SOURCE: detnews.com

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The correct approach to winning a shootout (and for that matter, any winner-take-all Sit and Go tournament) is to really go for it. Because the blinds start out small, you can choose to set up a conservative table image you can look to exploit later. But once the blinds escalate, you need to start dancing.

Sitting back and waiting for others to go broke may work in a typical tournament, but it's faulty strategy in a shootout. Your game plan should be to play aggressively and take advantage of those who are just trying to survive.

When pros talk about their game, they'll often say something like, "I try to avoid playing coin-flip situations with marginal hands." In a shootout, the decision to play marginal hands is irrelevant. Your goal is first place and nothing less. Your sole focus must be on making the correct fundamental plays. Even if that means you need to gamble all of your chips with pocket fives against A-K in a classic coin flip.

Here's a good example of a marginal hand where it makes sense to risk it all in a shootout. You hold Jh-10h and call the raise of a solid player. The flop comes Kh-7d-2h, giving you a flush draw. Your opponent bets again. A big raise on your part might be an excellent play. If he's bluffing, or doesn't have a hand like A-K or better, there's a good chance that he'll fold to your raise. Even if he does call, you'll still have a decent shot at winning a big pot.

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