TheOnlinePokerBankrollBuilder:

DoubleorNothingSit&GoStrategyto CrushtheCompetition
By

EricJames

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TableofContents
1.Preface3 2.TheGame.3 3.WhatLevelShouldIPlay?.....................................................................4 4.KeyConcepts.4 5.TheTournamentinPlay:BlindLevel,Positionand StartingHandConsiderations12 6.BeatingYouOvertheHead:AShortSummary..15 7.AftertheTournaments:ConsiderationsfortheFuture15 8.TheBankrollBuilderPrimer:PracticeHands..16 9.ToolsThatMayHelpYou..19 ThisdocumentisNOTfreeifyoureceiveditwithoutpayingourcompanyfor accessyoupossessanillegalcopyanditshouldbereportedto eric@onlinepokerbankrollbuilder.com.Youaregivenanontransferable, personaluselicensetothisproduct.Youcannotdistributeittoanyother individualorshareitontheinternet.Thispersonaluselicensedoesnotinclude anyresalerightslicenseorprivatelabellicensingwhatsoever.Legalactionwill betakenonanyonewhoviolatesourcopyrightownership.
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Preface
Afewyearsagobuildingyouronlinepokerbankrollwasaseasyastransferring moneyfromsitetositeandtakingadvantageoftheirsignupandmonthly bonuses.Newandestablishedplayerswereabletomakehundredsand sometimesthousandsofdollarsamonthextraplayingforthebonusdollars. Unfortunately,afteryearsofofferingbonuses,thepokersitesstartedusingother methodstodrawplayerstothetablesandthegenerousbonusesfadedaway. Thischangemadeitmoredifficultforplayerstoquicklybuildtheirbankrolland moveupinlimits. Fornewplayersandthosetryingtoreestablishtheirbankroll,movinguptothe higherlimitsnowtakeshoursandhoursofgrindingitoutatthelowerlimits.For casualplayers,thegrindwillmakeitsuchadifficulttasktomoveupinlimitsthat itcouldtakeaverylongtimetomoveup.Andatmostsites,therakeissohighat thelowerlimitsthatmostplayersenduplosingmoney. Luckily,manypokersiteshaveinstitutedanewpokerstructurethatallowsfor lowriskbankrollbuilding.Playersagainhaveasolidwaytoquicklybuildtheir bankrollandmoveupinlimits.

TheGame
ThegameisNoLimitHoldEmTurboDoubleorNothingSit&GoTournaments (hereafterreferredtoasDoNs).TheformatisdifferentfromstandardSit&Go tournamentsinthatinsteadofthetop3peoplemakingthemoney,thetop5 playersgetpaiddoubletheirbuyin(minustherake).Andwiththedifferent format,thereisadifferentstrategytowinthatmanyplayershavenotyetlearned oradaptedto.Thoseplayers,especiallyatthelowerlevels,sticktothestandard strategyofregularSit&GoTournamentsorevencashgameNLHE.By implementingsomechangestothosestrategiesyoucancrushthecompetition andbuildyourbankrolltoplaythegamesyoulove.
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WhatLevelShouldIPlay?
Thiswilldependonyourcurrentbankroll.Istartedwith$59andplayedthe$5 DoNtournaments.Therearelimitssmallerthanthisallthewaydownto$1 tournaments.Thegoalistogetuptothe$5tournamentsasquicklyaspossible. Therakefor$5tournamentsissmallcomparedtothelowerlimittournaments. Ifyoucaneasilyreplaceyourbankroll,thenIwouldtakeashotatthe$5 tournaments.Ifitsnotaseasytoreplaceyourbankroll,thenIwouldsuggest startingatthelowerlimits. Asyoucontinuetomoveup,youwanttomakesurethatyouhavemorepadding toyourbankroll,with30buyinsprobablybeingenoughofacushionand50buy insbeingverysafe.

KeyConcepts
Thisnextsectionwilldiscussthekeyconceptsyouneedtofollowinordertobe successfulinDoNtournaments.Aswithallformsofpoker,DoNsarenotstatic. Therewillbetimeswhenyouneedtoadjustinordertobesuccessful.Butifyou sticktothesekeyconceptsyouwillquicklybuildyourbankrollandmoveonto yourfavoritepokergames.

