How to Beat 45 Man Poker Sit and Gos
45 man SNGs are one of the most popular online poker games games. They’re popular because they don’t take that long to complete and have a decent prize pool. 45-man SNGs also have a decent balance between skill and luck. So, even if you’re not entirely sure how to properly play a 45 man sit n go, much less any sit n go, you still have a chance of doing well.
But, if you’d like to be one of the players who have a clue and consistent edge so that you’re able to beat 45 man SNGS for a profit, my guide below should help you do just that. This guide will specifically focus on turbo 45-mans since that is where most of my experience lies. I will note when and where I might change my strategy if I were in a similar situation in a non-turbo 45-man sit and go.
45-Man SNG – The Early Stages
The early stages of a 45-man sit n go are the levels 10/20 to 25/50. They will be much like any other SNG. You will want to stick to a tighter opening range since there isn’t much benefit to splashing around early in attempt to accumulate chips.
With that said, my opening range will be all pocket pairs, AT+ and KQ. My pocket pairs 22s through 99s I will open-limp a majority of the time as I feel there is more value in set mining with these hands in multi way pots as opposed to raising and maybe picking up the blinds – only 30 chips or so. My other hands, TTs+, KQ+ and AT+, I will always come in for a raise if I’m first to act. And while I don’t like to stack off with AK at these early levels in most sit n gos, I don’t mind doing so in the early levels of a 45-man since we need to build a stack for the final table.
In a non-turbo 45 man SNG, my hand range and overall strategy will be the same. The turbo and non-turbo version of 45-mans is almost identical (slightly different blind structure) in the early stage, so there is no need to play any different.
45-Man SNG – Middle to Late Stage plus Final Table Bubble
The middle to late stage in a 45-man SNG will consist of blind levels 50/100 to around 300/600 or so, sometimes sooner and other times later. It will all depend on how quickly the field reduces in size. The later stages will also include the final table bubble where there is one, maybe two players left before everyone is moved to the final table.
My overall strategy for the middle stages in a 45-man is to widen up some since we need to be working on building a final table chip stack. Since antes come in to play around the 100/200 level, there is more incentive (risk vs reward) to make steals when in later position as well as make thinner plays such as squeezes and 3-bet shoves. The key to making these plays and just succeeding in sit n go’s in general is to make sure you have fold equity before you make a play. If you think your opponent is more likely to fold then he is to call (regardless if he open limped or raised), you should definitely consider a 3-bet, either in the form of a raise or a shove. With antes in play, there is plenty of dead money to collect. Any time there is 20% or more of your total stack in the pot, you should consider making a play if you think you’ll pick the pot up uncontested.
It’s also during these stages that it’s possible you have become a short stack hovering around 10 big blinds or less. If you have a short stack, you should be playing what is referred to as push/fold poker. Much of push/fold poker is dependent on your stack size, the stack sizes of the players left to act after you and their ranges. Tools such as Sit n go Wizard can help you get this part of your game dialed in. As a rule of thumb, you should never be raising your hand with a stack that is 10bbs or less, except when you’re trying to induce worse hands to come along. For example, with a hand such as KQ, you would just shove your hand since raising won’t induce worse to come along (most times). However, raising a hand like AJ with 10bbs or less is ok since raising can induce worse hands like A7 to re-shove on you that might otherwise fold if you were to open shove in the first place.
Once the field has been reduced to about 12 players or so, this is what is referred to as the final table bubble. At this time, you’re 3 players away from the final table. Depending on your stack size, you’re going to do one of three things:
- Big stack – You’re going to be making wide shoves abusing the fact that no one can call you extremely light due to ICM considerations. What hands you shove will depend on the other players, their stack sizes and ranges.
- Medium stack – You will want to be making steals or isolation shoves (over short stack all ins) where appropriate to maintain and/or build your stack so you don’t show up to the final table as a short stack.
- Short stack – As a short stack you should be getting pretty wide here trying to make a final attempt at building a stack. You don’t necessarily want to be shoving a 100% range, but you could very well shove as wide as 50% (pairs, broadways and suited connectors). The goal is to build a stack so we can try for a top 3 finish, as we don’t want to barely squeak into the money just for a min cash if possible.
As you can tell, the whole idea in the middle stages is to try to build a stack which will give you a good chance at a top 3 finish (or obviously the win). Also, keep in mind that although there is some pressure to apply on the final table bubble, it’s not like the pressure you can apply on the money bubble. So, just beware of players who might call you a little bit lighter than they should.
These are the stages where a non-turbo 45 and a turbo 45 are different. Most non-turbo 45s do not have antes in play, therefore having less dead money in the pot which results in less incentive to make steals and light(er) shoves. You also do not have to resort to a push/fold game as soon as you would in a turbo 45-man. As a rule of thumb, you don’t need to be nearly as aggressive in a non-turbo 45 man as you do in a turbo 45 man.
45-Man SNGs – The Final Table
The final table in a 45-man will consist of the last nine players and will be around the 400/800 stage give or take a level. Once you reach the final table, there will be 2 players left standing between you and making it into the money. Your stack size as well as the stack sizes before/after you will determine much of how you play.
Non-turbo 45-mans will pay top 6 places instead of top 7 like turbo 45-mans pay. Your strategy won’t change dramatically though since you should be using $EV in both final table situations – ICM will often determine what you do.
If you’re a deeper stack or the chip leader, you should be looking to make raises or shoves to exploit the fact that players can’t call you wide due to being on the money bubble. Often times you can shove as wide as 100% of your hands depending on the players you’re shoving in to.
If you happen to be a medium stack, you want to do just enough to maintain your stack so you make it into the money. You can still shove fairly wide to pick up chips, but you’re calling range will need to be tight. As a short stack, you will need to make the choice of whether you want to try to min-cash or whether you want to go for the win and just shove in attempt to double up. Aside from extreme situations, I will always go for the win and not worry about bubbling. There just isn’t enough money in min cashing a 45-man SNG. So more often than not, I will have a ‘get rich quick or die trying’ mindset and will try to build a stack or bubble trying.
Once the bubble bursts, you will be playing a stack size game until you either bust or win the game. As a rule of thumb, the deeper your stack, the wider you should shove or raise (to exploit others) and the tighter you should call (no need to risk your stack). The shorter you are, the wider both your shoving and calling range should be. Again, tools such as SNG Wiz are a must if you’re trying to become an efficient 45-man (or any other) SNG grinder. They will help you get your push/fold ranges to where they need to be.
In the money situations will play similarly to that of a non-turbo 45-man. There isn’t very much difference at all.
45-Man SNGs – Summary
In a nutshell, the way to beat 45-man sit n go’s is to stay tight early on and open up as the tournament progresses. While you definitely don’t want to be spewy, you still want to try to build a stack (somewhere in the neighborhood of 15k+) for the final table so you give yourself a good opportunity to take a top three finish, if not win the entire tournament.
Where to Play 45 Man SNGs
If you want to play 45 man sit and gos online, we recommend checking out www.FullTiltPoker.com – make sure to use referral code BPSORG for a $600 sign up bonus.
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Written by Matt Geer