Single Table Sit and Go Satellites

Regular single table sit and go tournaments are nine or ten player tournaments that offer a prize to the top three finishers.  The prize structure is usually ordered so that first place gets 50% of the prize pool, second place gets 30% and third place gets 20%.

Differences From Sit N Go's

The one small difference that exists between regular sit and go strategy and satellite SNG tournaments makes a big difference in the correct strategy one should use for each tournament.  The only real difference between the two tournament types is the final prize.  In one table satellite SNGs it is winner take all – there is only one place that pays out and it is first place.

This small difference in the payouts means that you must adjust your strategy throughout the tournament.  No longer can you patiently wait for the bigger blinds so that you can start throwing your stack around and picking up big pots.  With there only being one prize, your chips retain their value from the beginning of the tournament to the end.

What I mean by that is in normal SNGs, with a graded payout structure, each of your chips become worth less as you accumulate more and more of them.  Since satellite SNGs only pay out one place, you will eventually have to accumulate ALL of the chips to place.  This means each chip retains its starting value throughout the tournament.

The Early Stages

So in regular SNGs you want to play the early levels extra tight so that you can conserve chips and use the fold equity of your stack later in the match when everyone else is hunkering down to make it to the money.

In satellite tournaments, this isn’t the case because there is only one place to finish and get a prize.  First place gets 100% of the prize pool and everybody else gets nothing.  This means you’re going to have to battle for every single chip you can get.  It also makes it correct to make more plays with smaller edges than you would in a regular SNG.

In the early levels of a satellite SNG, you are going to want to fight for chips just as you would in a cash game.  Your opponents may be playing extra loose though, so be cautious with your aggression.  Against loose opponents, get in there and see some flops, but don’t waste a lot of chips by playing like a fish.  You still want to have a tight-aggressive style; you just don’t want to be as tight as you normally would be in the early stages of a normal SNG.

Gambling

Sometimes it is correct to pass up a small edge in the early stages of a regular SNG if you are one of the better players at the table so that you can get your stack in later with a bigger edge.  This concept doesn’t apply in satellite SNGs because you have to get to first place.  There are no other options.  This means you should be happy to gamble with small edges in satellite SNGs in order to continue the process of accumulating all of the chips at the table.

Later on in the tournament, you’re still going to be battling for every chip you can get because, remember, it’s a winner take all tournament.  You need to win every single chip that’s out there.  If you have a bigger stack later in a regular SNG, it makes sense to try and avoid each other so that you can knock out the smaller stacks and move up in the pay ladder.

This isn’t the case in satellite SNGs.  In these tournaments, you want to play pots against the other big stacks because a double up against one of them can put you into a good position to win the tournament.  There’s no point in avoiding the other big stack and hoping the small guys get knocked out when only one place is paying out.  You have to end up in first place so it doesn’t matter if you and the other big stack wait around for a couple of the small stacks to bust out.

Playing a Short Stack

If you’re down to a medium or small sized stack, then you really have to get active.  It’s going to take a lot of stealing or a few double-ups to give yourself a chance to win the tournament.  Don’t be afraid to get in there and throw your stack around, because most of your opponents are going to be playing tight and scared as the tournament reaches the end.

Take advantage of them by stealing as much as you can.  If they show resistance, dump the hand and wait for another spot.  Odds are they have been waiting for a strong hand so don’t continue without a big hand yourself.

Once it gets down to heads up play, the blinds and stack sizes are going to dictate most of your play.  You still have to win this thing, so don’t get comfortable just getting it down to two people.  Swing that big stack around, steal the blinds and adjust your calling/pushing ranges based on the stack sizes, blinds and your opponent’s tendencies.

Ready to Play?

Each week PokerStars.com offers a Million Dollar Guaranteed tournament, which is widely known as the best tournament in online poker.  Plus, every week they run tons of single table satellites, so you can qualify for only $29.  If you sign up, make sure to use PokerStars Marketing Code PAWSUB333 to receive our exclusive $50 signup bonus.

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