KeyConcept#1:TightPlay=WinningPlay
ThesinglebiggestmistakethataplayercanmakeinDoNtournamentsisplaying toomanyhands.Whilethisisparticularlyharmfulwhentheblindsgethigher,itis justasdamagingearlierinthetournament.Withfivepeoplegettingpaid,your chipshaveanincreasedvalue.Whileitisimportanttotryandbuildastackearly inthetournament,youaremuchbetteroffnotplayingmanyofthemarginal handsthatwouldbeplayedinothertypesofpokertournamentandcashgame situations.SuccessfulDoNplayerswillgenerallyplay8%11%ofthehandsthey aredealt.
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Preflophandselectionisnottheonlysituationwhereyouneedtoplaytighter.If youfindthatyouareonthedrawtoastraightorflush,puttingmorechipsinthe pothopingtohitthebighandmightnothavethepayoffyouwouldgetinother tournamentsorcashgames.Inmanycases,yourimpliedoddsareshotasplayers tightenuptheirplayinDoNtournamentsandwontbeaslikelytopayyouoffif yourflushorstraightcardhits.Sinceeachchipisworthmorethantheaverage tournamentorcashchip,bychasingthestraightsandflushesyouareriskingalot moretopotentiallywinalittle.Yourbestbetwhenyouhaveastraightorflush drawistoplayifyouknowyouropponentwillpayyouoff,orifyouhaveother featuresinthehandthatmakeitstrong(suchastoppair,orastraightandflush draw,etc.). TherearemanyplayersinDoNtournamentswhomarrythemselvestodrawing handsandendupspewingalotofchipsinanefforttohitthebighand.Dontfall intothattrap.Youwanttobeoneofthefiveremaining,andtherewillbebetter situationstogetyourchipsinthepot.

KeyConcept#2:ThereWillBeTimesWhenYouShouldFoldAA
Considerthis:SixplayersremaininaDoNtournamentatthe150/300blindlevel. Youhaveamidsizedstackwith2200chipsafterpostingthebigblind.Theshort stack,with500chips,foldsUTG.Everyonefoldstothesmallblindwhopushesall inwith2600chips.Youhaveapairofacesanddecidetocall,puttingyouallin. YousmilewhenyouseethesmallblindhasQT.Yoursmilequicklyfadeswhenthe flopcomes9JK.Theturnandriverdonthelpyouandyouareoutofthe tournamentin6thplace,mumblingunderyourbreathabouthowterriblepeople aretopushallinwithQT. Didthesmallblindmakeamistake?Yes,butnotasbigasyours.Iknowpocket aceslookgoodonthescreen,andIcanunderstandthealmostuncontrollable desiretoplaythematanyprice.Butthereisashortstackedplayerwhowillbein thebigblindnexthandandwillloseoverhalfofhisstackjustbyposting.With 2200chipsremainingyouarealmostguaranteedtomakethemoneyifyoujust

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foldtherestoftournament.Insteadyouareleftsteamingbecauseyoucouldnt getawayfromaces. Remember,youwillnotmakemoremoneythantheotherplayersifyouhave morechipsattheendofthetournament.Theplayer5thinchipsmakesthesame amountastheplayer1stinchips.Donttakechanceswhenyoudonthaveto,no matterhowstrongyourstartinghandis. Thisisoneofthemostdifficultconceptstounderstandformanyplayersnewto DoNtournaments.Therewillbesituationswhenyouneedtofoldpremiumhands toincreaseyourchancesofmakingitintothemoney.Thesesituationsoftenarise whentheshortstackhasfoldedandanotherplayerwithastackgreaterthan yourspushesallin.Whileyoumayhavetheadvantageinthathand,thereisstilla chanceyouwilllose.Itwouldbedevastatingforyoutolosethehandwhenyou mostlikelycouldhavefoldedandwaitedfortheshortstacktomakeamoveto doubleup. Thereareothersituationswherethisrulemaynotapply.Ifyouonlyhaveslight chipadvantageovertheshortstackandtheblindsarecomingup,playingyour strongerhandscouldputyouinagoodpositiontowinthetournament.Ifyou candoubleupneartheenditwillputincreasedpressureontheshortstackto makeamove.Thiswillputyouinaprimepositiontowinthetournament. Onanothernote,therearemanyhandsthatareconsideredstrongstartinghands inregulartournamentorcashgamesthatarenotasstronginDoNtournaments. HandssuchasQQandAQoftenneedtobeplayedcautiously,astherewillbe playerswhowillcalloffwithanaceorkinginanefforttodoubleuptheirstack. HandssuchasQQoftenshouldbeplayedforsetvalue,andAQshouldbefolded inearlypositionandplayedcautiouslyinotherpositionsifyoumeetany resistance.

