- Sit And Go Double Or Nothing Poker Strategy Chart
- Sit And Go Double Or Nothing Poker Strategy Free
- Sit And Go Double Or Nothing Poker Strategy Video
- Sit And Go Double Or Nothing Poker Strategy Game
- Sit And Go Double Or Nothing Poker Strategy Rules
Aug 28, 2019 Sit & Go (SnG) Strategy. A Sit & Go poker tournament – aka an ‘SnG’ – is as simple as it sounds. Once a full table of players has paid the buy-in and been seated, off the tournament goes. But despite its simplistic template, Sit & Go strategy can be quite complex. Sit and Go poker tournaments, commonly called SNGs, have become amazingly popular thanks to the growth of online poker. Their shorter format allow you to play tournament style poker without having to play for hours like in a full multi table tournament giving them the same time convenience of cash games.
Just as with regular multi-table tournaments, online sit & gos feature a wide variety of structures and speeds. If you plan to approach SNGs not simply as a fun diversion but want to win consistently and try to make some real money playing the format, it's important to be able to assess the different structures and learn which ones best suit your playing style.
Some players thrive in shallow-stacked, 'turbo' or 'hyper-turbo' sit & go formats where a lot of the decision-making over the course of the SNG ends up happening preflop. Others do better with deeper-stacked, slower-paced SNGs where there is comparatively more 'play,' meaning there are relatively more postflop decisions to be made.
Here are a few thoughts to consider as you assess the various structures and speeds in online sit & gos.
Don't Play Blind About the Blinds (or Other Format Details)
Online poker can be an interesting environment sometimes, attracting a lot of casual and recreational players who aren't always all that focused on strategic considerations.
Sit & gos are especially attractive to this type of player, given how easy it is to find a game and start playing right away — one of the big 'pros' of SNGs discussed previously. And more often than not, this type of player isn't paying a lot of attention to the structure and speed of the SNG he or she has joined.
Sit And Go Double Or Nothing Poker Strategy Chart
Imagine such a less-than-thoughful player logging in to his favorite online poker site. He quickly finds and joins a SNG, not noticing when clicking through that it is in fact a 'hyper-turbo' and not the 'regular' SNG he normally plays.
The starting stack is 500 chips, and for the first level the blinds are 10/20. The player watches as an opponent opens the first hand from middle position with a raise to 50 and the button calls. Having been dealt , he decides to call, and then flops a gutshot and backdoor flush draw. He check-calls a small-seeming continuation bet of 50 from the original raiser, then when the turn is a blank he check-folds to another bet.
The hand takes more than a minute to complete, and after folding the small blind on the next one he's surprised to see the blinds going up to 15/30. Already down to 390, he's dealt three junk hands in a row and has to fold them all after players raise preflop ahead of him. Suddenly it's Level 3 where the blinds are 20/40, and he's got a sub-10 BB stack with the blinds are approaching him again.
Not being aware of the super-fast pace of blind increases, nor being particularly attentive about the relatively shallow starting stack, the player's seemingly innocent, loose play on the very first hand has already put him in a position of being less likely to make the money.
If you're at all serious about the game, you should never simply register for and start playing a sit & go without giving yourself an idea of the structure. That's true of all poker formats, actually, whether it's a SNG, a multi-table tournament or a cash game. Don't get involved in a game and then have to make a strategic blunder as a way of learning the rules!
Different Sit & Go Structures and Speeds
When assessing sit & go structures and speeds, there are three primary factors to consider:
- starting stacks
- length of levels
- schedule of blind/ante increases
A reminder — in this series we'll be focusing most of our strategy advice on 'standard' nine-handed sit & gos in which the top three places cash. Glance at any online poker room's lobby of games and you'll see a lot of other formats, including those non-standard payouts for single-table SNGs (e.g., six-handed SNGs, 'knockout' or bounty SNGs, ten-handed '50-50' or 'Double-or-Nothing' SNGs that pay half the field, satellite and 'step' SNGs, and so on). Obviously you want to be aware of these other strategy-affecting details whenever jumping into a sit & go.
Assessing SNG Structures and Speeds: Starting Stacks
All online sites vary how they set up their structures for sit & gos and tournaments. For simplicity's sake, we'll look at the three most popular kinds of standard SNGs — regular, turbo and hyper.
The true depth of a starting stack is entirely dependent on the size of the blinds. In other words, starting with 1,000 chips at 10/20 is identical in a practical sense to starting with 10,000 chips at 100/200 — you're still operating with 50 BBs.
