winning poker strategy

Turbo Six Max Sit n Go's (SNG) are one of the most profitable environments in Sit and Go poker. There are two main reasons why these games offer more room for profit than nine handed Sit and Go's:
1) They finish faster because of the turbo structure, and the fact that there are six players rather than nine.
2) Many players have difficulty adjusting their game to this unique structure, and are basically free money.

The best reason to play Turbo Six Max Sit n Go's is because a lot of players play short-handed tournaments far too aggressively, and play almost any two cards. They know that they are supposed to play more aggressively in six-handed Sit and Go's than they would in a nine-handed Sit and Go, but they take it too far.

The good news is that the player I just described is fairly typical in these games, and your next table will probably have at least two or three of them.
On average, two players are eliminated by the third blind level. If you play well you will almost always make it to that final four. With two of those four places being paid, this is a very profitable situation that does not exist in nine-handed Sit and Go's.

Phase 1: Getting to the Final Four
Until the game reaches this four-handed stage, play these like a normal nine-handed Sit and Go - tight, but aggressive. You don't want to go into a raised pot without a hand that is likely to be the clear favorite on a good flop. If during the first few blind levels you find yourself thinking a call is marginal, lean towards folding. You want to protect your chips early on. The strongest reason to avoid aggressive play during the first few blind levels is because the aggressive players haven't eliminated themselves yet, or even revealed themselves. This means that your continuation bets on the flop are being called more often, and your fold equity is reduced. Yes, the rising blind structure will soon necessitate aggressive play, but
during the first few blind levels splashing around in too many pots is dangerous. While you want to double up early, your best chances start to come when some of the players start to dip below 700 chips. You still want to be the one who eliminates the two players who are about to leave the table early. You want to be raising your big hands (AK, AQ, KQ, AA, KK, QQ, JJ). You also want to see cheap flops with hands that have an opportunity to flop a monster, such as pocket pairs and suited connectors.
When you have a pocket pair Nine or lower, or suited connectors QJ and lower, you want a lot of players to see the flop with a minimal likelihood of a reraise behind you. You want lots of players in the pot so that somebody will connect enough to give you their stack, and you want a low likelihood of a raise behind you because you don't want to throw money away. If both of these conditions seem likely then call a raise of three or four big blinds during the first two to three blind levels with these hands. It's a small portion of your chip stack, and you will probably get somebody's stack if your hand hits.
These opportunities are your best chance of doubling up early. If you fall under 1,200 chips you will have to start being more selective about the situations you call in with these speculative hands.

Phase Two: The Blinds Reach 75/150
At the fifth blind level (75/150) I switch gears completely, and start using fold equity aggressively. The tight image you've established so far will help to disguise the change, which gives you some extra fold equity. When you bet you always want to have a reasonable chance that your opponent will fold - the higher the better. If an opponent has raised in front of you, you probably don't have a lot of fold equity.
Play extremely aggressive whenever you feel that you have high fold equity, but stay conservative in a pot that has been raised. If a player raises in front of you, and calling seems marginal, lean towards folding. Calling two or three of these bets and folding on the next street can change your future in the tournament. The blinds are getting too high to play around in pots that another player has already laid a claim to unless you think you are ahead of them.
At this point in the tournament your strategy will be primarily dictated by your chipstack.

The Shortstack
If you are sitting on less than 1,500 chips at the 75/150 level you want to be playing all-in or fold poker. There is very little value in seeing flops once
the blinds hit 75/150 with a chipstack under 1,500. You want one quick double up so that you can play some cards again. If you have a small chipstack and are going to try to see a flop make sure that you're seeing the flop, and not being chased out by a reraiser behind you. If you have close to 1,500 chips there are obviously some hands that you should be trying to see flops with at the 75/150 blind level. Just keep in mind that as your chipstack shrinks, so does the list of hands you should
be limping with, and it shrinks fast. So many players spew chips at this point when they should be watching for a chance to get all of their money in as a favorite, and preferably with some fold-equity. Once they finally get their chips in they end up doing it with half of what they should have had, and end up back where they started - needing to do it all over again.
At this point, there will almost always be a chip leader who is using their stack to bully the table. That player is now your target. The chip leader will give you a chance to double up sooner or later. They will be stealing blinds, and when you push all-in they will be pot committed, and will call you with all sorts of junky hands.

