The middle stage of a Poker SNG game is another important part to having a solid SNG tournament strategy. If you play well in the early stage and then fall apart in the middle stage you will never get to the end and make payout. Focusing on making the correct plays during the early stage can leave you in different positions when it comes down to 4-5 players left in the SNG. How things went in the early stage completely determines how you will play in the middle stage.

Playing a Short Stack

If you were not fortunate enough to take down any decent pots in the early stage you will more than likely be sitting on a short stack when you make it to the middle stage. Now this happens a lot so do not fret if this is the case. Once you are in this position you have to realize that the blinds are a lot bigger than they were and players feel more pressured to try and steal because of the blinds in comparison to their stack size.

One good thing you have on your side when short stacked in the middle stage of a SNG is that you will be the one moving all in. A lot of players open up at this stage of the SNG which means that they are raising with more marginal hands and trying to steal more. If you have paid attention you will be able to see who the players that are opening up their range are and make some good value from them. You are normally looking to move all in when there is a raise or a few limps because there is more money in the pot for you to win.

You only want to be moving all in with pocket pairs and double face cards in this position. Since there are not that many players you will more than likely have the best hand when you move all in here and you are also capitalizing on your fold equity. You want to make sure that you are in this push/fold mode when you have only 10 big blinds left. This is because if you go too much lower even if you double up you are still in a sticky situation because the blinds increase and you will find yourself with a small stack again in comparison to the blinds.

Playing a Medium Stack In A SNG

If you have a medium stack in the middle stage you are playing pretty straight forward. Your range to raise with will open up more when you are in later position just like normal and you will continue to keep a small range so that you don’t ruin your tight image.

One thing that you have to worry about when you are medium stacked is the short stack players moving all in against your raises and steal attempts. If there is a short stack that is still left to act then you should not make a raise unless you have a hand you are willing to call their all in with. Keeping an eye on the short stacks is your most important goal when you have a medium stack.

Playing the Deep Stack In Poker SNG’s

If you were one of the players who were fortunate enough to build a big stack in the early stage be it through doubling up or just winning a lot of pots then you are geared perfectly to coast into the money. Knowing how to handle your deep stack is very important though so that you don’t turn something good into a losing situation.

When you have a deep stack the short stacks will fear you because they have it in their head that you are out to get them and they are right. You always want to keep pressure on the short stacks when you have a deep stack. This forces players into dangerous situations where they could lose all their chips and be eliminated from the tournament. By applying pressure to these players you are forcing them to play uncomfortably and also preventing them from randomly making a hand and doubling up. While you want to keep pressure on them you don’t want to open your range too much because they will move all in. You want to have a hand that can at the least be two over cards to most pocket pairs.

The medium stacks will normally not mess with you when you are deep stacked, but you still don’t want to apply too much pressure to them yet. If they move all in on you and double up then a decent portion of your stack is gone. This will put you back and could ultimately be the cause of you not placing in the money.