card-games-strategies’ blog

Welcome to the fourth in my Texas Holdem Strategy Series, focusing on no limit Texas Holdem poker tournament play and associated strategies. In this article, we’ll examine the "Sit and Go" tournament - the most popular online poker tournament format today.

When I first started playing in Sit and Go tournaments, I was beginning to think they called it "sit and go" because you sat down, played a little, then it was time to go do something else since you'd just been whacked and knocked out of the tournament! These tournaments can be really tough, since they're effectively like being at the "final table" of a regular tournament.

The recent popularity of playing online Sit & Go tournaments sometimes amazes me. On any given evening, you can try to jump into a Sit and Go (SNG) table on Party Poker, for example, and easily find yourself competing just to get into a seat before that table fills up, forcing you to go find another table (especially on lower-entry fee tables). I've seen times when it can take up to 10 attempts to get into a Sit and Go tournament table during prime time. That's because there are literally thousands of players across the world who are hungry to get into these tournaments and hopefully win some money.

All of the major online poker rooms now offer Sit and Go format games now, so you can find a place to play just about everywhere. You can think of these games as being very similar to small "satellite" tournament games that surround the bigger poker tournaments at traditional poker tournament venues. They also somewhat resemble play at a final table in a regular tournament, with one key exception - nobody at this table earned their way to this tournament table - they simply paid their entry-fee to play there. Because of this, the broad range of players and skill levels you're likely to encounter varies wildly - one of many challenges you'll face in Sit and Go play.

Generally, there are two types of Sit and Go tournaments offered. Single table and multi-table tournaments. Nowadays, there is also a faster game, sometimes referred to as "Turbo" mode SNG tournaments. In these games, the tempo of the tournament is much faster (blinds go up every 5 minutes instead of 15 minutes), with the blinds increasing much faster and less time allowed to make your decisions. This is a very challenging game format, but it does move along much faster than a traditional Sit and Go tournament.

You can also get into 4-player and heads-up (2 player) games, which just effectively puts you into the poker tournament final table, short-handed mode of operation immediately, so you can play the end-game out from there. I don't really prefer these games, though, since there are far fewer players and therefore the pool size available to win is much smaller and not as worthwhile.

In general, two-table Sit and Go's are much more profitable, since they begin with more players (18 to 20), making the prize pool larger and more attractive. Once you know how to play and win in these Sit and Go tournaments and can adjust your play appropriately, the number of tables and players really doesn't matter as much, since you'll be able to adapt your play quickly as the situation changes around you.

Some of my favorite places to play Sit & Go tournaments include Party Poker, Poker Stars and PrimaPoker's Captain Cook's poker rooms. There are many awesome poker rooms out there, with a wide range of players frequenting each of them. They are all very similar.

There are a number of different entry-fee levels to choose from, typically ranging from $5 up to $5,000. There is very little difference in playing in the lower limit games in the $5 to $30 range. When you get above the $30 threshold, the level of players you'll encounter improves dramatically. The poker room site typically takes a "rake", a fee of around 10% for hosting the tournament, and the balance of the funds go into the prize pool. In single-table SNG tournaments, the payout goes to the top 3 finishers. In two-table games, the top 4 places are generally paid.

In higher entry-fee games, you'll be playing against some very good players. In these high tier games, you'll encounter some of the best, most dangerous players around. If you're interested in getting into these high stakes games, one way is to win enough at the lower stake games so that you earn, or leverage, your smaller entry-fees into the bigger games, a traditional way that satellite games work and a good approach to take.

I play in a lot of Sit and Go tournaments and regular tournaments, both online and in casinos and poker rooms. Throughout all of this, I have finally learned how to win consistently at Sit and Go tournaments. There are some key areas that you must focus on and shore up in order to properly "shape" your play and end up in the money.

You'll need a well-rounded approach, though, to place in the money consistently at Sit and Go tournaments, including:

* Playing Position Correctly - you'll need to know how to use position in the Sit and Go tournament to your advantage, which hands to play in which positions and how to keep from losing your chips from poor positions. Earlier in the tournament, it's best to be more conservative with your play by only playing the best hands from the best positions.

