Getting Started: What Are Sit & Go Tournaments?
Also known as single table tournaments or the acronyms SNG or STT, sit & go tournaments are a superb way to get your feet wet in the poker world
Sit & Go tournaments are one of the most popular forms of online poker. Loved by complete amateurs and seasoned professional players alike, single table tournaments run 24-hours per day 7-days a week and Betfair Poker has a range of buy-ins to suit everyone.
Also known as single table tournaments or the acronyms SNG or STT, sit & go tournaments are a superb way to get your feet wet in the poker world for the reasons we will outline during this article. If you want to know about this great poker format then continue reading!
How Do Sit & Go Tournaments Work?
Sit & Go tournaments run all day and night long. They do not have a specific start time as they simply start when the table is full; hence the name Sit & Go. If you want to play in one all you have to do is simply buy into one, wait until your table fills with the required number of player and once that number is reached your tournament will start.
Each player starts with 1,500 chips and the game continues until only one player has won all of the chips in play. Once you have lost all of your chips you tournament comes to an end. The blinds, forced bets put in play to keep the action flowing, continually increase at set periods of time to ensure the games finish in a timely manner.
How much do they cost to play?
Betfair Poker's sit & go tournaments cost as little a $0.11 to enter and increase gradually all the way up to $525. If you are new to the game we would strongly suggest playing a standard speed 10-handed sit & go with a buy-in of between $0.11 and $1.20. players in these games are almost guaranteed to be fellow amateurs so you stand a much better chance of winning some money plus you will probably enjoy yourself much more too when you play against like-minded players.
Turbo or Non-Turbo?
Look down the sit & go tournament lobby and you will see the words "turbo" next to some of the tournaments. This refers to how quickly the blinds increase. A turbo tournament will see the blinds increase every three minutes whilst the non-turbo games see their blinds increase every eight minutes.
Both formats play to the same rules and pay out the same amount of prize money but both have pros and cons attached to them. As a beginner all you really need to worry about is the time they take to complete. Don't have much time to play but still want to play in a tournament? Then choose a turbo format and you could win within 25-30 minutes. Choose the non-standard option and you will need to dedicate 40-65 minutes.
What prizes can I expect from sit & go tournaments?
The payouts vary slightly depending on how many players are in each tournament. In a five-handed tournament the winner walks away with 70% of the prize pool and the player in second wins 30% of the prize pool. This means in a $1.20 buy-in game the winner scoops $3.50 and the runner-up $1.50.
In a ten-handed or full ring tournament there are three place paid. The winner gets 50%, the runner-up 30% and the player in third place takes home 20%. In money terms, at a $1.20 table, this equates to $5.00, $3.00 and $2.00 respectively.
Why are sit & go tournaments so popular?
The reason sit & go tournaments are so popular with all players, especially lesser experienced ones is because they offer the complete package. By playing in a sit & go you know exactly how much money you have invested in the game, you know exactly how much money you could win at the end of it, you have a time frame for how long you will be playing for and you get to learn all about tournament poker at the same time.
Sit & go tournaments are a great place to cut your teeth in poker and help you learn about the nuances such as starting hand selection, position and other facets that make up this amazing game.
Prices quoted in copy are correct at time of publication but liable to change.
