Turbo Sit and Go/MTT Strategy

Turbo sit and gos and multi table tournaments are the faster version of regular games. The increased speed can be found in the quicker blind levels. A normal tournament will typically have blind levels that change somewhere in the 15-20 minute range, where a turbo event will have blinds that change every 5-10 minutes.

These rapid fire games are intriguing to a lot of players because they do not take long at all to complete. If you get the right group of players, it would not be a challenge to play a turbo sit and go in just 15 minutes. This is a significant drop off in time when compared to a normal sit and go that might take 30 minutes to an hour.

With decreased time in blind levels comes an increase in variance. One of the most noticeable differences between turbo events and regular events is the amount of buy-ins that you can either win or lose with relative ease. There are a lot of skills that sit and go or multi table tournament players need to learn if they are just starting out in turbo games. They may not seem all that different from the outset, but they definitely are.

Turbos are also popular with heads up players, and to a much lesser extent, cash game players. Turbo heads up sit and gos will force players to adopt a much more fast paced approach to the game. If you are comfortable with short handed or full ring turbo games, you won’t have all that much difficulty transitioning over to the heads up arena.

Turbo events of all shapes and sizes have one thing in common though - the inability to mass multi table. Inability might not be a fair word considering some players will do it no matter what, but mass multi tabling is much more difficult when you are deciding whether to shove or fold every other second. Turbo events require a lot of attention and focus in very short bursts. As soon as a turbo table starts, it will seem like it is already ending.

Turbo Sit and Gos

Sit and gos are the most popular form of turbo events. Though they are widespread in MTTs as well, you will notice that sit and gos are almost always running as turbos. Sit and go players like to play in “mini tournaments,” so it only makes sense that they don’t want to have to sit around and play for an hour or more.

Strategy in sit and go turbo games is, for all intents and purposes, a few blind levels ahead of a normal sit and go. Where a regular sit and go takes a little bit of time to develop to the point where big pots are being built quick, turbo sit and gos will be finding all ins almost right away. There is not a whole lot of time to sit around and wait in turbo games because the blinds are increasing way too fast. Sit and gos need even quicker action than MTTs because the field will be dwindled down to a handful with just a few eliminations.

In an MTT you need to beat a ton of players, but this just isn’t the case with sit and gos. The best way to play turbo sit and gos is through a hit and run approach. You don’t want to be reckless, and should still pick your spots, but don’t be afraid to put your money in the middle. The best turbo players are able to take chances because they know that they will pay off in the end. Turbos are not for the faint of heart in any form, so don’t be surprised if you bust out before you were dealt anything better than a weak ace.

Turbo Multi Table Tournaments

MTT events with a turbo structure will allow for a lot more strategy and actual play than a turbo sit and go. Even though the blinds are going to creep up on you a lot faster than they will in a sit and go, there is still a fair amount of time to mess around with post flop play. With that being said, get ready for roller coaster after roller coaster if you decide to put your focus on turbo games only. They are so fast that you are not going to be able to exploit other players with nearly as much consistency as you would in a regular game.

Yes, your inherent edge will allow you to win money in the end, but the short term results could net you absolutely nothing. The rush of a turbo tournament is what draws in larger fields of weak players, though, so it is a great spot to play against easier opponents. When it comes down to it, you are still in a tournament, but a turbo tournament will require even more luck than a regular tournament. There is time available to take down some smaller and uncontested pots, but they are not usually going to be enough to last you until the money.

You will need to be going all in with very mediocre hands far more often than anyone would feel comfortable, but it all pays off when you are able to earn all of your money off less experienced players who are looking for a quick thrill.