Basic Strategy 101

Read pretty much any basic sit and go strategy article or book and they will say roughly the same thing with regard to high level strategy:

– play very tight in the early stages, only getting involved when holding AA, KK, QQ and maybe JJ and AK depending on position

– loosen up gradually as the blinds increase and the number of players reduces

– be ultra aggressive on the bubble and whilst in the money, trying to accumulate your fair share (and more!) of the by now huge blinds and antes

This is classic strategy, and it does work. However, I would add a couple of other thoughts:

– premium hands like AA, KK and QQ do not come along very often. There is a very real danger that you could wait too long to see such a hand, allow the blinds to get too big and eat your stack, and eventually be forced into playing an inferior hand before you are “blinded out” ( this is the biggest sin you can commit in sit and go’s). Instead, you could consider playing some marginal hands when in position and when you are not being forced to pay too much to see the flop. For example, medium pairs and mid to high suited connectors give you the possibility to hit a monster flop (trips / straights / flushes etc). If you do hit, you may be able to double up against somebody trying to slow play AK or a big pair. Unless they are a good player, they may find it very difficult to fold a good starting hand that has not connected with the flop.

– conversely, if you do have a premium starting hand it is generally unwise to try to slow play it by limping into the pot. Make sure you enter with a raise, or possibly just shove all-in to maximise your fold equity. I learnt my lesson on this when trying to slow play AA by limping into a multi way pot. My subsequent continuation bet on a rainbow flop 8 9 J was quickly re-raised by a fellow limper holding 7 10 off! Dumbly not spotting the straight possibilities (Q 10, a more reasonable limping hand, also has me well beaten) and becoming very attached to my pocket rockets, all the chips quickly made their way to the middle, and I duly busted out.