is some serious ROI for a 1.10 tournament

To sum it all up, play tight and play smart, especially at the start of these tourneys. Don’t be scared to steal blinds when you’re holding hands such as suited connectors, or even rags for that matter. Most of all, don’t think just because it’s a turbo that you need to make your moves early. Be patient and your cards will come.

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