SNG Strategy - 10 Early Game Tells

1-table tournaments are hugely popular online, and incorporate some significant strategy adjustments in comparison with a standard poker domino money game. With the later stages, and specially the 'bubble' (when only 1 more player has to bust ahead of the paying places) so essential, it is key that you predict how different players will react during this stage of the game.

Below is a list of 10 vital what to look out for through the early stages, when chips are plentiful and the pressure low - along with what these signs can inform you of a particular players late game and bubble strategy.

- Early Game: Take note of any hands which players call raises with, this is an enormous clue regarding kind of hand they will arrive with later on at the bubble.

- Check-Raises: Look out for check-raisers, some players use this more often than not when out of position and others check and then fold. Exploiting a serial check-raiser is very easy, you get to take free cards in some situations and these players will often help you create a big pot too! Check-raisers are used to playing backwards, so expect more late game bluffs too.

- Unusual Bet Sizes Early / Mid Game: Note players who make 4x or bigger open raises, this is the mark of an inexperienced on the web player or can be a hint that they have a hand they don't really want to see a flop with, such as a mid-pair. Inexperienced opponents tend to call 'light' at the bubble.

- Open Limpers: Again, inexperience frequently leads to too much limping into the pot. These players are unlikely to be following a tight-early / push late strategy and will make classic bubble errors. Watch for players who frequently raise then suddenly limp-in, this is often a big hand.

- Super-Tight Players: Make a note of people who play almost no hands for the first few levels, they can easily be good players having a 'Pushbot' type of strategy.

- Shows: Whenever a player gets a walk in the big blind and shows his trash hand, bets and then shows a bluff or shows a strong hand after everybody folds the turn - you should absolutely make a note. Again there's a high likelihood that this player is inexperienced, especially showing rags in the blind and revealing bluffs. Experienced grinders understand that SNGs are too short for such non-sense and also have seen enough of pokers variations that they do not have to show you their cards.

- Bluffing Dry Side Pots: Most players in SNGs will check a hand down each time a player is all-in. Those who bet when there is no second pot to win (only the one that the all-in player can win) and then show a weak holding are usually inexperienced... provisionally assign them the 'Push too tight, call too light' bubble ranges.

- Bubble Calls, Hopefully this one is obvious, when you see a call at the bubble which looks 'light' immediately have a note that will help you put this player on a better selection of hands the next time around.

- Bubble Raise / Folds: When you see a player with 12 blinds or less raise 3x after which fold to a re-raise you can be pretty certain they don't understand the facts of prize-pool equity (based on the very fact that they cannot really understand pot-odds! ).

- Push-Bots: This term refers to players who are pushing all-in at nearly every opportunity, often good players! You can assign these types a huge range, however, you know you still cannot call with out a premium hand, right!