Visit The OHT Shop For Great Poker Gear, Poker Books, Poker Chips and Much More

 
 
OHT MEMBER LOGIN
Password Reminder Click Here Not A Member Join Now
Name *

Email *

FREE Beginners E-course
At OHT We Respect Your Privacy No Personal Information Will Be Shared Or Sold To ANYONE!
OHT RAKEBACK POKER ROOMS
Email *

First Name

OHT Poker Strategy Newsletter
At OHT We Respect Your Privacy No Personal Information Will Be Shared Or Sold To ANYONE!

POKER EDGE Video Review FREE TRIAL CLICK HERE
Right Click & Zoom For Full Screen
How To Win Double Or Nothing S&G
Double or nothing single table sit and go tournaments are a great way to build up a bank roll.  I personally play double or nothing SNG’s at PokerStars they have buy in as low as $1.10 and up to $108.00.  You can grind it out at the $1 till your bankroll can support the $5 level.  With that being said lets get into how to take these tournaments down on a regular basis.

Before the game starts you need to scope out the lobby.  What you are looking for is a good table not full of regular players.  You can find the regulars registered in multiple double or nothing SNG’s and also when they are the only one registered for the tournament.  The tournaments on the top of the list of tournaments you should stay away from most of the time.  After playing more and more of these tournaments you get to know the regulars if you are paying any attention.  Pick tournaments that are filling up fast or be the first to register for one.  These are both strategies I use to get a good table because if the table is filling fast it is mostly going to be full of players that want to play right now are FISH in double or nothings and on the other hand if you are the first most of the regulars or going to pick a different table and you should (SHOULD) fill up with mostly FISH.  VERY IMPORTANT you should have at least 10-20 times the buy in to comfortably play the tournaments.

It this tournament structure you have to play TIGHT.  This is mostly driven by the value of you chips.  In a $10 double or nothing SNG your starting chips have $10 in equity as well as every other players chip stack.  Most of the time you start with 1500 chips and lets say you knock out a player on the first hand.  That player’s equity is mostly give to you but is also given to each player at the table because the tournament ends when 5 are eliminated and each player doubles up.  Unlike a tournament were first place pays more than any other place, in a double or nothing there are 5 first places so each player at the table shares in the elimination of a players equity.  After your double up your chips are worth $15.55 and every one else left at the tables are now worth $10.55.  Another way to look at it is if you are all in for 1500 chips they are worth $10 and if called for 1500 chips those chips are only worth $5.55 dollars.  Your risk $10 divided by your reward $15.55 is about 65% or about 2/3 so you have to win that hand 2 out of 3 time to just break even.  Let’s look at the equity in an all in QQ vs JJ+ and AKo and AKs.

QQ = 47% Equity
AJ+, AKo, AKs = 53% Equity

This is a bad spot to have all your chips at risk.  How about KK vs JJ+ and AKo and AKs

KK =63% Equity
AJ+, AKo, AKs = 37% Equity

Still not quite the 65% you are looking for.  THIS MEANS PLAY TIGHT AND PICK GOOD SPOTS WHERE YOU ARE A BIG FAVORITE TO WIN!!!

PokerStove is a great software to use to figure out you equity in a certain hand.  Learn more about the math and get the software free at www.pokerstove.com
Now lets talk about the beginning of the game (Early Play 7-10 players left no antes) focusing on position and hand selection.  You can not open from early position unless you have the range of QQ+ and sometimes AKs not AKo if at a really weak table full of folders.  It is just not in your best interests to open with any other hands from early position you stand to lose in the long run.  You can open up very little the later position you are but you must keep very tight.  You can steal the blinds if the small and big blind are regulars or very tight players that are calling a raise only 1 out of 10 raise’s.  It is your job to preserve your chips, so when your not sure what to do FOLD!  In the lower stakes I have made the money only playing one hand late or even no hands at all.  If you are tight in terms of hand selection and aware of your position and stay in control you will be off to a good start.  It can be hard to lay down AQs first to act but in this type of tournament it is almost always a FOLD!  When you do end up with a hand you can open with you should be 3x raising or 3 times the big blind.  If you have limpers in front of you with the range of hands you are playing raising is not the question it is how much.  If the limpers are call stations or you think you can get them to stack off light (call all in with a weak hand) raise big (3 times there raise) or shove DON’T SLOW PLAY.  If there is a raise in front of you, your not flat calling here that is not a good move. With your range minus the QQ and the AKs you are shoving ALL IN and folding all others.  Most of the time you are going to take down pot uncontested other times you will get called and most of the time have the best hand and take down the pot.  Sometimes you will get sucked out on but in the long run you will be profitable.  Many times through the early stage of this tournament you wont play a single hand and that’s ok.  Preserve your stack so as the blinds increase you have enough chips to threaten a bigger stack with a shove.  More than 1300 should be good enough to give you the ammo you need to shove and your image (TIGHT AS A ROCK BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED ANY OR MANY HANDS YET) should help the player your shoving on lay down there hand.  A few last bits of advice for early play.