The Average Stack
If you have an average chipstack you want to maintain your stack while watching for an opportunity to double up. I play defensive poker here because I know that most of my opponents are going to be taking stupid risks before I do.
By defensive poker, I do not mean let your stack shrink to where you have to play all-in or fold poker- that's probably the worst mistake you can make. Playing defensively means that you are trying to maintain your current chipstack while you wait for an opportunity to double up - and these opportunities present themselves quite frequently in short-handed play with high blind levels.

This means you are stealing blinds while avoiding being all-in preflop as an underdog. You want to think through every decision you make here because you will be risking a large portion of your chips every time you raise, or call a raise.

I expand my raising requirements significantly while tightening my calling and re-raising requirements. That sentence was in bold because it is absolutely the most important skill a player needs to have to beat these games. If you can do this well you will outlast a lot of your competition.

The Chipleader
The funny thing about chipleaders in these games is that most players treat their larger stack as being invincible despite the fact that the chiplead often changes hands at least two or three times between four-handed play and heads-up play. It's not uncommon for the four-handed chipleader to bubble. Remember, a chip lead is not a license to play bad poker. If you raise to 450 and your opponent pushes all-in for 1,700 they probably have a hand, so you had better have one too before that little voice in your head says "Call them, you're still in it if you lose". If a player re-raises you all-in it's time to stop and think for a few seconds. Most chip leaders get so caught up stealing blinds that they forget that they need a stronger hand to call a re-shove than they do to steal the blinds, which is why the chiplead changes hands so often at this stage. That's the bad news, the good news is that your fold equity goes up when you have the chip lead. You should be raising unraised pots as often as possible. You want to build on your chip lead by attacking the other players who in all honesty don't want to get involved in many pots with you right now.
Above all watch how many chips your opponent has before you raise their blind. lways know whether you are pot committing yourself with your blind steal if your opponent shoves.
Phase Three: Heads-Up Play

At any rate, your goal is to get to the heads-up match, preferably with the
chiplead. My goal in this article was to get you to the heads-up match. If
you are looking for the fishiest Six Handed Turbo Sit n Go's on the Internet
check out PKR, I have no idea why some of the players here keep playing
these.
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Preflop is one fot the most misplayed street in Texas Hold'em. Some of the biggest preflop mistakes include:

1) Playing too many hands
2) Failing to secure good position for the hand
3) Giving away information about your hand by the size of your raise
4) Calling other player's preflop raises too often

This article will look into the four biggest mistakes made preflop, and will help you start your hands off right.

Playing Too Many Hands
It's not easy to fold KJ, QT, or A9. They seem like they can win us a pot enough of the time that limping seems tempting. After all, when we flop a big hand we can win back our investment right? The problem with this logic is that it ignores the eality of poker. Yes, you will win the odd big pot with each of these hands. However, you also have to account for the big pots you are losing with these hands.

King Jack is dominated by AK, KQ, and AJ. Worse yet, when you hit a really nice flop, like J 4 2 rainbow, all of the money you have in front of you is going in the middle. Stacking off on this flop is almost always the correct play. The problem is, if another player was active preflop and is now playing for stacks, you are losing to a better hand far more often than you are winning here. The occasional 9 10 Q, or 10 Q A, flop isn't going to make up enough ground to justify putting yourself in these kinds of situations on a regular basis.
King Jack, and other similar hands, are raisable hands. However, you want to be raising into a minimal number of players, and you want a high probability that you are going to have position. Some situations where King Jack should be raised include from the button, in the big blind if it's just you and the small blind, in heads-up games, and in the later stages of Sit and Go's when the blinds are getting high and there aren't many players left.

