hrow away pocket J's. By always betting the same amount, no one could figure out what I had through my betting patterns, because they never changed.

• I never show my cards without a showdown.

I don't care if I bluffed them out or had quads. If you want to know what I have, you are going to pay to find out. Some players say they like to bluff then show off because it throws players off

I love the sit n go tournaments because I know my limits. As great as the dream is, I'm not busting Doyle Brunson or Johnny Chan on a consistent basis any time soon, but among the minnows I am a shark, and these games are almost always going to be profitable for the solid poker player. While some games are different, because there are always the crazy tables with some maniacs or some solid players feeding on minnows, too, my general sit n go strategies will remain the same.

• Always raise the ace short handed.

Short handed, an ace has ultimate kicker value if you both hit the same pair, it is the highest pair, and if you both miss, the ace is good. At a short table the only time this is not the case is if someone goes all-in ahead of you, and even then if that person is the short stack it's worth a call. A-3 unsuited is still a marginally better hand than K-10 suited.

• Always bet the same amount

I love the effects of this strategy. In the last sit and go tournament I played, I decided early on that $100 was my base bet, and later I would up that to $400 when the blinds were higher. If I had a pocket pair hit quads (happened) I only bet $100 pre-flop, $100 post flop, $100 on the turn, and $100 on the river. By the river, I ended up getting a very reluctant call, and the table went nuts. Next hand I had 2-7 off suit but was the big blind. When it came to me, I raised. Two players called. The flop ended up having an ace and a king, when everyone checked to me I raised $100 and everyone folded. On the online chat, one player cussed his luck because he had to throw away pocket J's. By always betting the same amount, no one could figure out what I had through my betting patterns, because they never changed.

• I never show my cards without a showdown.

I don't care if I bluffed them out or had quads. If you want to know what I have, you are going to pay to find out. Some players say they like to bluff then show off because it throws players off t

eeding on minnows, too, my general sit n go strategies will remain the same.

• Always raise the ace short handed.

Short handed, an ace has ultimate kicker value if you both hit the same pair, it is the highest pair, and if you both miss, the ace is good. At a short table the only time this is not the case is if someone goes all-in ahead of you, and even then if that person is the short stack it's worth a call. A-3 unsuited is still a marginally better hand than K-10 suited.

• Always bet the same amount

I love the effects of this strategy. In the last sit and go tournament I played, I decided early on that $100 was my base bet, and later I would up that to $400 when the blinds were higher. If I had a pocket pair hit quads (happened) I only bet $100 pre-flop, $100 post flop, $100 on the turn, and $100 on the river. By the river, I ended up getting a very reluctant call, and the table went nuts. Next hand I had 2-7 off suit but was the big blind. When it came to me, I raised. Two players called. The flop ended up having an ace and a king, when everyone checked to me I raised $100 and everyone folded. On the online chat, one player cussed his luck because he had to throw away pocket J's. By always betting the same amount, no one could figure out what I had through my betting patterns, because they never changed.

• I never show my cards without a showdown.

I don't care if I bluffed them out or had quads. If you want to know what I have, you are going to pay to find out. Some players say they like to bluff then show off because it throws players off

ck it's worth a call. A-3 unsuited is still a marginally better hand than K-10 suited.

• Always bet the same amount

I love the effects of this strategy. In the last sit and go tournament I played, I decided early on that $100 was my base bet, and later I would up that to $400 when the blinds were higher. If I had a pocket pair hit quads (happened) I only bet $100 pre-flop, $100 post flop, $100 on the turn, and $100 on the river. By the river, I ended up getting a very reluctant call, and the table went nuts. Next hand I had 2-7 off suit but was the big blind. When it came to me, I raised. Two players called. The flop ended up having an ace and a king, when everyone checked to me I raised $100 and everyone folded. On the online chat, one player cussed his luck because he had to throw away pocket J's. By always betting the same amount, no one could figure out what I had through my betting patterns, because they never changed.

• I never show my cards without a showdown.

I don't care if I bluffed them out or had quads. If you want to know what I have, you are going to pay to find out. Some players say they like to bluff then show off because it throws players off

, $100 on the turn, and $100 on the river. By the river, I ended up getting a very reluctant call, and the table went nuts. Next hand I had 2-7 off suit but was the big blind. When it came to me, I raised. Two players called. The flop ended up having an ace and a king, when everyone checked to me I raised $100 and everyone folded. On the online chat, one player cussed his luck because he had to throw away pocket J's. By always betting the same amount, no one could figure out what I had through my betting patterns, because they never changed.

• I never show my cards without a showdown.

I don't care if I bluffed them out or had quads. If you want to know what I have, you are going to pay to find out. Some players say they like to bluff then show off because it throws players off

hrow away pocket J's. By always betting the same amount, no one could figure out what I had through my betting patterns, because they never changed.

• I never show my cards without a showdown.

I don't care if I bluffed them out or had quads. If you want to know what I have, you are going to pay to find out. Some players say they like to bluff then show off because it throws players off their game, and some pros can do that and switch it up to go conservative, but most players who show off are bragging and will try to bluff again. I keep track of which hands get shown down and which don't, and usually in a game I can be seen as an extremely tight player, even if two of my three pot wins are bluffs. I'm not giving away anything about my playing style without getting your chips for it. That's a sit n' go strategy you should use yourself.

• Early on I throw away all but the strongest hands--especially out of position

Your strongest skill advantage comes when the table gets down to five players or less. Unless you have an overwhelming advantage, or see you are at an extremely weak table and can bully, but even that strategy is more effective once the blinds are raised. Early on, don't be too married to any hand, even pocket A's, and watch your opponents to know who you're facing. This is what I do, and this is the best sit and go strategy I've found for steady success.