When it comes to starting stacks, most 'regular' SNGs allow players to begin with stacks that resemble what is used in most multi-table tournaments — i.e., 1,500 chips. With the first level usually featuring 10/20 blinds, that means starting relatively deep with 75 BBs.
The 'turbo' SNGs also often feature the same starting stack — 1,500 chips at 10/20 — with the only big change being the shortening of levels.
Meanwhile 'hyper' SNGs (a.k.a. 'hyper-turbo,' 'super turbo') cut the stacks down considerably while keeping the same 10/20 blinds for Level 1. The most popular starting stack for these is 500 chips or just 25 BBs.
From a strategic standpoint, there's a big difference between starting with 75 BB and 25 BB. With 75 BB that player in the above example wouldn't be nearly as affected dropping five big blinds on the first hand as he was when starting with just 25 BB.
Assessing SNG Structures and Speeds: Length of Levels
For some online poker sites a 'regular' SNG features levels lasting as much as 10 minutes, while others feature seven- or eight-minute levels. Online poker plays a lot faster than live, meaning players get to play more hands per hour (or per minute) online.
Tournaments and SNGs generally play a little slower than cash poker games, although you still generally move at a quick pace online. Barring long tanks or other variables, you'll be able to play at least a hand per minute on average in an online SNG and perhaps more, meaning around 10-15 hands (or thereabouts) per 10-minute level.
Sit And Go Double Or Nothing Poker Strategy Free
Usually the 'turbo' SNG will cut the length of levels in half — e.g., from 10 down to five minutes. In a nine-handed turbo SNG, you might only get through a full orbit or just a little more before arriving at the start of Level 3.
'Hyper' turbo sit & gos often feature just two-minute levels, which can sometimes translate to just two or three hands. To counteract the temptation for players to stall their way through levels in hyper SNGs, online sites also have implemented measuring levels not by time but by hands played, often adding hands to later levels to give a little more play when they get closer to the money. For example, some hyper SNGs will begin by having players play three hands in Level 1, then four hands in Levels 2-3, then five hands in Levels 4-5 and so on.
The faster the levels, the quicker stacks become shallow, meaning players need to recognize when the structure calls for them to 'shift gears' and become more aggressive with their betting and raising. This applies both to the big stacks who will want to ramp up their pressure on those who have become short, and to the short stacks who will need to look for spots to double and get themselves back into competitive positions as the SNG moves closer to the money.
Assessing SNG Structures and Speeds: Schedule of Blind/Ante Increases
Unsurprisingly, the different types of standard SNGs feature gradually 'steeper' increases of blinds and antes as you move from the 'regular' to 'turbo' to 'hyper' formats.
Regular SNGs in which players start 75 BB deep generally take about three levels for a starting stack to be cut down to less than 20 BB, and about six for that starting stack to be worth less than 10 BB. Of course, by then the number of players remaining will have shrunk and the average stack will have gone up, meaning you might still have (say) three players fighting for the top prize with stacks of 20-25 BB (e.g., an average stack of 4,500 at 100/200).
As noted above, turbo SNGs often start with the same deep stacks as regular SNGs, but the acceleration of the pace by the shorter levels is ramped up a little more by steeper increases that become especially evident the longer the sit & go lasts. In other words, the differences aren't huge for the first three or four levels, but the jumps typically get bigger after that, hastening the end more quickly.
Hyper SNGs feature even more dramatic jumps, with blinds often having quadrupled (at least) by the fifth level. And with levels lasting only two minutes, it's not unusual in hyper SNGs for practically everyone still around by the 10-minute mark — aside, perhaps, from a big chip leader — to be in the 'danger zone' with less than 10 BBs.
Finding the Right SNG Format For Your Game
Assessing the structure and speed of a sit & go means noting all three of these factors — starting stacks, length of levels, schedule of blind/ante increases — in order to calculate how much patience the SNG allows players to have when it comes to starting hand selection, postflop maneuvering, and everything else beyond 'push-or-fold' decisions based largely on starting hand strength, stack sizes and position.
Understanding the schedule and speed of a SNG can be a great advantage to those able to anticipate the moment — typically coming after a new level begins — when the tournament shifts away from permitting as much 'play' and toward more of these crucial preflop decisions. Not understanding the SNG's structure and speed can likewise be a great deficit.
