Poker Pro Tips: George “jorj95” Lind’s Top 5 Sit & Go Mistakes

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  • Last updated on: February 16, 2025

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George Lind has been crushing online Sit & Go’s for years.

Lind is a member of Team PokerStars Online and specializes in hyper-turbo SNGs. He’s also a master multi-tabler.

In this free poker strategy video Lind gives you the benefit of more than a decade of professional poker experience and explains the five biggest mistakes he sees poker players making in Sit & Go’s every day.

Top 5 Sit & Go Mistakes

#5 Playing Too Many Hands in Early Stages

Early on in poker tournaments you really don’t want to be three-betting light really at all, especially at the lower stakes because you don’t want to end up in a coin-flip situation when you’re going to have such better opportunities with premium hands.

And even if you don’t, you’ll still have your stack later in the tournament so you can leverage that. It’s just not worth the risk.

Example: You open-raise to 2.5 big blinds holding A J in an early Sit & Go level. Two players call behind. The flop comes A 8 2 . Although you have top pair, overcommitting chips in this spot can backfire if an opponent shows significant aggression, since preserving your tournament life early on often outweighs the value of a marginal pot.

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#4 Playing Too Passively as the Short Stack

A lot of the time when you’re the short stack you want to take some risks because you’re just never going to find that good of a spot and if you don’t you’re just going to blind out of the tournament.

Once you get to eight or ten big blinds you start shoving or folding always instead of limping or raising and then folding.

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#3 Taking Unnecessary Risks as the Medium Stack

When you’re the medium stack your goal is to try to bust the shortstacks, not get into a war with the big stack.

As the second-biggest stack you have a lot of equity in the tournament and you don’t gain nearly enough to make it worth the risk. If you can bust one of the shortstacks then it helps your equity a lot.

Example: You have 25 big blinds, and a short stack of 8 big blinds is to your right. The big stack on the button raises. Even holding 9 9 , it can be risky to tangle with the chip leader here if the short stack is likely to bust soon, since your equity gain from knocking out the short stack often outweighs the slight increase in chips from battling the big stack.

#2 Not Putting On Enough Pressure as the Big Stack

Your goal as the chip leader is to leverage your stack by shoving into your opponents a lot because they can’t call with very many hands and you can build your stack without much risk.

Conversely when the shortstacks are shoving into you, you shouldn’t call too wide because you don’t want to lose the leverage you have as the big stack.

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#1 Playing Stakes You Can’t Beat

This is a big problem for people in sit and gos and in poker in general. I recommend absolutely crushing a stake before trying to move up. 

It’s really important to be cognizant of what level you can beat. Don’t let your ego get in the way, play a stake you can beat.

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FAQ

What is a Sit & Go?

A Sit & Go is a single-table poker tournament (although there can be multi-table versions) that begins as soon as all seats are filled. Unlike scheduled tournaments, they do not start at a fixed time but instead kick off when the required number of players have registered.

Why is playing fewer hands early so important?

Early levels often have low blinds relative to stacks, so risky three-bets or marginal calls can jeopardize your entire tournament equity. Preserving your stack for situations with greater fold equity or premium holdings is generally more profitable.

How do I apply ICM properly when I am the medium stack?

Pay attention to both short stacks and big stacks. Avoid high-variance confrontations with the chip leader that won’t significantly improve your payout odds, and look for spots to eliminate short stacks when it doesn’t risk a large portion of your chips.

Should I always call a short stack shove if I’m the big stack?

Not always. Your leverage as the big stack allows you to accumulate chips with minimal risk. Calling too wide can result in doubling up your opponents, reducing your ability to pressure others. Focus on maintaining your edge rather than chasing every knockout.

Why is it so crucial to “crush” a stake before moving up?

Jumping to higher stakes without a proven track record can deplete your bankroll quickly. Beating lower levels consistently helps you hone strategies, build confidence, and ensure you’re properly bankrolled for tougher games.

Are GTO principles practical in hyper-turbo Sit & Gos?

Many players adapt GTO concepts for hyper-turbos, but the rapidly escalating blinds and ICM pressure can mean deviating from pure GTO in favor of exploitative adjustments. Balancing these approaches can yield optimal decisions in dynamic short-stack situations.

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