Colin Moshman, Katie Dozier Collaborate With Americas Cardroom On New Sit & Go Product

By Jamie Harvey

Last June I had terrible insomnia. I tried warm milk, counting sheep, and sleep medication, but nothing worked. Then the solution dawned on me. I fired up my laptop, opened up a couple of online Sit & Go’s, and was dead asleep before the cards hit the virtual felt.

Okay, so that didn’t really happen, but this pretty accurately illustrates how many of us were feeling about Sit & Go’s back then. Quite frankly, they were boring. Sit & Go’s sometimes took hours to start, if at all, and were often filled with the same regulars trying to hit the top three paid spots.

Several years ago, Sit & Go’s were all the rage. You could log in, click a button, and instantly play a one-table tournament. Waiting lists filled in seconds, and anybody could win. But those days are long gone.

So when the CEO of our poker network (the Winning Poker Network), Phil Nagy told me last year that our newest innovation at Americas Cardroom was a Sit & Go product, I was skeptical. To me it felt like we were trying to give CPR to a mummy.

Boy was I wrong. Last October, long before we released the online version of the game, I had the chance to try a live test run of Sit & Go 2.0 at the 2016 Punta Cana Poker Classic. Seeing the players’ reactions to the game laid any doubts I had to rest.
It may have been the first time I saw competitors literally cheering and “high-fiving” each other as prize pools got bigger in the pre-game portion, and more players at the table were getting paid.

Not only was Sit & Go 2.0 more exciting, it had a huge appeal for both recreational and regular players, offering way more than a traditional Sit & Go ever did. Sit & Go 2.0 allows for potentially bigger prize pools and up to all nine players paid with each game dealt, and also has a Jackpot Component where players can find themselves playing for tens of thousands of dollars in the biggest Sit & Go of their lives.

If playing the live version of the game wasn’t enough, weeks later Phil proceeded to tell me that power poker couple Collin Moshman and Katie Dozier were not only going to help promote Sit & Go 2.0, but were also co-writing a strategy book on it. At that point, I knew Sit & Go 2.0 had some teeth.

Moshman and Dozier are renowned in the poker world for co-authoring some of the best strategy books money can buy. Moshman is considered one of the most foremost experts in Sit & Go play, having won countless dollars from playing poker while coaching online at strategy sites such as CardRunners.com. He also holds an honors degree in theoretical mathematics from the California Institute of Technology, an attribute we all know can’t hurt a professional poker player.

Dozier is also an accomplished player and coach, having coached at poker training site DragTheBar.com while also maintaining an award-winning blog at Card Player. Together with Moshman, the husband and wife team have co-penned best-selling poker books including The Superuser and Pro Poker Strategy: The Top Skills.

This latest book, devoted solely to Sit & Go 2.0, is titled The Next Evolution of Poker Has Gone Full Circle, How To Win In Today’s Game. It covers everything you need to know in order to dominate this new game format.

Topics include general game play, progressive jackpot considerations, prize pool multiplier factors, opening ranges, post-flop play, tips to deal with variance, and software to maximize profitability. The eBook, which is now available on Amazon.com, was released with Americas Cardroom’s launch of Sit & Go 2.0 on March 15. You can pick it up for just 99 cents.

On top of just reading about good strategy, Dozier also gives players the opportunity to see how the book concepts are put into practice. She is currently streaming her online play of Sit & Go 2.0 via her live Twitch.tv stream. I highly suggest you check it out.
I caught up with Moshman and Dozier to get their thoughts on their collaboration with the Winning Poker Network and Sit & Go 2.0.

“Sit & Go 2.0 brings today’s most popular format, Jackpots and Spins, to the classic nine-man Sit & Go. The potential for a large win will create an attractive playing field, and the varying prize pool creates fascinating strategy intricacies,” said Moshman. “S&G 2.0 is exactly what the modern game needs!”

Dozier was equally bullish on Sit & Go. 2.0 and her role. “I love S&G 2.0. The pre-game is extremely fun, and I get to think about all of the late-game decisions. Come watch my stream and play against me in my favorite new format!”

So at this point, you’re probably wondering what exactly Sit & Go 2.0 is and how it works.

The difference between a regular Sit & Go and Sit & Go 2.0 happens in the pre-game portion. Once registration for Sit & Go 2.0 is full, the pre-game starts. Each player has 20 seconds to choose a card from a standard playing deck of 52 cards (colored red and green instead of red and black), along with 3 gold cards.

The first player to the direct left of the dealer reveals their card and red means stop, green means go. If a red card is revealed, the pre-game is over and players play for the prize pool displayed in the middle of the screen. But each time a green card is revealed, the prize pool increases along with the number of players paid, and it’s the next player’s turn to reveal their card.

If a player reveals a gold card, it activates one of three progressive jackpots, a Mini, Medium, and MEGA. The object of the pre-game is to reveal all nine green cards before hitting a red. Should this happen, the number of gold cards revealed throughout the process determines which progressive jackpot is played for.

Once the pregame is over, the gameplay of Sit & Go 2.0 is exactly the same as a traditional Sit & Go. At its heart, you’re still playing Texas hold’em poker. But with varying amounts of players being paid, and potentially a lot more money, strategies vary for each game.

This is why Sit & Go 2.0 has something for every type of player. Recreational players love it for the excitement of the pre-game and the potential to hit a huge score. More players being paid also allows them to get more bang for their buck. Regular players get to formulate winning strategies based on what type of game they’re playing, giving them a new puzzle to figure out.

If you want to learn more about Sit & Go 2.0, there’s a much easier way than reading this article. We have demo videos posted on AmericasCardroom.eu, or you can download the poker client and give it a try! We launched the online version of the product last month, and games are running around the clock.

Poker, like everything else, needs to evolve to bring in new faces and keep the existing clientele interested. Sit & Go 2.0 solves both of those problems and is sure to generate major excitement for years to come. ♠

Jamie Harvey is the lead news writer for The Big Blind blog. He’s a graduate of Red River College with a degree in Creative Communications and has been covering the online poker industry since 2010.