In every case above you are the one raising, and you are minimizing the chances that a hand that dominates you is going to be out there. In every case above there are very few players left who haven't made a decision yet.

Most players get sucked into playing too many hands because they limp in, and then feel as if they have an investment in the pot. In a $1/$2 game a player will often limp under the gun with KJ then call the buttons raise to $8 because they have already paid $2, and feel that they should at least see what the flop looks like.
You are risking everything you have in front of you just because you have $2 in the pot which you can't let go of. In addition, you will miss the flop completely most of the time. The other player has the lead in betting which means statistically they will win more than you will. If they have position as well then you are definitely throwing away money over the long run.

There are actually dozens of hands that people call with that put them in even more trouble including junky Aces, QT, and J9. Also, I'm not entirely certain when this happened, but everybody seems to be stacking off with K2 these days in Sit and Go's.
Unless the blinds are about to eat your stack, being patient is not as big of a mistake as playing too many hands is. Wait for good situations where you have an advantage. Seeing every flop you can is not a profitable preflop strategy.

Failing To Secure Position
Anybody who has ever read anything about poker has been told this repeatedly - position is important. For most players this goes in one ear and straight out the other. They will say "Yeah, yeah, position is important, I know that", but then they make preflop plays that almost guarantee them to have a player or two with
position on them.You have to choose the size of every preflop raise you make with position in mind. You want to maximize the chance of driving out the players behind
you while encouraging one, or possibly two, out of position players to call
you. If there are limpers in front of you then you already have players who want to see a flop. You should raise more with limpers in front of you to discourage the players behind you from trying to come along. As a general rule add at least one big blind for every limper. If they almost never fold then add another one if you think they will pay it. This may mean that you raise 6 to 8 big blinds before the flop with a hand like QQ one time, and then only 3 to 4 big blinds the next time. So many players just raise 3 BB or 4 BB because they want to be "hard to read". The problem with this strategy is, you want to be hard to beat, not hard to read. Being hard to read is only a means to an end. That end is being hard to beat.
When you raise with your position in mind - you are much harder to read. The more factors you work into your preflop raising amount the more random your bets are going to seem.
We talk more about the factors that should go into your raise below, but for now just remember that limping maximizes the chance that you are going to be out of position for the hand. Limping into a hand is basically throwing away any chance you have to take position. Sometimes a min-raise with JT or QJ is all you need to capture position for the hand. If nothing else, it juices the pot a bit and raises the chance that you will win a big pot if you connect.

Giving Your Hand Away With Your Bet Size
There are a number of theories about optimal bet sizing. Let's look into a few of them:

Betting the same amount all of the time
I ripped into this one above because it lacks the ability to account for limpers in front, and potential action behind you. More than that, this strategy doesn't account for the differences between hands that play well multi-way and hands that play better against a small field. Your preflop raise has the potential to do so many things for you, and this strategy accomplishes none of them.

Betting the same amount based on your position
Phil Gordon did a pro tip that pitches a system where you raise two and a half times the big blind from early position, three times the BB from middle, and four times the big blind in late position. This again does little as far as buying the button goes, and it doesn't help you to select how many people will call you. I know Phil Gordon doesn't actually follow these requirements as I have seen him play, so I am not entirely certain why he would write a pro tip that makes players believe that preflop play is that simple.

Stay Flexible
Don't have some systematic approach to raising that limits your options. There is only one rule you need to follow to choose how much to raise:

