Sit and Go Poker Tournaments

Sit and Go poker tournaments or "SnG" are non-formal single table poker tournaments. They are the heart and soul of poker tournaments, in the sense that all variations of poker tournaments are a spin-off from the Sit and Go. Until recently, Sit and Go tournaments were not found in land-based casinos, but with the massive surge in poker interest, there are plenty of them now. In terms of online poker tournaments, Sit and Go's consist of at least 90% of all poker tournaments which are played.

At the beginning of a Sit and Go poker tournament, every player receives the same amount of chips. Players keep playing until they are eliminated, meaning that the winner will be the one who wins everyone else's chips.

It is this sudden death aspect that makes the Sit and Go poker tournament so popular. No one knows what is going to happen next and no one is safe.

Basic details regarding Sit and Go tournaments are as follows:

• There is no set time and no clock. Sit and Go poker tournaments begin when there are enough players and end when there is only one left. Technically, they can last forever.
• Since they are mostly one table tournaments, they resemble final table phases of other tournaments, but without the time and expense of having to play to reach them.
• The buy-ins are typically low since these tournaments are suited for novices and less experienced players. Buy-Ins can increase to as much as $100,000.
• Two to ten players make up the Sit and Go poker tournament.
• Sit and Go poker tournaments are played until one last player wins every chip.
• Once you lose all your chips, you get ranked. If you are the second player to lose everything in a 10 player Sit and Go poker tournament, you finish in ninth place. If two players lose all their chips in the same round, the player with the most chips at the beginning of the hand gets the better ranking.
• Multiple table Sit and Go poker tournaments exist on some online poker sites, and offer the higher payouts of a larger tournament, but are still played the same, and have no set time, just like the single table games. It is a good idea to move onto the multiple table once mastering the single table Sit and Go poker tournament.
• In contrast to scheduled tournaments, in a Sit and Go there are no breaks and the payoffs are usually fixed, depending on the type of game and the number of seats.

Sit and Go tournaments can have different types, such as allowing Re-Buys & Add Ons.

Sit and Go poker tournaments are a good place to start for the beginning online poker player, keeping the player from getting bored easily when he is just learning the game. They also fill up quickly, so waiting times are short.

Michael Orwell - Editorial Board