Considering Your Opponent

When you reach the later stages of a sit n go, it becomes crucial that you evaluate what opponents you are playing against.  There is a significant advantage to be gained by learning what opponents you can make certain plays against.

The Short Stack

The first opponent to consider is the short stack.  Short stacks are more likely to go all in with marginal hands, as they are under pressure from the blinds.  When you are in a hand with a short stack you should be less inclined to bluff, as if they are already invested they are much more likely to put the rest of their stack in. 

When you are entering a pot with a marginal hand make sure to check where the short stacks are at.  If they have already folded then you are safe.  However, if a short stack is in the blinds or has yet to act, you may want to reconsider entering the pot.  There is a good chance that a short stack will move all in, so if you have a marginal hand you will be forced to either fold, or make a call and try to get lucky. 

If you are in the small blind with a strong hand, and a short stack is in the big blind, you can play differently than normal.  If it is folded to you, just call, as the short stack is very likely to move all in.  If you would have raised, there is a greater chance that he would fold, and you lose the extra money you could have won by just calling.

The Mid Stack

The next opponent to think about is the middle stacks.  The middle stack is the player you should be attacking in the later stages of the sit n go.  This is because middle stacks are trying to wait out the short stacks to make the money.  Aggression is crucial when you are playing against a mid stack, as they are the player most likely to fold decent hands to a bet. 

If you are in the small blind, and the big blind is a mid stack, you should be more inclined to try and steal than you usually would.  If it is folded around to you, you need to raise almost every time, as the mid stack will be trying to play conservative and make the money. 

If they actually call your raise and take a flop with you, you need to slow down.  By calling your raise their stack has been diminished, and now they will play the flop like a short stack would, by going all in without much of a hand.

The Large Stack

The large stack can be a very dangerous opponent for you.  Large stacks are more likely to gamble to try to knock other players out.  When you have a mediocre hand, you should avoid trying to bluff the large stack.

The opposite is also true.  When you have a strong hand, you should be looking to play against a large stack.  For example, if you have AK in the big blind preflop, and the chip leader raises you in the small blind, you should just call.  This way, he's more likely to bluff all in on the flop and try and push you out.  You can get an easy double up unless the flop is really scary.

This article will have you classifying your opponents, and should improve your play.

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