Also, knowing your own style and abilities as a player can help you be smarter about selecting the most suitable SNG format, and thus one in which you stand to profit more consistently. If patience and/or postflop play are strengths for you, the regular, slower SNGs are your best bet. If you enjoy playing a looser game have a bigger edge preflop, the faster, turbo and hyper SNGs will likely be more favorable for you.
Also in this series...
Ready to start giving sit & gos a try? Put these tips into practice at 888poker.
Finding a trustworthy room to play online poker can be a monumental burden. That's all the more true if you're just looking for a place to play poker for free. We've listed five of the best play-money poker sites to enjoy and help hone your skills.
Tags
online pokertournament strategysit & go strategyno-limit hold’emPokerStarsshort-handed strategyheads-up strategymulti-table tournamentssingle-table tournamentssatellite strategystructuresstack sizesRelated Room
888poker
Double or Nothing Sit N Goes Are Now Available On All The Major Poker Sites
This Detailed Comparison Will Show You Where To Find The Most Profitable Double-Up Sit And Go Games
There Are Big Differences In the Rake (Fees) And Average Skill Level Of Your Opponents Across Different Sites – This Guide Will Help You Find The Very Best Site For Double-Up Sit And Goes!
Over the past few years, Double Or Nothing Sit N Goes have gone from a new game to an established part of the line-up at the major online poker sites. In fact there are now variations on this theme in terms of table sizes, games offered and speed of the blind increases.
Before you jump in, you need to be aware that high-fees are a killer in these games. Since they are over quickly, and your profit is limited to double your buy-in, you will naturally get through a ton of games. What can seem like a small difference, say 20c per game, can quickly add up to $20, then $200 and so on… that’s real money that could have been in your pocket (well, your poker bankroll at least!
In addition, there are big differences in the average skill levels of your opponents at different sites. Some are home to hordes of small stakes ‘pro grinders’, while other sites have a more recreational / amateur feel. Once again, the effect of this is exaggerated for Double-up SNGs – since a couple of ‘fish’ at the bubble is all it takes to make sure everyone else safely makes the money.
The chart below shows you the fees for DoN Sit N Goes across the main sites. This is for the ‘Standard’ speed 10-handed games. You will often find Turbo and short-handed games have lower fees than this. Please note that PokerStars have Fifty50 Sit N Goes instead of standard double / nothing games – these pay half of the prize pool according to your chipstack when there are 5 players remaining.
| SNG Limits | Titan Poker (€) | Party Poker | 888 Poker | RedKings (€) | Intertops Poker | PokerStars 50/50 |
| $1 | 14c | 15c | 9c | 20c | 10c | 11c |
| $2 | 28c | 20c | - | - | - | - |
| $3 | - | - | 20c | 30c | 21c | 20c |
| $5 | 45c | 30c | 30c | 50c | 32c | 32c |
| $10 | 90c | 90c | 57c | €1 | 58c | 69c |
| $20 | €1.8c | $1.8c | 90c | €2 | 85c | - |
| $30 | €2.7c | - | - | €3 | - | $1.37c |
| $50 | €4.5c | $2.5c | - | €4 | - | $2.75c |
| $100 | €6 | $5 | - | €8 | - | $4.14c |
| $200 | - | - | - | €15 | - | $6.95c |
- Party have 85c+15c, $2.62+38c, $5.50+50c, $31+$2, $51.50+$2.50, $102.50+$5.50 games
- 888 offer $2.50+25c games
- Intertops have $14.15+85c game
- PokerStars run Fifty50 games, with half the prize pool based on chip counts. Their games are rounded up, so $1.39+11c, $3.30+20c, $6.68+32c, $14.31+ 69c, $28.63+$1.37c, $57.25+$2.75c, $95.86 + $4.14 and $193.05+$6.95c
Best Site For Double Or Nothing Sit N Goes – KeyTake-Away Info From The Chart
You should avoid any game where the fee is more than 10% of the buy-in. This is simply too high to maintain a profitable edge in the long run. Fortunately, it is mostly the lowest stakes games who have 15% to 20% fees. 888 Poker and Lock Poker both have 10% at the lowest level.
Fees for mid-stakes games are fairly uniform through the sites. Note that the 2 US-friendly sites included here both have lower fees. PokerStars Fifty50 games are particularly good value, with the 85c being the rake proportion of their $15 buy-in games (so, $14.15c + 85c).
Party Poker caught me by surprise for the higher end of the buy-ins, their $31+$2, $51.50+$2.50 and $105.50+$5.50 games are the cheapest at these levels. Again Carbon and Lock are good value, and PokerStars also have proportionally low fees (and are also more likely to see the higher buy-in games kicking off regularly!).
