Double or Nothing Situation

nc_royals

nc_royals

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$10 - 10 person Double or Nothing Sit N Go. 6 remain in game
Blinds are 75/150 and rising every 6 minutes.
Stacks are as follow:
Hero 1870
Seat 4 1265
Seat 6 1645
Seat 7 2375
Seat 8 6355
Seat 10 1430

Normally my stack would not be enough to limp in but with Seat 8 having such a large stack Im wondering if that's the correct approach only playing the top starting hands. Or do I get aggressive like so many situations call for in these tournies as Blinds increase?
All Suggestions and help welcome. Thanks
 
blueskies

blueskies

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As always, it's situational. What is your position on the given hand?

Since there are several players with fewer chips than you, there's no reason to take unnecessary chances. In other words, do not call preflop with stuff like small PP and suited connectors. Either fold or all in with big hands. It's ok to shove from late position if everyone else had folded. But beware of the big stacker if he's the BB. (I can't tell whether he's on your left or right.)
 
MediaBLITZ

MediaBLITZ

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You are on the bubble with three players who still need to take some hands down to even catch you. As of right now you are in. This forces these other three guys to get aggressive and expand their range, even if just for a hand or two so as to move up. Seat 4 is forced to have to make a move and soon.
It is so close that even just stealing blinds could significantly alter the standings and strategies.
So I gotta ask myself - how are the chip leaders (seats 7 and 8) reacting to all this? Have they gone super tight or are they still mixing it up with the small stacks? Or even so blatant as "sit out next hand"? If 7 and 8 go into wait mode then seat 6 only has to steal their blinds one time and he goes ahead of you.
Is seat 8 using his stack to come after your BB? Then you are in a bad situation and need to pump it up. If not you can be more patient.
You can go stealth and hope that two lower guys stack off against each other. The worse that can happen is someone else is severely crippled (if a stack off happens). BUT if you chip leaders go silent and allow these other guys to steal a couple blinds then YOU will find yourself on the bubble having to force the action and take some gambles.
What to do, what to do? Definitely NO LIMPING (unless maybe you are trying to induce a shove with AA). Protect your position in the pack (which is tenuous at best).
But your answer best lies in what the rest of the table doing. It could be that everyone goes tight and opens the door for you to solidify your standing.
 
B

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It all depends on your position,starting hand, stack sizes and player aggression. In your situation i would play super tight ,you're in 3rd with 3 people with less chips. The bigger stacks have position on two of the smaller stacks wich will make it harder for them to steall. you have late position on seat 4-6 smaller stacks which could bring some shoving oppurtunities when needed.
 
Poker Orifice

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NEVER LIMPING EVER!!!
Your basic goal is to maintain a stack that has fold equity so that you can shove/steal when the situation calls for it (by limping all you're doing is depleting your stack of FE.. which is the opposite of what you want to do here).
 
DaPirate

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Guys, he's in 3rd place of 10 man double up here with 3 short stacks.. BUBBLE TIME!! My opinion, he needs to sit on big hand and let the smaller stacks try to get back into the game here. The chances of them 3 doubling up are pretty slim.
 
Poker Orifice

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Guys, he's in 3rd place of 10 man double up here with 3 short stacks.. BUBBLE TIME!! My opinion, he needs to sit on big hand and let the smaller stacks try to get back into the game here. The chances of them 3 doubling up are pretty slim.
What about the chances of them shoving each orbit & maintaining or slightly increasing.... & then finding we're the shortstack?
 
DaPirate

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Seems to me with the blinds at that level, about the only move the short stacks have is all in or fold. They also have to play any marginal hand aggressively to try and double up. I've been in this situation all to many times and bubbled my fair share due to being aggressive. Chip leader is afraid of no ones push. Any aggresive move on your part vs short stack can be called if they feel they have 2 live cards and a race at this point is not what you want.

I still say waiting for a top hand and letting the short stacks try to get chips is the best move..
 
dmorris68

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DONs are my bread and butter lately (6-max though, not 10-max which I don't care for), and in this spot with this stack I tend to tighten way up and play only premium hands, unless I have a very good read on the blinds and short stacks that leads me to believe I can steal with impunity. It's not at all uncommon to see QQ or KK folded on the bubble (especially OOP) when they know they've got a lock. Some would even say fold AA and coast in, although I've never been quite that nitty. In many ways it's the same bubble strategy that satellite specialists often use.

OTOH when I'm short of a safe stack, I'm very aggressive, pushing wide and often to maximize fold equity and move myself well into the safe zone. Then I tighten up unless/until I have a huge stack that can afford to bully people around, or I have reads that everyone else behind me are nits that have already shut down.

Remember that in a 1500 starting stack DON (whether 6-max or 10-max), 3000 chips is a guaranteed win. You cannot lose if you maintain 3000 chips. Sure you can win with much less depending on how the rest of the chips are dispersed, but 3000 is an absolute lock. So I base a lot of decisions around how close my stack is to 3000 chips. But you also have to adjust for super stacks like in this case -- player 8 has more than double that, which means at this point in time the next 4 stacks only need to average ~2250 between them to be guaranteed a win. Obviously this requires regular adjustment as chip dispersal changes, but it's crucial to always be aware of how far into the safe zone your stack is.

It's very easy in DONs to go from a safe 1st or 2nd stack to bubble stack if you're not very careful about the risks you take. Unlike in a regular SNG or MTT, there's no need to beat everyone else at the table to secure the biggest payout -- you only have to outlast half the field. This demands a different perspective on risk:reward decisions.

Now obviously it's all situational in poker, and if you have a savvy player at the table who recognizes that you've nitted way up and are in coast mode, then expect to be exploited to some degree. Especially if they're on a short stack, because they know that FE against you is huge, and they also have to make some moves to get themselves into that safe zone. This is where your experience and reads will really guide you on how to defend yourself against these players.
 
dj11

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Excellent drescription D. Turn it a shade loser, and it describes most STT's.

Point being (IMHO), you want to let the shorties make some moves. They are feeling much more desperate than you, and if things are good, they will make that move into us at a good time.

Becoming the artful dodger in these is key.
 
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