Singin’ the Sit-N-Go Blues

Last weekend I had an unusual amount of free time on my hands, so I decided to brush up on my Sit-N-Go (SNG) skills… or lack thereof. The three times I had previously played this particular tournament type at this particular online poker room, I managed a 4th, 2nd, and 1st place finish in that sequence. So not only did I have a few extra bucks to throw around, but I also had a little bit of confidence to work with. Well, it didn’t take long for both of those to disappear down the drain.

I was out in 4th in my first bout when I pushed my short stack all-in under the gun with K-Qs and had an unfortunate meeting with both pocket Kings and Aces. After a five minute cool down I was back at the computer for round two. This time it was an even more unsatisfactory 5th place finish thanks to a long string of cold cards and another unsuccessful steal attempt. So all in all it wasn’t that bad of a day.

Well… at least it wasn’t that bad until I sat back down for attempts number three and four, which ended up even worse than the first two. If I can remember correctly, those two finishes started with the number 7 or so and ended with the sound of a keyboard being thrown across the room. After reluctantly crawling back to the computer I tried my luck for the fifth and final time that day.

Obviously I didn’t cash in this one either, but at least I didn’t waste as much time when I got knocked out in last place thanks to this remarkable hand: a few hands in I’m under-the-gun with pocket Aces and got a total maniac (who happens to be the chip leader – how bout that) a few seats to my left. I put in a mediocre raise of 3xBB, it folds to the maniac who triples that, I push, and he calls, showing 10-8 of diamonds. Two diamonds on the flop, one more on the river, and I’m about ready to probe at my brain with de-fuzzed Q-tips until I can understand the logic behind his play.

There was no logic of course. The only explanation is the usual “hey, that’s poker.” And as anyone who’s played poker for more than a month can tell you, this is what poker is all about. Poker is getting drawn out on. Poker is receiving bad beat after bad beat. Poker is getting your chips in with the best hand and losing to one of the worst. This is how the game of poker plays you, no matter how you choose to play the game.

Winning poker, on the other hand, is knowing how to react to the downswings and losing streaks that inevitably hit every player. This is especially true in SNG tournaments where the essential skills of patience and timely aggression aren’t always enough to make it into the money. There are a lot of all-in or fold decisions that must be made, as well as a lot of tough calls that you may have to make with mediocre hands, particularly as the blinds are eating away at more and more of your stack. It is during these latter stages of a tournament when, for lack of a better phrase, a lot of crap happens. Being able to confidently move on after all the 4th, 5th, or whatever place finishes is the first step in winning the next poker tournament you decide to play in.

After my miserable day of SNG experiences, I took some time to listen to my own advice. With a clear head and well-rested mindset, I sat down the next day and decided to have another go at the game of poker. This time around I finished 1st, 3rd, and 1st again, finally deciding to end on an up-note and enjoy the rest of the day. It just goes to show that although poker can get the best of you, if you consistently play you’re best you will come out on top.

Best of luck at the tables.

Mad Terp

Editor's note: The Mad Terp, as we so fondly refer to him because of the university he attends, also has his own website where readers may rate their favorite poker site, or join in the discussion forum of poker players.

http://www.imopoker.com/