Best Double-Up Sit And Goes – My Picks Based On Rake, Fish And Rewards
Well, those are the cold hard facts – now to add in my opinion on balancing these rewards with the ‘toughness’ of opponents you will meet in the games. After all, the lower fee is not much use if you are sat in a game with 9 ‘grinders’ who know the math like the back of their hands…
The table below shows the reasons behind my picks for different categories of player. If you are still not sure, my advice is to follow the fish and make some easy profits while you try the different options!
| US PLAYERS |
|
| EASY GAMES |
|
| ASPIRING PROS | POKERSTARS REVIEW
|
Best Double Or Nothing Sit And Go Tournament Site – My Picks In Detail (US Pick Below)
#1 888 Poker - In The Sweet Spot Between Volume and Soft Games
One of ironies of online poker is that the sites with the softest games used to lack the volume of players to run Double or Nothing Sit N Goes often enough to make them worth seeking out.
For me, 888 are the site which hits the sweet spot between having enough games (they are now the 2nd largest poker site online) and them being soft / recreational in nature. Sure, you'll find a couple of grinders here - though on the whole 888 has a far more recreational vibe - especially when you compare it with the grinder-infested games at PokerStars. This is not exclusively for the Double-ups, all of the Sit N Goes are soft. The cross-over traffic from the larger casino and growing sorts betting parts of the site help to keep the games profitable too.
You can get $88 free bonus to try out the games (new accounts only, one per household, no deposit or credit card info needed). This starts with $8 in tokens (tournament and cash games) and then adds up to 10 more $8 installments as you collect points. You can still claim your 100% welcome bonus at any point down the line if you like what you see.
I recommend 888 for DoN fans - and recommend you check out the profitable games while they last! See www.888poker.com for yourself now!
Sit And Go Double Or Nothing Poker Strategy Video
#2 – Titan Poker - The Huge iPoker Network
When you choose somewhere to play, traffic crossing over from sports betting brands (think William Hill, Betfair, Bet365 and so on) is what you'll want to see. The iPoker Network is a pool of players from the biggest sports betting brands, who are pooled together on a common back end with software created by PlayTech. This allows for a lot of games (including Double-ups) and keeps the tables soft with plenty of first time and recreational type players popping over to enjoy the poker.
Sit And Go Double Or Nothing Poker Strategy Game
Titan, the biggest poker brand on this network have 3 things going for them when it comes to Double-or-Nothings. First there is enough volume available, you'll find a game at your buy-in without too much delay. Second the games are profitable for anyone who knows a little about strategy adjustments (there are plenty of inexperienced or just plain crazy players at the tables). Third, Titan offer players a solid package of rewards. This includes a 200% welcome bonus, tournament entries, their 'Titan Treasures' scheme, VIP club and (the best is last!) $20 extra free on top of your first deposit with bonus code SNGPLANET. This extra cash is placed direct to your player account within 48 hours (usually sooner).
If you like the idea of taking advantage of those inexperienced sports bettors and building a big bankroll from the double ups, then check out Titan Poker for yourself now at www.titanpoker.com - I also recommend you check out the 'Twister' games instead.
#3 – BetOnline Poker - Super-Soft Double-ups for US Players!
BetOnline are primarily a sportsbetting site, though their poker room has been booming since they joined the Chico Network. There are plenty of casual players at the tables, which keeps the games very soft.
Double or Nothings are primarily at the lower buy-in levels (even the $11 games can take a while to fill, though the $5.50c games ar faster). You can choose from 6 or 10 player formats at a variety of speeds. These sit alongside standard and turbo SNGs, and some 4-handed winner takes all games too, which can make a refreshing change up.
For me this site are the best option for US players at the moment, and with the recent growth in the Chico Network, things can only get better as we move into 2020. Check out www.betonline.ag and see those soft double-or-nothing SNGs for youself now!
Further Reading On Double Up Games, Sit N Goes And Soft Poker Sites!
Sit And Go Double Or Nothing Poker Strategy Rules
Check out our Interactive Fish-o-Meter, to find the fishiest poker sites tables for your personal tastes!
Strategy For DoN SNGs is based around the dynamics of the early bubble - get someDouble or Nothing Sit N Go Strategy Tips here.
My Sit N Go Tournaments section gives you access to 100's of articles covering Sit N Goes of all sizes and types.