Sit and Go Strategy: Double or Nothing

by André 'vadiu' Rossi 01/03/2009

In this article, our forum user André “vadiu” Rossi provides a very didactic explanation of the most correct strategy for double-or-nothing (DON) sit-and-go tournaments. These are tournaments in which half of the players win double the buy-in, and the game ends. You can find tournaments of this type at Poker Stars, Betboo, Titan Poker.

The Double or Nothing tournament is a ten-player Sit-and-Go that pays double the buy-in to the top five finishers. Because the structure of this tournament is different, most players don't use the proper strategy. This article will give you a great advantage in this new game mode.

Before playing understand:

Equity notions: Equity is the share of money you have to receive in relation to a given amount. For example, in a ten-person Sit-and-Go, your equity is 10% of the total prize pool. In Double-or-Nothing, an interesting singularity occurs: for each player eliminated, your equity increases much more than in a traditional game. The first player to leave practically eliminates the rake for you. On the bubble, after four players have left, your equity reaches 16.66% (100% of the prize pool divided by the six remaining players). Therefore, in a $10 Buy-in game, an all-in on the bubble has the effect of actually betting $16.66 to win $20.

Always keep in mind that you are winning to see the other players out and any bet on the bubble, as long as you are not in last place, could be a bad play.

Regulars and recreational players: Recreational players are those players who are not looking to make a profit. They are there just for fun. Regular players are the famous grinders, who play several tables at the same time, in a solid and predictable way. It is extremely important to be able to define who is who at the table, observing their style of play (regulars play very few times at the beginning of the game, always raising, while recreational players play more actively and usually only enter by calling the bet).

Adequate bankroll: It is recommended to have at least 20 to 40 buy-ins at the level you are going to play. So for $2.2 games, the ideal is to have at least $44, the ideal being $88.

Early Game Strategy

Here, the main objective is to preserve your chips by watching weaker opponents eliminate each other.

• This is the time to define who are the regulars and who are the recreationals.
• In early position, play only very good hands, such as high pairs and AK. In late position, increase your range against regulars.
• It is rarely correct to just call. Call only in late position with low pairs. If trips don't flop, check, and fold to a bet.

Midgame strategy

Focus on stealing blinds, stay away from very big or very small stacks.

• When the antes start, stealing blinds becomes a weapon to preserve your chips. Target the regulars with medium stacks.
• Be careful with short stacks, they will start to put pressure on you. Avoid entering pots where you don't have at least a 70% chance of winning, as they can go all-in at any time. Likewise, avoid confrontations with bigger stacks.
• Rarely call any raise. If your hand isn't good enough to re-raise, walk away.

Endgame strategy

• Folding is definitely the best option. Watch your opponents battle it out and savor the victory.
• With 6 players remaining, as long as you are not in last place, avoid calling all-ins as much as possible or leaving your stack compromised against big raises.
• With a good hand, always raise, slow-playing here becomes extremely dangerous.
• If you have a lot of chips, don't call any bets. Remember that you only need to be in the top five. Also, it's not your responsibility to eliminate players, they will do it themselves.
• If you have an average stack, bet a lot against the regulars and a little against the recreationals.
• If you are last, you should be very aggressive, bet against regulars with marginal hands, try to steal blinds to get back on your feet, and fold as your first option if you have managed to climb to fourth place.

Well, that's it folks, now it's time to practice. Congratulations to André for the excellent article and the results in this modality.