Double or Nothing Strategy

Early Rounds

What are the early rounds?

The early rounds are characterized by low blind levels and equal starting stacks.  The starting stacks are 1500 chips, and the early blind levels are the 10/20 and 15/30 levels.

General Strategy

Double or Nothing tournaments are all about survival.  It doesn’t matter if the tournament ends and you are the chip leader, or you have 1 chip left; you get paid the same amount.  So how do you apply this “survival” strategy?

Tight play is generally best

Similar to normal structure SNG tournaments, the donks will eliminate themselves early in the tournament.  In a double or nothing, this is great because you get even closer to the money, and you are not at as severe of a disadvantage to the larger stacks.

Early Coin Flips are BAD

Taking coin flips early in a DON is a formula for a negative long-term ROI.  Seeking coin flips in a regular SNG is not desirable, but not as bad as a DON.  In a regular SNG, winning a coin flip early and getting a big stack significantly increases your chances of winning first prize, which is normally 50% of the prize pool.  While winning a coin flip early in a DON significantly increases your chances of making the money, the most you can make is double your buyin.

Think of it like this.  Because of the rake, you need to finish in the money (ITM) more than 50% of the time.  If you are taking coin flips early, you are losing half of the time, and doubling up half of the time.  Every time you lose, you are out with no money.  Every time you win, you have a good chance of cashing, but you will not cash every time.

Early Rounds Example 1: A situation where you would normally call and see a flop

What to do here:  Fold.  This is a situation where you would normally call and see a flop in a standard SNG.  You are hoping to hit a set.  In a double or nothing, however, this is a spot that you should probably just fold.

Why you should do it: The 80 additional chips that you need to put in the pot are a bit too much.  You don’t want to make the mistake of overplaying 99 as an overpair if the flop is all small cards, and even if you do hit your set, your opponent still has to have something that he is willing to take to the felt for you to double up.