Poker News

John Carlisle, MA, NCC

I logged onto a popular online poker website to play some Hold ‘Em or Omaha a few evenings ago. Although thousands of players were logged on to play the same site on this particular weekday evening, I was having trouble finding a $5/10 table which had more than a couple of players seated. In fact, the Omaha tables were nothing more than a collection of empty chairs. Even the low and medium buy-in No Limit tables were sparsely used. I began to click through the menu lobby to attempt to see where the heck all of the players were located! Of course, the lowest limit tables were predictably busy. The other major pull for players seemed to be the single table Sit & Go’s. Despite the fact that most of the cash games were severely short-handed due to lack of interest, players had to dash to enter the Sit & Go’s as soon as the popped up into the menu to register!

The appeal of the Sit & Go is rooted in personal poker psychology. One of the psychological aspects that attract players is the quest for quick win. You see, many players have difficulty measuring success and setting goals with cash games. After they’ve played a cash game for a few hours, they feel unfulfilled and uncertain whether their performance was “good.” The Sit & Go provides automatic parameters for measurement, as (usually) the top 3 get paid and there is a definitive winner. The Sit & Go allows the player to work for the obvious goal, a win. As players are knocked out and their seat becomes empty, it is a mental cue of progress. As other players leave the table, an emotional uplifting occurs for those who remain, with hope and anticipation continually building. Such cues are not a reality in cash games, as players who lose their bankrolls are quickly replaced with the next participant. The quick nature of the mini-tournament contests allows for players to get in several such attempts within a single playing session.

Another key psychological selling point on the Sit & Go is the aspect of the thrills that can unveil themselves with each deal of the hand. Most new players do not have a bankroll which enables them to push in large amounts of chips in a cash game. With that in mind, they fall short of achieving the tension-filled exhilaration that they’ve seen in televised poker tournaments. The Sit & Go will provide them with several hundred tournament chips, allowing them to make an exciting All-In move with hundreds of chips (while only actually risking the buy-in). These tournament chips allow the player to chase draws, toss out large bluffs, and mimic the experience of poker that they’ve seen the famous players master on ESPN and the Travel Channel.

The Sit & Go continues to grow in popularity. By understanding the ability of these mini-tournaments to tap into poker players’ motivations and psychology, I believe that it will only continue to grow. The next time you log onto an internet poker site to find the cash games empty, check out the offerings of Sit & Go’s and quick tournaments. Set your personal goals before taking the first deal, and enjoy the ride!

Now go make it happen.

Filed under: Poker News