* Adjusting to Changing Conditions - the key to winning Sit and Go tournaments is adjusting your play style and approach as the blinds and number of players increases. Done correctly, you'll end up in the final 3 in the money up to half of the time (no approach you can take will allow you to win all of the time). As the game progresses, you must adjust or the blinds will eat you up.

* Winning Heads-up Play - arguably one of the most misunderstood, yet most fun part of any tournament, is playing heads-up against another good player. Learning to play winning heads-up poker means the difference between being the Winner and 2nd Place - a huge difference in payout in all tournaments goes to the winner, along with the recognition as the champion, so you must learn to play great heads-up poker. In general, you must play much more aggressively heads up than you would otherwise.

* Beating Aggressive Players - see my article on playing vs. aggressive players, which will definitely make a difference for Sit and Go play, as it explains how to take advantage of aggressive and wild players, without losing all of your chips in the process.

* Online Tells - there are many different special tells that you can use when playing online. Do you know them? Do you use them? If not, chances are they're being used against you! For example, when players use checkboxes online and make a lot of their decisions ahead of time, then suddenly they're not using the checkbox (because they're taking longer), that could be a tell that they're having to think things through more, which could be a tell. If they use checkboxes and act instantly, chances are they don't have a very good hand, so didn't even need to think about it (just clicked the checkbox and now waiting on the next card).

* Successful Bluffing and Blind Stealing - one of the most important moves in poker is bluffing the opponents, and in tournament play, you must be capable of successfully bluffing in order to survive the blinds and antes and to win heads-up. You can't bluff weak players, so don't even try. You'll need to learn how determine the style or type of the players, so you'll recognize who to bluff.

The next time you're thinking about playing a poker tournament, give the Sit and Go a try. It's a fast-paced tournament, where you'll have the opportunity to experience first hand what it's like to play at that Texas Holdem poker tournament final table. You'll go through a sequence of fast play and changing conditions, starting from a full table of 10 players, progressing rapidly to only 5 to 6. Then, if you're a good enough player, you'll find yourself in the most dangerous position of all - where you're one of only 4 players remaining, so you're only one seat out of the money. The key goal is surviving to the heads-up phase, so you get a shot at being the tournament winner, who receives the bulk of the prize pool.

So, you can practice for bigger tournament events by playing in Sit and Go tournaments and that way you'll be very comfortable when you do make it that final table in a big Texas Holdem poker tournament, and you'll have a lot of fun and gain some great Texas Holdem tournament poker experience along the way.

FreeCell Solitaire is an extremely addictive solitaire card game invented by Paul Alfille. It is fun and very skill-dependent.

Nearly every game of FreeCell Solitaire can be won with perfect play. Only several FreeCell deals are known to be unsolvable. This makes FreeCell card game much more interesting and popular than solitaire variations like Klondike, where luck is a large factor in the game. With FreeCell, winning depends mostly on skill.

You have a better chance of winning if you plan your strategy carefully. Below you will find several simple rules that can help you to win FreeCell Solitaire on more regular basis..

1. Examine the tableau carefully before making any moves. It is very important to plan several moves ahead. The obvious moves are not always the best.

2. Make it a priority to free up all the Aces, especially if they are deeply buried behind the higher cards. Move them to the home cells as early as possible.

3. Try to keep as many free cells empty as possible. Be cautious! Once all free cells are filled, you have almost no space to maneuver. And your ability to maneuver is the key to this game. Make sure you have no alternative before placing any cards in the free cells.

4. Try to create an empty tableau pile as soon as possible. Empty tableau piles are more important than free cells. Each empty tableau can be used to store an entire sequence instead of a single card. And it doubles the length of an ordered sequence of cards that can be moved from one tableau to another. (If the long sequence move involves both empty tableaus and free cells, it is often called supermove.)

5. If it is possible, fill an empty tableau space with a long descending sequence that begins with a King.

6. Do not to move cards to the home cells too quickly. You may need these cards later to maneuver lower cards of other suits.