Rule #1 - Decide how many people you want to call you, and figure out how to maximize the chance that you get that number of callers. If two players have limped in front of you and you have three potential players behind you raise it somewhere between 5-8 big blinds. If they are tight players go with five. If they are very aggressive and call big raises light then go 7 or 8.
You always want one caller with strong hands like AA, AK, KQ, or QQ. That is the most profitable situation you can get with these hands. So before you raise ask yourself how you can end up with exactly one caller, and try to make that happen.
The second benefit to playing this way is that you are hard to read - which is the only benefit of the two systems above. The two systems above sacrifice profit to achieve the goal of being hard to read, while following this rule will accomplish the same goal without sacrificing anything.
Nobody can read a player who raises from middle position four big blinds with AQ sometimes, and eight big blinds other times. Better yet, if they see you raising eight big blinds with AQ, they aren't going to suspect you of having AA later on when you raise eight big blinds. That means that you can often get more money in the pot preflop with your big hands. Your preflop raises have to do some work for you. They have to select the number of callers you want. They also have to discourage action from people who will have position on you, while encouraging at least one call from a player you have position on. If raising 6, 8, or 10 BB will create the situation you want, then do it.
Finally, in order to accurately predict the number of callers you will get you have to read your table well. You have to know who almost never calls a raise, and who will call a big preflop raise with K2 offsuit. When you understand what hands each player is willing to call a preflop raise with you will be able to select better raise sizes to achieve your goals.

Calling Preflop Raises Too Often
There's too much calling in poker these days. The person who raises last preflop will win the pot an overwhelming majority of the time. Calling isn't winning poker. If your only motivation to call somebody's raise is that you have already invested a big blind you have essentially risked your entire stack because you were pot committed to the amount you limped with.


Calling is for suited connectors and low pocket pairs. That's the whole list of hands that calling is correct with in most situations. Calling is not for KJ, Q9, A8, or anything else that will flop you a second best hand more often than it flops you the winner. If you really want to play these hands take the lead by raising before the flop. When you limp/call your decisions aren't clear. Is your opponent's raise on the flop just a continuation bet, or did they connect? Now you have to reraise just to find out, and by that point you often get sucked into playing until the end. It is a fundamental maxim of poker that raising is better than calling. When you raise you have fold equity. When you raise you are in the captain's chair. When you raise you have the chance of buying the button. When you call, you often have a second best hand that wasn't strong enough to raise with, but that you just can't fold. Worse still, your opponent did raise, so their range includes every hand that is crushing your hand.

When a player first starts playing poker they are always looking for spots where they can make a play at a big pot. There are actually several different types of bluffs, and different situations where each type of bluff is appropriate.

Bluffing is somewhat of an improper term to describe what is involved in bluffing properly. Bluffing is really just a label for the smart use of fold equity.
Fold equity refers to the likelihood that your opponent will fold to your bet. Without at least some fold equity bluffing will never be successful. When contemplating a potential bluff there are four main factors you have to take into consideration to determine your chances of success.

Board Texture
To bluff successfully you have to analyze the board to decide the number of hands that could call each potential bet you could make. For example, on a board of A 8 3 rainbow, a bluff that represented the Ace can really only be called, or raised, by a player holding an Ace, 88, 33, or 83.
If you are confident that your bet can scare out KK, QQ, JJ, and other high pocket pairs then a bluff could be the right play. However, if your opponent will play a pair of 8's or better hard then you may want to save your chips. When determining the range of hands that can call your bet you should also take out any hands that are highly unlikely to be held by your opponents. In the example above, 83 is probably not out there if the hand was raised preflop, and 33 could be unlikely as well depending on the preflop action.

Conversely, in a blind vs. blind situation during a tournament with high blinds, if both the small blind and the big blind fail to raise preflop you can usually safely rule out a hand holding an Ace and 88.

Number of Players
The number of players in the hand has a lot of impact on how much fold equity you have. Against a single opponent it is easy to judge how likely it is that they will fold to a bet.
However, when you throw more players into the mix it gets complicated. Now you not only need to know the calling range of one player, but multiple players. If there is even one calling station, a standard bluff may not end up being so standard.
One situation where bluffing into multiple players can be effective is on a scary board where there are very few possible hands that could call your bet.
However, these situations are rare. It is usually better to not make a continuation bet if you have more than two players seeing the flop against you when you miss completely.

