Middle Stages of a SNG

After making it through the early stages of a SNG, you're now ready to start making some moves and accumulating some chips during the middle stages. By now a couple players have busted out and the blinds have reached the fourth or fifth level, becoming more valuable for stealing. Towards the end of the middle stages you'll want to kick up the aggression a notch but even then it's still not quite the time to go crazy.

You don't want to go nuts at this point but if you can pick your spots carefully and make a few well-timed steals, you should start building up that chip stack. Look for spots when you're in late position before the flop and everyone in front of you has folded. If you put in a raise equal to two or three times the size of the big blind, you'll have a pretty decent chance of taking the blinds down and adding to your stack.

Sometimes you'll have to skip a few hands between steals because the circumstances just aren't favorable - other people will be making moves and battling out, which is fine. Other times you'll get a chance to steal several times in a row. The biggest problem sit and go players get into is failing to give up when those opportunities turn sour.

If you ever get caught trying to steal the blinds and someone puts up a fight, give them the benefit of the doubt and bow out. There's nothing wrong with giving up and coming back to fight the next hand. All too often I'll see a decent SNG player get knocked out when someone stands up to him and he can't fold. He'll think that just because he's raised a couple times recently, the other person must be bluffing. The decent SNG player will then push all-in with something like KJs and get insta-called by AK. It sucks when a steal goes bad but you can always recover if you're willing to fold and try again later.

There's a big emphasis on stealing in this article but don't go overboard with it. You'll become the most aggressive during the bubble and the late stages of the tournament. For now you're just looking for good spots to peck away at your opponents' stacks. It's a dangerous game and it requires a deft touch because any confrontation at this point is likely to end in an all-in situation.

Picking the right spots to steal is a challenge but if you've been paying attention and taking notes on the other players, you will hopefully have identified a few weak spots by now. Some players will fold to every little bet and others will defend their blinds to the death. Look for players who limp in before the flop but then fold if there's a raise. Look for the tightwads who always fold. If there's a tightwad to your left, you can consider yourself one seat closer to late position.

Remember, your ultimate goal during the middle stages of a sit and go is to accumulate as many chips as possible with as little risk as possible. You don't yet need to dominate the table into submission - that comes during the late stages. For now all you want to do is play a smart, selectively aggressive game. Take as many chips as you can without risking it all.