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KeyConcept#3:AfterOnlyaFewLevels,YourDecisionsWillOften OnlyBePushorFold
TheDoNtournamentscouldeasilybecalledPushorFoldtournaments,asthereis littlepostflopplayinlaterroundsofthetournaments.Astheblindsincreaseyou shouldnotbethinkingintermsofpostflopplaybutintermsofwhenyoushould push,whenyoushouldcallanallin,andwhenyoushouldfold.Alotofthose decisionswillbedependentonthesizeofyourstack.Ifonebigbetis10%or moreofyourstack,youneedtostartlookingforsituationstostealordoubleup. Makingaminimumorhigherraisewillbeputtingyourstackindanger,andyou willmostlikelyhavetocallanallinraiseorpostflopbet,oryouwillbecrippled. Bypushingallin,youhaveabetterchanceofstealingtheblindsandincreasing yourstack. Ifthebigblindislessthan10%ofyourstack,youcancontinuewithraisingyour strongerhands3x4xthebigblind.Someofthelargerstackswillbelessinclined tocallortrytobullyyousinceyourstacksizecancausedamagetotheirown stack. Ifyouhaveamidsizedstack,thenyouwanttotightenupyourpreflophands considerably.Therewillbeopportunitiestostealblindsfromsmallerstacks,and youshouldtakeadvantageofthoseopportunitiesiftheypresentthemselves.The smallerstackswillbeinpush/foldmode,andyoushouldtakeadvantageoftheir increasedtightnesstostrengthenyourstack. Ifyoufollowtheadviceinthisbook,thentherewontbemanytimeswhenyou havealargerthannormalstack,butifyoudoitshouldbeplayedinthesame mannerasamidsizedstack.Rememberthatyourchipsaremuchmorevaluable thaninnormaltournaments,andyoushouldtakeadvantageofyourchipleadand notputyourselfinapositiontowhereyouhavetomakeanydifficultdecisions.

