Single Table Tournament STT, also known as the Sit & Go.

Single tourneys offer the chance of first-rate recreational play and, for a winning player, steady gains with far lower variance than that offered by a ring game (cash games). Here’s how:

Fun - With a Single tourney you’re always in the game. You have to be. With games rarely lasting as long as an hour, you have to bet sooner or later. You must expect to bluff at some stage, and All-Ins are a certainty. Lots of All-Ins! And if you bust out early, there is no need to wait several hours for the next game at your level – just sit down at a new table and off you go.

Variance - For winning players, Single Table Tournament variance is far smaller than that dealt up by ring games. Your exposure to a bad beat (or a bad decision!) is limited to the entry fee for that tourney. And that very fact promotes bad play from the “gamblers” and “bluffers” – bad play that will fund your bankroll.

Early stages - Play tight. Do not bluff… (maybe only very little – but do not get caught) and always remember position. Let the fish die off, without burning too many chips, but look for cheap opportunities to make gains. Create the impression you are a rock.

Middle tournament play should resemble your regular style of ring game play, but with selective aggression against passive players. More times than not, you are going to have to “create” something to get in the money. Now loosen up and play your regular game. Middle stages are also prime time to bluff at a few blinds. By now you’ve seen enough of your opponents to know who is susceptible to a bluff. Look for semi-bluffing opportunities in late position (especially strong draws to the nuts). Use the threat of just missing the money to your advantage – don’t let it freeze your own play.

End Game. If you are ahead, keep on the pressure. Respect big raises, but attack calls, especially where both opponents have put in money. With small raises, you can stimulate betting between them and get into the heads up stage even if you lose the pot. As with all heads-up play, aggression tends to be the winner. On a straight show down, most hands dealt are a coin toss, so the winner will be the player who wins with most of the bad hands, not the one who gets most of the good hands.

Some strategies advocate raising 80 to 90% of hands. I’m not sure if this is true in no limit STT’s but over a long period of time, success is based on the number of hands you bluff rather than the number you win on merit.