When I was little, my mom had a favorite saying that she would often repeat to me: “See the forest, not just the trees.” While she was talking about life in general, I believe that this principle may be applied to the poker table as well, particularly Texas Holdem Sit and Go (SnG) tournaments.

Poker is a game of strategy, and in the paragraphs to follow, you’ll find a few general principles that will help you get into the game and, hopefully, help you have a good time as well.

In Sit and Go, the strategy begins even before you start playing. In fact, the first thing you need to do is decide on which buy-in you will enter. For good measure, project a worst-case scenario and enter a buy-in that your bankroll can sustain if ever Murphy’s Law should kick in. A good buy-in for SnG players would be something that is at most a tenth of their bankroll.

Since human beings tend to be creatures of habit, you’ll be amazed to see different patterns coming up in SnG play if you take the time to really pay attention to them. Observe your opponents and note peculiarities in their behavior. For example, is a certain player particularly fond of smooth calling? Take note of that and use it to your advantage, particularly if or when you get to play against him or her again in the future.

Is a single SnG too slow for you? Then why not enter at least a couple of them to free yourself from the boredom of the early stages of the game? The best way to be patient, after all, is to keep yourself occupied with something else while you wait.

This is somewhat related to the previous principle in the sense that there is one player you should never fail to observe – yourself! Keep a record (spreadsheets are usually good) of your games and analyze them to see what you did wrong. That way, you can learn from your mistakes and apply the lessons to your next game.

Finally, don’t forget to have fun. While you’re definitely there to try and win some money, there’s no point in playing if you’re feeling stressed out. If or when that happens, stop for a little while, calm down and get some perspective, and then return to the game when you’re feeling better.