KeyConcept#4:StealsandResteals
Whenplayingtight,itsgoingtobemoredifficultforyoutobuildalargestackand coastintothemoney.Inordertoincreaseyourchancesofmakingthemoney,
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youwillneedtoworkonstealingandrestealingincertainsituations.Stealing referstoraisingtheblindsinthehopesthattheywillfoldandyougettheirchips (andatthehigherlevels,theantes).Youwanttostartstealingwhentheblinds areinthe50100level,whena3x4xtimesbigbetraisewilllowerthechanceof beingcalleddownbymarginalhands.Youwanttostealasmanyblindsasyoucan inordertokeepupwiththeincreasingblindsandantesoftheturbo tournaments. Yourrangeofhandswhentryingtostealcanbedeterminedbymanyfactors, includingyourstacksize,thestacksizesoftheplayersintheblinds,howlooseor tighttheplayersintheblindsare,andfinallyyourcards. Yourstacksize Theamountofchipsyouhaverelativetotheblindsisveryimportant.Ifyourstack sizeisonly3x4xthesizeofabigbet,thenyoushouldtotrytostealwithanytwo cardsifeveryonefoldstoyou.Itwonttakelongfortheblindstogettoyouagain, andwhentheydoitwillcrippleyourstack.Ifyouhaveachancetostealinthis position,goforit.Youcantsitandwaitforapremiumhand. Ifyouareinapositionwhereyourstackisstartingtodwindlebuttheblindswont crippleyouinthenextround,thenyoumightconsiderwaitinguntilyouhavea strongerhand.Anyaceorkingshouldbegoodenoughforastealattempt,aswell asanytwofacecardsorlowpocketpair. Ifyouhaveahealthychipstackandwontbeaffectedbytheblindsformany roundsofblinds,youcanholdoffonstealingunlessyouhaveastronghandor youhaveagoodreadonyouropponents.InDoNtournaments,mostplayers tightenupconsiderablyinthelaterroundsgivingyouampleopportunitiestosteal theblinds.Takethisintoconsideration,butdontgotobattlewithablindifyour handisnttoostrong.Ifyoumeetresistance,foldifyourcardscanttaketheheat. Stacksizesoftheplayersintheblinds Whenconsideringasteal,theplayersintheblindsshouldbetakeninto consideration.Ifaplayerhasbuiltupaverylargestack,youshouldbemore
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inclinedtowaitforyourstrongerhandstopush,asthelargerstackstendtohave loosercallingstandardsbecauseitwontcauseasmuchdamagetotheirchances ofwinning.Inthosecases,whenyouneedthechips,pushingwithanyaceorking isprobablythelowesthandsyouwanttopushwith. Ontheflipside,youwanttobecarefulwhentryingtostealfromshortstacks.Ifa shortstackisplacingaconsiderableamountoftheirstackinthepotaspartofthe bigorsmallblind,therewillbemanywhowillcallofftherestoftheirstackinthe hopeofdoublingupagainstsomeonetryingtosteal.Ihaveseensmallstackscall withhandssuchasTc4swhenintheblindastheywillnothavemuchofan opportunitytodoubleuplaterinthetournament.Besurethatyourstackcan sustainthehitifyouattempttostealagainstplayersinthesepositions. Stealingwhenyoumaynotwantto Youwillfindyourselfinsituationswhen6playersremaininthetournamentand youhaveaslightleadinchipsoverthe6thplacedplayertoyourleft.Everyone foldstoyouintheSBwith8d5h.Ifyoufoldthehandtheshortstackwillnowhave morechipsthanyou.Thisisasituationwhereyoumightbebetterraisingallin. Youneedtoputyourselfinagoodpositiontowinthetournament.Theonlyway todothatisaccumulateasmanychipsaspossible.Youdontwanttogivechips awaytotheshortstackifyoucanhelpit.Whileitmaynotbewhatyouwantto do,pushingallinwillputthepressureontheshortstackandincreaseyour chanceofmakingthemoney. Resteals Restealsarewhenyouareintheblindsandaplayeronthebuttonorinthesmall blindattemptstostealyourblinds.Therearemanyplayerswhotrytostealby raisingtheminimumintotheblinds.Playerswhodothisareoftennotinlovewith theirstartinghandbutfiguretheyneedtoaccumulatechips.Theseplayersoften cannotstandthepressureofareraiseallin,andwillfoldlookingforabetterspot. Takeadvantageoftheseplayerswhentheopportunitiespresentthemselvesand youwillfindyourselfwithaniceadditiontoyourstack.

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KeyConcept#5:TheEndgame
Thereareafewtipsyoushouldremembertohelpincreaseyourchancesof winningattheendofaDoNtournament. Ifaseverelyshortstackedplayergoesallinandhimlosingwillendthe tournament,thenyoushouldoftencall.Themoreplayersinthepotthelesslikely itwillbethattheallinplayerwillwin.Aftertheflop,itsimportantthatyou check.Itdoesntmatterifyouloveyourtoppairtopkicker,oryourthreeofa kind.Youwanttowinthetournament,andthebestwayforthattohappenisto checkthroughwiththeotherplayers. Considerthis:Theshortstackgoesallinanyouandtwootherplayerscall.The flopgivesyoutoppairandyoubet.Theothertwoplayersfold.Youreinthelead overtheshortstackthathasasmallerpair.Theturnisablankbuttherivergives theshortstacktwopair.Unknowntoyou,thatsamerivercardwouldhavegiven astraighttooneoftheplayersyouknockedoutwithyourbet.Youwouldkick yourselfifbybettingyouknockoutaplayerthatwouldhavewonthehandover theshortstack.Butsinceyoubetthetournamentcontinuesandyoumaybeata stackdisadvantage. Anothertipthatwasdiscussedinsomeoftheearlierconcepts,butisimportantto noteagain:DONTTAKERISKSWITHYOURCHIPSIFYOUHAVEAMIDTOLARGE STACK.Theresnoreasontotrybattlingwithanothermidsizedstackifthereisa shortstackedplayeratthetable.Yourgoalistomakeittothemoney,andif yourecomfortablewithchipsitdoesnotmakesensetogotowarwithanother midsizedstack.IcanttellyouhowmanytimesIhaveseentwoplayersgoat eachotherwhenthereisashortstackedplayerleftwithlessthanonebigblindof chipsremaining.Inevitablyoneofthoseplayerslosesandtheshortstackplayer makesthemoney.Unlessyouhavesomehangupaboutwinningatournament withonlyacertainamountofchips,thenconcentrateontheshortstacked player.Remember,1stand5thplacebothmakethesameamountofmoney.

