New Sit-n-Go Strategy

My first attempt at a different strategy in the 20+2 Sit-n-Gos. Play normal tight poker the first few rounds trying to keep the pots small unless you know for sure you have the best hand. When it gets down to 4 players or 5 with one player hanging on by a thread, get very aggressive. Usually by this time, I have 6-10 times the big blind so I feel all in bets are appropriate preflop and start stealing the blinds. Hopefully everyone else has tightened up trying to make the money and I can build a lead that will take me to first place.

Last night I played only one tournament. I won a few pots early only showing down good cards so my image was tight aggressive. There were 4 left. I had 1443 left and the blinds were 150-300. The remaining stacks were 1516, 1780, 3261. The blinds were on the other smaller stacks and I am on the button. Let's see how my new strategy works. I am dealt Jack-5 offsuit. UTG folds and I move all in with 1443 in chips. The small blind folds, and the big blind with 1516 goes into the tank for a few seconds. He calls and turns over Queens. Oops! The flop gives me a Jack and the river gives me a 5 and I suck out! Sweet Fancy Moses! He busts out the next hand and before we know it, I am heads up with 2836 in chips versus 5164. My opponent plays timid for a few hands as I bluff a few blinds out of him. I am behind 3436 to 4564 before the key hand takes place.

I was dealt 7-10 of hearts on the button and in the small blind. The blinds were 200-400. I call the small blind and my opponent checks. The flop is Ac 6h 2d. It doesn't hit me but it has a heart. He checks and I check. The turn is 4h. He checks and I check. The river is the 8 of hearts so I have a flush 10 high. This time he bets the minimum of 400. At first I think he is just trying to pick up an orphan pot because the board looks a little scary with the flush out there. I don't think he has much so I don't want to raise him out of the pot. I make it 1200. He comes back and raises me 1600. Now I think he probably has a flush. Is it higher than mine? Hmmmmm. If I call I only have a few hundred left. I decide to reraise all in and he calls with 2 pair 8's and 2's. He probably didn't notice that the 8 on the river was a heart.

He went out on the next hand when I am dealt Ace-5 offsuit and go all in and he calls with King-2. No help for either of us and I win.

Moral of the story: It's better to be lucky than good.