45 Man Sit & Go

Hello to all my poker friends out there. Today I would like to talk about the ‘45 man sit & gos’, which can be found on Full Tilt Poker. I have been playing these 45 man tournaments for quite some time, and I believe there is tremendous value in these tournaments. I will explain my thoughts in a second, but first here are some reasons why I recommend the 45 man sit & go. Players should consider this tournament because antes do not come into play, time is not a factor when playing , and to be honest the level of play gets a D+ (“I got a D+, I’m going to graduate!”). Now that I gave my Tommy Boy reference, I am ready to talk a little poker. First off lets discuss how antes are a no show in a 45 man.

Whether you are a fan of the ante or not; they play a big part when it comes to multi-table tournaments. Often times I hear players say pots don’t mean anything unless antes are involved. While this may be true, when you play a 45 man tournament, antes are like the Cleveland Browns in the playoffs; they never show up. This creates the opportunity for players to wait around, and choose their spots more effectively. Since there are no antes involved, players only have to worry about the blinds stealing their chips every orbit. Thus players defiantly have the chance of waiting until they get the hand they want to make a move. On the flip side of things, if this is the habit of every player then it’s possible for you to become the aggressor. If everyone is waiting on those hands then take the initiative to abuse the tight table and start winning some pots.

My next reasoning to partake in a 45 man tournament is to think about the time you spend playing poker. In a normal $24+2 guarantee multi-table tournament, the tournament is going to last nearly 6-8 hours. Unless you plan on winning that tournament, in which case 81% (random percentage) of the time we don’t, then you will have wasted 6 hours doubling your buy in. The average length for a 45 man sit & go is between 1 ½ hrs and 2 hrs. You are saving yourself so much time on a day to day basis, and increasing your chances of winning (IMO). As oppose to a massive guarantee tournament, a 45 man only has 45 people in it. Which obviously creates a smaller field, and gives you a better chance of making the money (top 6 pay out). Also, don’t think you can’t make legit money by playing in these small field tournaments. The 10+1 buy in pays $171 to first, the $24+2 buy in pays $410 to first, and the $69+6 buy in pays $1,179 for first place efforts. Not to bad for a couple hours of work huh?

The last reason, probably the most important, is that the level of play is well below quality poker playing. This doesn’t just go for the $10+1 levels where we would usually find the donkeys of the poker world. I often think I see the worst play at the $69+6 level. I continually wonder how these players get the money they have in order to play. Perhaps they are people that have some time to kill and some money to blow. This is the exact reason why a quality poker player can consistently do well in these tournaments. Players go broke with top pair, they’ll chase draws, and I promise you’ll see them making 7x jams calls with hands like J 8, 65, etc… I would almost be willing to bet that playing these tournaments would be a great benefit to your bankroll.
Craig Fleck