DON’T LIMP
DON’T FLAT CALL
DON’T SET MINE (ODDS ARE NO GOOD A LOSING BATTLE)
DON’T PLAY OUTSIDE YOUR RANGE
DON’T LOSE SITE OF YOUR POSISTION
DON’T LOSE YOUR CHIPS

Once the antes kick in stealing the blinds becomes more profitable.  By this time usually 2 or 3 player have been knocked out there is 1 or 2 big stacks and 1 or 2 short stacks and some middle stacks.  Stealing the blinds at this level will help preserve you chip stack but you must tread lightly.  Try to avoid shoving on the short stacks they will be desperate to double up and stay alive.  Pick on the players you know are folding most of there hands and folding the blinds will not hurt there stack to bad.  Avoid shoving on large stacks with any signs of a loose calling range.  If you have less than 10 big blinds no more 3 x raising, get it ALL IN.  If you pay good attention you should be able to pick spots where it is folded to you and the players in the small and big blind are tight players not to short on chips and get it ALL IN.  Your hand is irrelevant you will pick up the binds more times than not.  Tread lightly and pick good spots to steal the

blinds.  If you happen to have a healthy stack or better yet have doubled up plus sit back but don’t miss the good spots to steal the blinds.  If you are short on chips (under 8 big blinds) you are going to have to pick a good spots to steal blinds, this is more important to you being short on chips.  Your position and hands selection should stay pretty much the same big or small stacked but at this point in the tournament you are mostly shoving and taking down the blinds and if you keep to your range and get called you won’t be in bad shape.  Aside from the spots you choose to steal the blinds keep to the QQ+, AKs but pick up AQo+ if short on chips.  If you have a lot of chips stick to the QQ+, AKs.  Stick to the early game strategy, pick good spots to steal blinds and don’t put all your chips at risk unless you fell the spot is good not ok but GOOD to steal or you have the top of your range AA KK.  Preserve chips and if you find your self with a lot of chips (more than 2 times starting chips) and your getting up there in the blinds hold tight, if you are short on chips don’t panic the cards and or the spots to steal will come.  Watch for players with more than 2 times the starting chips that can take away from the amount of chips you need to have to win.  If there is a 4500 stack you only need 2625 to have enough chips to win.  Let the big stacks do the dirty work and try to knock out the other players; it is not your job even if you have chips.  Your job is to preserve chips and survive. 

When down to 6 players your strategy is going to change dramatically.  I am not going to show the math but at this point your chips are worth about 85% of the final prize.  In a $5 double or nothing that is about $8.50.  Now you stand to win $10 and your chips are worth $8.50 so risking an all in is border line even with AA.  I want to keep is simple so here it is.

Play tight even tighter than your beginning range
You should be betting and raising not calling
No limping
Pick good spots to shove on players smart enough to fold
Stay away from loose players
It is not your responsibility to knock out players
If you have a very large stack stall and let the blinds go up
If you have a micro stack you may have to make a borderline call or shove
Survive and win

With only one player to go let someone make the mistake first.  Online players do dumb things all the time so even if you have a micro stack don’t panic focus and you will come out on top.

Double or nothings are a great game to build up your bankroll.  As you adapt to the changes in the game and get to know the regulars from the donks you can grind this type of tournament when ever your bankroll needs a boost. 

Tournament Indicator is a great way to keep and eye on who is playing tight and who is loose.  In this type of tournament this info is just what you are looking for.  When playing multiply table tournament indicator will attach to each table and help you identify the regulars and the donkys.  With loads of other stats that help you pick the good spots you are looking for to steal and shove it is a great tool for these double or nothing tournaments.  Please let us know how you are doing on your double or nothing game and if you think you have what it takes to make solid double or nothing strategy videos let us know at support@onlineholdemtools.com when you have a video ready and after review you may be the next OHT coach. 

NOTE: There are more than a few double or nothing videos on the site
that OHT coach Its Da kiDD is not so proud of.  He is working on a new
series showing what he has learned and how his game has changed.