In parts I and II of this series we focused on playing, and occasionally abusing, the button in Sit & Go’s, looking mainly at preflop play. Now we’re going to look at some concepts related to postflop play and how to exert pressure from the button.
In any Sit & Go it’s important to get a grip on who you can and can’t bully, especially in earlier levels of play or when you’re facing someone equally deep-stacked. Some SNG players like to divide their opponents into two groups – bullies and rocks – and in these terms you’re ideally looking to find yourself some rocks, and preferably in the seats to your left. These tight players are likely to defend their blinds only with genuine hands, so if you find a player frequently abandoning their blinds feel free to raise into them mercilessly.
When you meet resistance from players who want to peel flops, you need to consider two criteria aside from character type: stack sizes and board texture.
Dry and wet flops
A dry flop is one that’s generally uncoordinated, with no straight or flush possibilities, such as Kc-8d-3s. A wet flop is the opposite, packed with troublesome draws that make it harder to ascertain if you’re playing against a made hand or a draw. A flop like Qd-Jd-Ts would be an example.
So how does flop texture affect your action? If you’re playing against a player whose range is likely to feature Broadway cards (such as K-J) or suited Aces, the second flop is a far harder one to move them off by bluffing. Of course, if you’ve hit that flop hard you can make yourself a pretty penny by continuing with your ‘bullying’ and hope your opponent doesn’t believe you.
Dry flops make for far easier fodder. On a K-8-3 rainbow board you’re essentially only worried about your opponent having hands like K-J or K-T, as you would expect A-K to reraise preflop. Even if you get called on the flop by second-pair type hands or weak top pairs you may be able to push your opponents off the pot by firing a second shell. Remember not to try to bully players who are obviously committed to the pot! Poker is a game that involves common sense, and if you use your head, along with some positional awareness, you’ll be able to dominate Sit & Go’s from start to finish.
Read Part I
Read Part II