Limit Hold’Em Turbo Sit n Go Strategy Part Two
If you are a regular cash game player or you are trying to get into some limit play from the no limit arena there are a few things you should know about the late stages of a limit hold’em sit n go, especially a turbo one:
• If you have a short stack, you might as well be playing no limit. There is one problem though, when you go all in it usually doesn’t mean “I have the best hand” It means “well, this is my last shot, and I better take it”.
• Even if you don’t have a short stack, the tournament can start to play very much like a no limit tournament. The blinds will be completely disproportionate in relation to you and your opponents chip stacks and a highly contested pot could put one or more players all in quickly.
With these things in mind, its important that you pick your battles in the final rounds of a turbo limit hold’em sit n go. You might be thinking to yourself “oh I can try this hand, its only limit, I won’t be risking much if I try”. You will though, if you catch something miniscule on the flop, you’ll find yourself chasing the hand and before you know it you’ll be showing down middle pair on the river with 80% of your chips gone. So, in the final rounds of the tournament, use the tight and aggressive table image you have secured in the early rounds to buy some pots and steal blinds. Most players by this point should have a fair amount of respect for your play, so use this to your advantage to steal blinds and antes.
Much like a no limit event, the turbo format is going to force you to be aggressive in the final rounds of the tournament. You simply won’t be able to win unless you are willing to take some risks and gamble. Once it is down to the final two or three players, pretty much anything goes and you should be raising most of the time pre flop. If you are going to enter the pot, raise, simple as that. Single aces or face cards are all game now and they should be played fast and hard. Remember, by the time you get to a showdown, you could have quite a few of your chips in the middle. It might have taken you two or three rounds of betting, but the blinds and limits have raise so quickly that the tournament plays similar to a no limit event. Sometimes the limits can get so high that it is simply a matter of time until the tournament is over. In situations like this you are going to need some luck, but you need to continue to be on the offensive and take chips rather than wait and see. Because the final moments of the tournament can get so volatile, go ahead and slow down the action by taking more time to act. If you can get to the flop, you now have an opportunity to make convincing plays and moves that will give you a chip edge. Using deception and bluffing at the end is one way to try and carve out a profit when you have made it to the money.
Remember, turbo limit hold’em sit n go’s can get very crazy, especially towards the end. You are going to need some guts and a little tenacity to be able to win at these events. Also remember to keep a strong bankroll of at least fifty to sixty buy ins. The variance in the tournaments is high so you will need a big bankroll to withstand the swings and be profitable.
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