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KeyConcept#6:Volume,Volume,Volume
BecauseoftheDoNtournamentformat,thereisanincreasedopportunitytoplay multipletournamentsatonce.Thisisoneofthemostimportantreasonswhythe DoNtournamentsaregoodforbuildingyourbankroll.Youarentplayingasmany handsasyounormallywouldandthereforehavelessdecisionstomake.In addition,sinceDoNtournamentsalmostalwaysenduppushorfoldtournaments inlaterblindlevels,youareabletoquicklymakeyourdecisionsandmoveonto thenexttable.Becauseofthesequickdecisions,yourabilitytoplaymoretables andmoretournamentsareveryimportant. Oneofthebestfeaturesofplayingmultipletournamentsatonceisthatyouoften dontgettoseethebadbeatsyoutake(andyes,therearesomecruelones).You aremakingdecisionsandmovingontothenexttables.Ifyoulose,youlose. Therearestillmanymoretournamentsgoingonthatyoucanwin.Whatsgreatis thattherearemanyawfulplayersintheDoNswhodonotunderstandthatthey havetoadjusttheirplayinordertobesuccessful.Andbecausetherearesomany awfulplayers,particularlyinthelowerlevels,youwillbeonthewinningendof thetournamentsmoreoftenthantakingthebadbeats. Howmanytournamentsshouldyouplayatonce?Itdepends.Asofthiswriting Implaying20tournamentsatatime.Ittakeslessthananhourtoplay20,and Imoftenabletofinish100150tournamentsaday(whenImtryingtoplayas manytournamentsasIcan).Iknowofplayerswhoplaymorethan20atatime, andmanywhoplayless.Ifindithardtobelievethatitstoodifficulttoplayless than10atonce.Isuggestplayingoneortwoatatimefollowingthetipsinthis booktogetthefeelforthegame,andthenslowlymovingupthenumberof tablesasyougetusedtothespeedofthegames.Someofthemoredifficultparts arewhenthetablesareonthebubble.Itcanbedifficulttoplaymanytableson thebubble,sostaggeringyourstarttimesmightbehelpfulaswell.Eitherway, makesureyouplayasmanytournamentsasyoucanatoncetomaximizeyour hourlyrateatthetablesandincreaseyourbankrollasquicklyaspossible.

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Note:YouwanttomakesurewhensigningupforDoNsthatyouchosetheTurbo tournaments.TheturbotournamentsfinishmuchfasterthanthestandardDoN tournamentswhichhelpsincreaseyourhourlyrates.

TheTournamentinPlay:BlindLevel,Position andStartingHandConsiderations
Asmentionedinthekeyconcepts,youneedtoplayverytightinDoNs.Thisistrue throughoutthetournament,buttherearesomechangesthatoccurastheblinds increase.Thefollowingaresometipsonhowtohandlethedifferentblindlevels tomaximizeyourchancesofmakingitintothemoney. Ifyouhaveamidtolargesizedstackastheblindsincrease,youareinasituation whereyoucancontinuetoplayverytight.Youdonthavetotaketoomany chancesandyoudonthavetoriskyourchipsonstealopportunities.Ifyouhave strongcardsthenyoushouldplaythemassuch.Butyourpreflophandselection shouldremainverytight,andyoushouldbefoldingmany,manyhands.

