Poker Strategy – Sit and Go Equity

One mistake many poker players make when they move from playing cash games to small tournament poker games like Sit and Gos is to think in terms of chips equaling dollars on a one for one basis. While chip accumulation is important to proper poker tournament strategy, the way to go about it differs from MTTs to SNGs.

When you make decisions in a cash game you are going for the long haul. You know that a game like poker is played over the course of many games in terms of profitability.

Just because a move you make in this game did not pan out does not mean it was a mistake, it often means someone got lucky on you.

This concept, however, trips up some players in a Sit and Go. They will make a move based on positive equity over the long haul, but in a Sit and Go your chips do not equal money on a one for one basis.

You don't need all the chips to win money, as 2nd and 3rd pay out, and first place does not win all the money in the pot, which means his chips are worth less than what they started out.

So if you are sitting in the big blind and holding a good Ace and get pushed all in by the small blind, a cash game player would rightly call. A SNG player on the bubble of getting paid should fold. If they called and won they get more chips, sure, but if you lose you get nothing.

Try this strategy out at Paddy Power Poker!