The Value of Small Pocket Pairs in Sit and Go’s

I am a person who definitely likes to play in Sit and Go poker tournaments.  They’re quick, they’re easy, and the action is intense.  And through all of the Sit and Go’s that I have played, I’ve noticed how valuable small pocket pairs can be at certain points of a Sit and Go tourney – especially in the earlier stages!

That’s because the low blinds in the early stages of a Sit and Go really allow you to maximize the effectiveness of small pocket pairs since they are most useful when flops can be seen for cheap.  If you can get to the flop cheaply then you’ve got a chance to flop a set and double up through somebody who doesn’t realize this.  Get lucky and you might even be able to see some turns as well with small pocket pairs when a weak board hits and nobody wants to bet.

Unfortunately, small pocket pairs aren’t quite as effective in the middle part of a tournament since the blinds are too high to see flops cheaply.  And even if you do limp in, other players could raise which definitely makes it not worth seeing the flop.

However, once a Sit and Go is in its later stages pocket pairs become effective again.  If you’re sitting on a big stack you can use small pairs to steal blinds and other hands since they at least give you something when called.  And if you have a small stack a small pair will give you a chance if you’re called when trying to steal hands where nothing is on the board.  In the end, you really just need to focus on where you’re at in a Sit and Go and base your use of pocket pairs on that.