Opponent Playing Styles
Your opponent's playing styles will heavily influence whether it is likely that they will fold. Some players will not continue unless they significantly hit the flop, while others love to chase their hand to the river. If your opponents playing styles are unknown you have little information to use in making your decision.
The better your reads on the table, the better you will be able to judge your fold equity.

Stack Sizes
Stack sizes usually only come into play during the high blind levels of tournaments. You can use both the size of your own stack, and the size of your opponent's stack, to increase the number of hands they will fold.
For example, if you are a chipleader and the second tallest chipstack gets involved in a hand with you, you can put in a strong bet on the flop which implies that they will have to commit most or all of their chips in order to play their hand to the river.
When the action is nearing the bubble, or the prizes are increasing, you often have added fold equity when you have a large stack, and put another large stack to the test.
However, when you are a shortstack you often have reduced fold equity because a player with a larger stack can safely call your bet without threatening their own position in the game.

Types of Bluffs
There are several very different ways to bluff. One important consideration is the size of your bet. Beginners often think that bluffing involves just shoving chips into the pot to scare out your opponent. This strategy often works against a beginner, but if you are dealing with a semi-competent player they are going to be
doing more work to figure out what your bet represents.
If you bet too much then they may realize that the only hands that are beating them would not have made such a strong bet.

Small Bluff
Smaller bluffs can work, but it is very important that you use small bluffs carefully because there are drawbacks. The small bluff is a dangerous weapon. You can bet a small amount, and win a large pot. Pulling off a small bluff involves searching for situations where representing a specific holding through a small bet will convince your opponent that you want to be called. Because they think you want to be called they will (hopefully) assume that you have one of the stronger possible holdings. This type of bluff will usually only work on the flop or the turn. If you bet small on the river your opponent can look you up and see a showdown for a small investment. The biggest problem with a small bet is that any opponent who is drawing
to a hand will have the correct odds to call.
A small bluff is appropriate only under the following conditions:
- The board does not have many possible draws
- There is a hand that you can represent on the board that will cause your opponent to lay down most of their possible holdings.
- Your play so far in the hand will cause your opponent to believe that you have what you are representing.
- The player you are dealing with is able to lay down the hands you believe they may have.

Check-Raise Bluff
Another bluff is the check-raise bluff. The check-raise bluff often takes advantage of a standard continuation bet made by your opponent. The check-raise bluff has to be done under similar conditions as the small bluff. It is difficult to use a check-raise to take down a pot because you almost always have to invest the value of the pot in order to scare your opponent out. Furthermore, it is dangerous to fire at a pot your opponent is making a move on. You therefore have to be absolutely sure that you have a significant amount of fold equity before attempting to make a move on another players pot. A Check-Raise Bluff can also be used as a semi-bluff.

A semi-bluff is a bet that you make when you have a strong draw, but you would prefer to take the hand down right away because you will miss the draw more than you
will complete it.

River Bluffs
Another bluff is the river bluff. There are two ways to bluff the river.

1) When you check on the turn from early position, and the late position player fails to bet.
If your opponent isn't willing to make a bet in late position on the turn you generally have a significant amount of fold equity on the river. However, that is assuming that the river card hasn't improved their hand. When you bluff in early position on the river it is usually advisable to make a large bet. This is because your opponent may call a small bet with hands like middle pair. You therefore want to make sure that the story you have told in the hand is consistent with the hand
you are representing on the river.

2) When your opponent checks from early position on the river.
If your opponent isn't willing to fire a bet on the river, they are usually unlikely to call a bet on the river. Again, you want to size your bet on the large side as your opponent may try to see a showdown with a junky hand.
However, if a smaller bet will represent a particular hand then this is always an option. Lastly, I really cannot stress the importance of being careful with these
river bluffs. I've been called down with high card when attempting these bluffs. The fold equity is high enough that a bet of two-thirds of the pot, or the whole thing, seems profitable, but it can be very hard for your opponent to believe that you've suddenly made some great hand. Your bet out of nowhere often doesn't make any sense to your opponent, so make sure you are telling a believable story when you try to bluff the river.

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