Some FreeCell Solitaire deals are solvable very quickly, while others take more time to solve. Replaying the same shuffles in a number of different ways will allow completing the most difficult ones. The more you play the more games you are able to complete. Continue to practice using the strategy above and soon you will find yourself achieving better results and enhancing your enjoyment of playing FreeCell Solitaire.

Klondike Solitaire, or simply Solitaire, is the classic solitaire game. Klondike is probably the best known solitaire game in the world. The rules of this game are known to almost everyone.

Not all games of Klondike Solitaire are solvable. Playing Klondike game involves a lot of guesswork and it is the main reason why you do not win the vast majority of the games.

This article covers some strategy tips that that could be helpful for improving your win/loss ratio.

1. Turn up the first card off the deck before making any other moves. It increases the initial number of possible moves and gives you the opportunity to make a better choice.

2. Always move an Ace or Deuce to the foundation whenever it is possible. This rule seems to be clear and logical and does not need any further explanation.

3. Expose hidden cards. If you have a choice from several possible moves that expose hidden cards, choose column with the largest number of hidden cards.

4. Hold off the moves that are not important. The best move is one that provides you with opportunity to make other moves or expose hidden cards.

5. Do not empty a tableau pile if you do not have a King to put it in. You gain nothing if you get an empty pile. A space in Klondike solitaire can only be filled by a King or a sequence starting with a King, so leave your options open.

6. If you have a choice between a black King and a red King to fill a space with, be cautious in your decision. Look at the color of the blocking cards and make the appropriate color choice. For example, if you have a red Jack that blocks some hidden cards, you have to select a red King and than wait for a black Queen.

There are two basic ways to deal cards from the stock in this game: player deals either the cards at a time, or only one card is dealt at a time. The recommendations given above are applicable to both variations. The only difference for the “deal three at a time” variation is that you have to pay close attention to the order of the cards in the order of cards in the deck. Some people suggest dealing all the cards to the waste pile once without making any moves and remember the order of the cards in the deck.

If you play computerized version of Klondike, you can use the unlimited undo function as many times as you want to try different choices and to maximize your chances of winning.

Gin Rummy is one of those classic kitchen table card games that nearly everyone learns as a child. While Poker seems to be the rage these days, you can still find Gin games taking place in country clubs, tree houses, and rec rooms everywhere.

Like many popular games, Gin Rummy is easy to learn, but mastering it takes serious effort. Unlike many card games, strategy plays a major role in the outcome of a Gin Match.

Some basic Gin Rummy strategies include:

Knock Early – Whether you are playing standard Gin, or Oklahoma Gin, if you get the chance to knock early in the hand, do so. You won’t earn a 25 point bonus for knocking the way you would for going Gin, but you’ll earn points for the extra deadwood in your opponents hand plus the line score.

That line score can sure help once the match is over.

You can work towards an early knock by breaking your hand into three melds. Two of the melds will need to be runs or sets, and one meld is simply a collection of low cards that total less than the knock number.

As the hand wears on, knocking becomes a less attractive option. The more time your opponent has to make melds, the less of a chance that you can catch him with more deadwood in his hand than you have in yours.

Don’t Speculate – Every time you take an exposed card from the discard pile, you give your opponent information about your hand. For instance, if you take the seven of hearts from the pile, your opponent knows that you’ve either got running hearts or are collecting sevens. They will use that information during the rest of the hand.

By speculating, you are giving away information about cards that you have in your hand that are not even melded. This makes his defense plays even more effective because not only is your opponent not going to play into your melds, he can keep you from even making one. And, those unmelded cards will remain as deadwood in your hand and count against you at the showdown.

Advertising – One common play in Gin Rummy is to throw a card of a rank in hopes that your opponent will throw one of the same rank. For instance, you need the six of diamonds to make a diamond run. By throwing the six of clubs, you advertise to your opponent that you are not collecting sixes, making him more likely to feel safe about throwing the six of diamonds.

Pay attention to whether of not your opponent advertises for cards. Also pay attention to whether they fall for your advertisements.

Gin Rummy is a simple game that has many layers of strategy. These basic strategies are just the beginning tools you can use at the Gin table.