Sit and Go Strategy
How single-table tournaments are won: tight early, aggressive in the middle, and the bubble play that separates winners from the rest.
What a Sit and Go Is
A Sit and Go, or SNG, is a single-table tournament that starts as soon as enough players register, rather than at a fixed time. Typically nine or ten players start, and the top few finishers share the prize pool. Because the structure is short and the payouts are top-heavy, the right strategy shifts a lot as the table shrinks.
Early Stages
With deep stacks and small blinds, the early game is about patience. There's little to win by getting involved in marginal pots, and plenty to lose by busting early. Play tight, stick to strong hands, and let looser players knock each other out. Survival is worth more than small gains here.
Middle Stages
As blinds rise and stacks shrink relative to them, you have to open up. Stealing blinds becomes worthwhile, and you should pay close attention to stack sizes, both yours and everyone else's. Short stacks are looking to shove, big stacks can apply pressure, and your decisions should account for who can hurt you.
The Bubble
The bubble, the point just before the money, is where SNGs are won and lost. Players desperate to make the money tighten up, which lets you steal aggressively if you have chips. This is the heart of ICM, the idea that your chips are worth their real cash value rather than their face value. Busting on the bubble is a disaster, so avoid marginal all-ins against players who can knock you out, and pressure the medium stacks trying to survive.
Heads-Up and ICM
If you reach heads-up or the final few players, aggression goes up and hand values change, since you can't wait for premium cards. Throughout the late stages, remember ICM: the chips you'd win are worth less than the chips you'd lose, because busting costs you a guaranteed payout. That's why disciplined, situation-aware play beats reckless accumulation in SNGs.
The single biggest SNG skill is bubble play. Tighten up when survival matters most for others, and use your stack to pressure them. Understanding ICM there is what separates winning SNG players from the rest.