I have a very good friend I’ve been playing poker with for some time. He is incredibly aggressive, to the point that he actually disturbs some of the weaker minded players at the table. (Good for him!) But his constant aggression frequently works to his disadvantage against more skilled opponents, because he simply doesn’t know proper aggression techniques. Knowing when and how to be aggressive, and when to pass, is a central strategy to becoming a profitable Texas Hold ‘Em Sit and Go online tournament champion. By simply employing the correct aggression techniques at just the right times, you can find yourself wanting more hands, and more Sit and Go tournaments online, with the same hands that cost you money in the past.

A Sit and Go tournament is a one table event where 9 or 10 players play, usually paying the top 3 places. But because of the very limited nature of the competition, and other factors, this does not play out like a standard no limit Texas Hold ‘Em game. And that’s why your understanding of aggression is important, but setting up your opponent’s perception of your aggression is just as important, and that means knowing when to fold or show weakness. You should never forget that you need a much stronger hand to simply call than you do to lead off with a bet or raise. That is because your bet or raise has the opportunity of taking the pot down immediately, and ending the hand, something that a simple call will never do.

That very important designation between displaying aggression (betting or raising) and showing weakness (simply calling) was named the Gap Concept by one of the best technicians in the game, Dave Sklansky. Since you will not have the stronger hands which allow you to simply call as frequently as you will those weaker hands which require aggression for you to play, this is how weakness figures into the aggression principle. Quite basically, the aggression principle can be stated as the following: you want to be the bettor or raiser more frequently than the caller, because you could win the hand immediately, something that calling will never deliver.

And this principle is even more important when playing an online Sit and Go Texas Hold ‘Em tournament, as the blinds go up exceptionally quickly, and play is usually more aggressive than in a tournament with dozens or hundreds of participants. Players can not wait as long to make a move, their chips begin to dwindle and they get desperate, and they act aggressively. That is not to mean that you should simply go all in on every hand. It doesn’t take long for your opponents to notice that you are ridiculously aggressive all the time, and that you can’t possibly have a hand that frequently. Someone calls or re-raises you, and your tournament is over.

A good basic Texas Hold ‘Em Sit and Go tournament strategy online is to employ aggression early only when you are playing strong hands. You will have to show down your cards a couple of times, and the table will see your aggression as accompanying good cards. At the middle stages of the Sit and Go, usually 4 to 5 players, most of the fish will have been gobbled up by smart players. The blinds increase every ten minutes or so, and begin to chew into your stack. Attack weakness, avoid strength, and start taking out the short stacks. Be very aggressive against tight players who are simply trying to make their chips last in the middle stages.

In the Texas Hold ‘Em online Sit and Go tournament final stages, be initially tight, and then become hyper aggressive. You want to be the first player at this stage to become the aggressor, but only after your competitors have tightened up for the first few hands. In these final stages aggression is the key, and varying your play will keep your opponents guessing, and keep the chips headed your way. Remember, in online Texas Hold ‘Em Sit and Go tournaments, aggression is the key to winning, but knowing when to show weakness by folding makes your aggression more of a surprise, and keeps your opponents from getting a good read on your play.   Try one of these highly rated online poker rooms to test your new Sit’n Go strategy.