When it’s time to play a little online poker, what’s your favorite: cash games, or tournaments? Each format has its advantages, but you can get the best of both worlds by playing Sit and Go’s at Bovada Poker. With the Sit and Go format, you can tailor your schedule to fit your needs, just like cash games, plus you get all the benefits of tournament poker – including the option to play up to 20 tables at the same time.

If you’re somewhat new to poker, a basic Sit and Go tournament strategy will help you get the most out of these games. You’ll have the opportunity to work with different stack depths and figure out the moves you need to make, and you’ll be playing against relatively easy competition, especially at the lower buy-in events. Here are the main things to keep in mind the next time you play Sit and Go poker at Bovada.

3 SnG Tournament Strategy Tips

1. Keep It Tight Early

There’s not much incentive to go after chips in the early stages of a Sit and Go. Unless you’ve got a quality starting hand in early position, or a reasonably good hand in late position, consider folding. Let other players crash into each other instead; while this is happening, pay attention to the tendencies of your opponents, so you can figure out their weaknesses and how to exploit them later in the tournament.

2. Mind the Bubble

All the prize money in Sit and Go’s is spread among the top finishers – for example, the Top 3 in a full-ring game of nine players. If you’ve got a healthy stack with only one player remaining before you’re in the money, you can put pressure on your opponents as they simply try to survive. On the other hand, if you have one of the shorter stacks on the bubble, don’t be too eager to risk those chips. Let someone else bust first if you don’t get the cards you need.

3. Loosen up Late

As the blinds go up, your stack depth (in terms of big blinds) will get shorter and shorter, even if you maintain the same number of chips. Once you’re in the money, be willing to get all those chips in the middle when you’re first to act and you’re down to around 10-15 big blinds. You’ll probably want to shove with any two cards if you get the chance to open from the small blind. Scooping up the blinds and antes uncontested is essential during these late stages. Take the opportunities you’re given as they arise, try to “ladder up” for a bigger payday, and if you bust in second or third, no problem – just fire up another Sit and Go tournament and try again.