Double or Nothing Tournaments

PokerStars Double or Nothing SNGs are 10-player sit and go tournaments in which the top 5 players double their money and the bottom 5 players go home empty handed. It’s an interesting tournament type because all you have to do is finish in the top 50% to double your money.

The only decent poker site with Double or Nothing SNGs (that I’m aware of) is PokerStars. The Double or Nothing SNGs there have really taken off so you’ll find a lot of Double or Nothing tables at a variety of stakes.

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Double or Nothing Rake

When these tournaments first came out at PokerStars, they had the same rake as regular SNGs. As more poker players started to play these, it became apparent that rake was too high relative to the reward. Since then the rake has been reduced from10% to about 8%. That might not sound like a big change but it makes a big difference for high volume players.

PokerStars Double or Nothing Buyins:

$100 + $8
$50 + $4
$20 + $1.60
$10 + $0.80
$5 + $0.40
$1 + $0.15

Turbo Double or Nothings have a lower rake because they take less time to finish. PokerStars offers the following buyins and fees for turbo Double or Nothing SNGs:

$100 + $4
$50 + $2
$20 + $0.80
$10 + $0.40
$5 + $0.20
$1 + $0.10

Using these for easy money

Double or nothing SNGs won’t make you rich overnight but they can be used to make some pretty easy money. All you have to do is play tight, wait for premium hands and outlast half the competition.

The PokerStars double or nothing SNGs are full of casual players looking to gamble it up. These aren’t completely full of fish but the tournament style definitely attracts more fish than usual. If you get a little practice and learn the proper strategy for these, there is a lot of easy money to be had.

Double or Nothing Strategy Article

Pros of Double or Nothing SNGs

1. It’s easy to cash in them.

All you have to do is outplay 50% of the competition and you can double your buyin. These tournaments have tightened up quite a bit since they were introduced last year but they are still notoriously easy.

2. They are easy to multi-table.

The strategy for Double or Nothing SNGs is pretty simple in comparison to other types of poker. With easier strategic decisions and tighter play in the early stages, Double or Nothings are easy to multi-table.

3. The strategy is fairly simple.

All you have to do is play tight in the early stages, steal from the tight players later on and wait for the other players to knock each other out. There’s not a whole lot to it other than being more patient than everyone else.

If you play too tight, you can get blinded down but if you know how to steal from the tight players every once in a while, you should be fine.

In Depth Double or Nothing Strategy

4. You can earn lots of Stars FPPs.

PokerStars has an awesome Frequent Player Points system. You can earn lots of FPPs in Double or Nothings because they are easy to multi-table and easy to beat. You can then use your FPPs to get cool things like 50 inch plasma screen TVs, video games, DVDs and more.

Cons of Double or Nothing SNGs

1. The rake is higher for $1.00 Double or Nothings.

The $1 Double or Nothings have the lowest absolute rake but it represents the highest rake percentage-wise. When you move to $5 Double or Nothings and higher, the rake drops to just 8% for regulars and 4% for turbos.

2. They are borrrring.

They might be fun at first but if you multi-table these for a day job, you’ll be pretty bored. On the positive side, you won’t find these very stressful or difficult. The play in Double or Nothings has tightened up so you’ll do a lot of waiting during the early stages.

3. Your winnings are limited.

This one is pretty obvious. If you’re looking for something more than a quick double-up, these are not for you. The biggest cash prizes can be found in regular Sit and Gos and multi table tournaments.

Ready to Play?

Visit PokerStars to play in the best Double or Nothing SNGs on the planet.
Use the bonus code Stars600 to get $600 free.