Tip #11: Double of Nothing Strategy – Part 1

Double or Nothing SnG Strategy

Double or Nothing tournaments are a great change of pace from the standard grind of 9 man sit n go’s. Not only that, but they are great for grinding out bankrolls simply because half the field will receive double their buy-in disregarding any need for accumulating lots of chips in the beginning.

However, for those of you sit n go pros that think you are just going to sit down and apply the same strategies that you do for sit n go’s and think you will be ok, well, think again. Double or Nothing sit n go’s are not identical and will require a little bit different strategy to be beaten.

Over the next couple of articles, we will provide you with the strategies necessary in order to master the DON’s so that you can grind out a solid bankroll.

Double or Nothing Beginning Stages

Since half the field will win double their buy-in, it really does not matter if you have $5k in chips or $1. As long as you make it into the top 5, you will be paid. In other words, there is no reason to be overly crazy or aggressive.

So with that in mind, it is important to keep the ‘tight is right’ mindset when first getting started. That means playing the top 10% hands or less and folding everything else. So for example, if you are dealt K-J while on the cut off and someone has limped in front of you, fold. Actually in fact, even if no one has limped in, this hand really is not worth getting into any trouble with so fold anyway. Just stick to premium pairs and only play high pairs when in position.

Additionally, all players should keep the gap concept in mind which states that you need a stronger hand to call a raise then if you were to make the first raise yourself. This should help prevent players from getting into sticky spots with hands such as A-Q, A-J and so forth. In other words, if there is a raise in front of you, fold unless you have AA, KK or QQ.

Another thing that players will want to avoid is trying to steal blinds at the early stages. At this point, they are not worth much and definitely not worth risking your stack and busting out over.

The bottom line is, is that at the early stages of the Double or Nothing sit n go’s, you should be folding literally 95% of your hands and allowing the other inexperienced players to take each other out. Avoid all risks, races and uncertain situations. This will ensure that you last long enough to get down to the last 6 or 7 players and where you will have to focus on bubble play.

Lastly, since you are folding every hand, you have plenty of time to figure out who has the right strategy down and whom the donkeys are. Knowing who the good players are will prove to be useful when you get down to playing on the bubble. Be sure to take notes.

Double or Nothing Strategies summary – while Double or Nothing sit n go’s may seem like your generic sit n go, the biggest difference between the two is that there is almost no reason to attempt to collect chips in a DON unless you have the nuts because the rewards just do not out weight the risks. Just sit back and play tight ABC poker and getting to the bubble should be the easiest part of playing Double or Nothing sit n go’s.