Sit n Go Tournaments – Understanding Sit and Go Poker Tournaments

A popular type of poker tournament is the sit and go which combines relative speed with good experience.

What is a Sit and Go Tournament?

Sit and Go poker tournaments are also referred to as sit n go or SNG tournaments. They are typically single table tournaments, however some poker sites are now offering multi table sit and go tournaments with up to two tables.

How a Sit and Go Tournament Works

Players generally pay a buy-in amount, as well as an entry fee to take part in sit and go tournaments. The buy-in amount goes directly towards the prize pool and generally in a single table sit and go, the prize pool from the buy-ins goes towards paying the prizes to the top three players, as follows: 50% to the first place, 30% to the second place and 20% to the third place. Generally, sit and go tournaments do not offer huge prizes, partly due to the fact that the buy-ins and fees are small, although if you play at a multi table event, the prize pool will be bigger.

The fee structure is designated with the buy-in amount followed by a plus sign and then the entry fee. For example, if you enter a $50+$5 sit and go, the $50 will be the buy-in amount that goes towards the prize pool and the $5 will be the entry fee towards administrative costs. The entry fee is typically 10% of the buy-in amount.

If you are looking for a soft game with weaker competition, you should look for a sit and go with a fee below $30+$3. Above that amount, the competition usually becomes harder.

Once you have paid the buy-in and entry fee you will be given a certain amount of chips. The amount of chips you are given will not be equal to the buy-in amount, but it will be same as all the other entrants into the tournament. Most sit and go tournaments have 9 players per table. Once each player has paid and has received their chips and they sit at the table, the tournaments goes or begins – hence the name – sit and go. As you play the blinds go up – how often they go up varies between tournaments, but it is either after a certain number of hands or a certain amount of time. Sit and go tournaments are elimination tournaments, meaning that as play continues, players get eliminated until you are left with the winner. Besides for single table and multi table sit and go tournaments, you can now find what are called turbo sit and go tournaments. In these, the blind goes up much faster, giving you less time to make decisions and making the game much faster and more challenging.

The Advantages of Sit and Go Tournaments

Particularly in single table sit and go tournaments, you are effectively playing at the final table of the tournament. This is invaluable experience for amateur poker tournament players as in other types of tournaments, you may never find yourself in a final table scenario.

The sit and go tournament begins as soon as a table fills up so you do not often have to wait long before you can begin to play. These tournaments are also often over within an hour so you can move on to your next tournament if you are ready.