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Good Timing In A Sit 'n' Go Poker Tournament
By http://www.card-game-poker.com/

Throughout life good timing is handsomely rewarded. Here a few examples:

• You pop the question to the girl of your dreams at precisely the right moment, and she accepts.
• You call the right play at precisely the right down to win the football game.
• You call the right pitch at precisely the right inning to seal the victory.
• You sell your stock at precisely the right moment before the market drops.
• You retire from your job at precisely the right moment before your position is cut.
• You decide not to run the yellow light, just as a car runs the red.

The list goes on and on. Almost every day presents an opportunity for exercising good timing. So it is, as well, in a poker tournament. And, just as the rails of life are lined with those who demonstrate poor timing, so are the tournament room rails.

What then, is good timing in a poker tournament? Well, from the examples above you might conclude that good timing is sometimes the product of training, sometimes of knowledge, sometimes of experience, and sometimes of intuition. And, all of those answers would be correct.

Notice that good luck is not a factor. If luck were an ingredient, then the title of this article might instead read, Making Good Luck In A Sit n Go Poker Tournament. Just for clarification, good timing is an act, while good luck is an accident. To the extent that we can influence luck, we do so with good timing. And, good timing derives not from probabilities as does luck, but from training, knowledge, experience, and intuition.

Here are a few examples of good timing in a sit n go. The reverse of these would be examples of poor timing. For example, knowing or sensing when to:

• attack an opponent to force a fold,
• shift gears to protect your stack,
• fold a good hand to a better hand,
• make a move to win a pot, or
• call a bluff.

You get the picture. Almost the entire process of winning a tournament is a matter of exercising many

instances of good timing. In fact, almost all of your tournament decisions will revolve around issues of timing. Good timing then, is basically knowing or sensing when to do what.

Another name for good timing could be good judgment. But, matters of timing suggest to me a different, or even higher level of thinking. Good judgment can indeed yield good decisions. But, good decisions at the wrong time are likely losing decisions. To me, a good decision at the right time equals a winning well timed decision. Therefore, to me, the definition of good judgment does not encompass the concept of good timing.

Take for example, the head of an accounting department. He may be revered for his good judgment. But, it is the head of the company who is seen as having impeccable timing. Impeccable timing connotes a successful flair for always making the right decision at the right time. Perhaps, it is too fine a distinction to matter. I only mention judgment in order to help clarify my definition of timing.

Learning to develop good timing is at the core of winning sit n go play. Because, there is little fundamental difference between any style of sit n go tournament, whether it is fast or slow, or single or multitable. All of the hands, and plays, and moves are the same. The principal difference between the tournaments is merely structure. And, structure affects timing. That is, when to do what.

For example, the points for shifting gears will be different from one style of tournament to another. Or, in the case of those moves that usually work best at specific points in a tournament, those points will also be different.

In other words, learning to play successfully in a variety of tournaments is primarily a matter of learning the timing requirements for each specific tournament.

R. Steve McCollum is a long time Hold'em player. You may read many more Sit 'n' Go tips, tactics, secrets, and strategies on his poker blog at http://www.SitnGoHoldemPoker.com

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