Double up sit-n-gos are a very nice way to
build a bankroll to start playing cash games. They are 10 player
SNG tournaments where once half the players have been eliminated
the tournament is over and the top 5 double their money.
These are very good for learning how to play a correct tight aggressive style. The key to winning these is to fold a ton and survive to the top 5. By playing extremely tight in these tournaments it will prepare you for how tight you must play when you begin to play cash games.
Tight Is Right As Usual
Since the large majority of players that you will see at online poker rooms are loose passive players it is important that you combat that by playing tight and aggressive. In double up SNGs it is even more important. In a normal SNG you are trying to place in the money as high as you can so that you earn more money. The difference with double up SNGs and normal SNGs is that first place is the equal to last place and makes no difference which place you are in as long as you are one of the last 5 to survive.
Since double up SNGs work this way the most important thing is that you still have a stack. You are looking to still have chips when half the field has been eliminated. So long as you still have at least one chip left you will still win money. You only want to play premium hands early in a double up sit n go.
Don’t Lose Focus Daniel Son
Some times in double up SNGs players will start playing tight and double up. Once they double up they see this as an opening to loosen up and start giving away those chips they earned. The correct thing to do early when you double up is to ride your stack into the pay out. You are still going to play your premium hands, but very cautiously. All it will normally take to make the payout is doubling up one time. Make sure you don’t give your money away once you get into a position to place.
By staying focused early in double up SNGs you will win much more frequently. You must first know that your goal in the SNG is to survive past half of the field and then follow your goal. This will ensure success.
Trap The Loose Players
You will see a lot of players that are extremely loose and passive even though this type of SNG doesn’t work well with that strategy. These players are also very important to your success at double up sit-n-gos. These are the players that you will build your stack from. You are going to be in a lot more hands with these players just because of their play style.
The main reason you are going to play more hands with loose passive players is because they normally have less than premium hands and you will only be playing premium hands. When you are raising with AK preflop they are calling with hands like A8, K9, etc. When you make top pair top kicker you are going to make a lot of money against them because they will be calling you to the river to see if they have won.
Another big reason that you will be trying to play hands with only the loose passive players is because you have less of a chance to lose your stack. When these players end up making a better hand than your top pair top kicker type of hand they are not going to be aggressive and try to get it all in. They want to get to the river as cheap as possible just to see if they won. This means that when you are checking they will normally check as well even though they have a better than average hand.
Play double up sit and go tournaments at the best sng sites.