EarlyBlindLevels:Upto25/50
IntheearlypartsoftheDoNtournamentsyouarehopingtobuildupanicesized stackthatyoucancoastintothemoneywith.Unfortunately,thisdoesnot happenveryoftenasyourenottakingmanyrisks.Butthereareopportunitiesto increaseyourstacksize.Manyofthestrongerhandsplaythemselves.AAandKK arepremiumhandsandshouldberaised3x4xBBfromanyposition.Ifthereisa raiseinfrontofyouthenyouwanttoraiseitupmore.Thegoalistogetasmany chipsasyoucanintothepot. Allotherpairsshouldbeconsideredforalimpfromearlypositionasyouare hopingtohitaset,thoughyoucouldmixitupwithsomeraiseswithQQ.But remember:manyplayersaregoingtocallraiseswithmarginalhands.YourQQ maylookgoodwhenfirstdealttoyou,butitsgoingtolookprettylousywhenan aceorkingflops.Donttaketomanyrisksandyouwillbefine.
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Thereareotherhandsthatlookgoodbutcanoftenputyourchipsindanger,such asAQATandmanyfacecards.Idontknowthatyouwouldbelosingmuchifyou foldthesefromearlypositionallofthetimeintheearlyrounds. Considerthis:YouareUTGinaDoNtournamentwith15/30blindsandaredealt AcQh.Youmakea3xBBraise.Aplayerinmiddlepositionraisesto300andyou call.Yourenowintothehandfor300chips.Anacecomesdownontheflopand youbet.Theplayerraisesallin.Whatdoyoudointhisposition?Itlookslikethe playermayhaveAKorAA.Theycouldhaveabetterorworsehand,butifyou didntputyourselfinthispositionyouwouldnthavetoworrysomuchabout whereyouareinthehand.Ifyoumakethecallyoumaybeoutofthe tournament.Ifyoufoldyourstacktakesabighit.Dontputyourselfinmarginal situationsandyouwontbegamblingwithyourtournamentlife.

MidLevelBlinds:Upto125/250
ThoughIrefertothisasthemidlevelblinds,therewillbemanyinstanceswhen thetournamentsendattheselevels.Becauseofthat,youshouldbeactively lookingathowmanyplayersremainandyourstacksizeinrelationtotheamount ofplayersremaining.Thissectionwillbesplitaccordingtohowmanyplayers remaininthetournaments. 910PlayersRemaining Thoughitistheexceptionratherthantherule,thereareinstanceswhenthere arestillthismanyplayersremainingatthisblindlevel.Ifthatisthecase,you probablyhavenotbuiltmuchofastackandshouldbeinfullstealmode.There aregoingtobealotofdesperateplayersattheselevelsandyoushouldbecareful withyourpushingandfoldingpreflophandvalues.Ifyouhavetheopportunityto stealyoushouldtakeit.Becarefulofpushingallinwithasmallpocketpairsin earlyposition.Unfortunately,withthismanyremainingthereseemstobelooser callingstandardsfromplayershopingtodoubleup.Chooseyourpositionstosteal andcallallinbetsfromotherplayers.Therewontbethismanyplayersremaining formuchlonger,andafteracouplehavegoneyouwillhavemuchbetter opportunitiestostealtheblinds.
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78PlayersRemaining With78playersremaining,youhaveagoodopportunitytostealblindsand increasethesizeofyourstack.Youhavetobediligentinstealingwhenthe opportunitiesariseastheblindscomearoundquickerandputabiggerhitonyour stack.Ifyouareshortstacked,youneedtotakeadvantageofanyopportunity youhave.Ifyourstackdwindlestoomuchyoumaybeleftwithasituationwhere youwontbeabletosuccessfullystealasyourallinbetwillnotcausemuch dangertoalargerstack.Takenoticeofyourchipsizeinrelationtootherplayers. Ifthereare7playersremainingandtherearetwoplayerswithlessthan1000 chips,youcantightenupyourstealingrangemorethanifyouareoneofthe playerswithlessthan1000chips.Becareful,however,thatyourstackdoesnt dwindletoomuch.Ifyouarepresentedwithagoodstealingopportunityyou shouldtakeit. 6PlayersRemaining With6playersleftyourgoalistomakesurethatyouhaveasmanychipsasyou canget.Ifyouaretheshortstackatthetable,youmusttakeanyopportunityto stealtheblinds,evenifthatmeanspushingallinfromUTG.Youneedtomake sureyouarepushinghandswithasmanychipsasyoucaninrelationtotheblinds asyouwanttomakesurethatyourpushwillknockpeopleoutofthehand.The blindswillbetakingalargeamountofyourstackandyouwanttomakesurethat youhaveenoughfoldequitywithyourremainingchips.Youwilloftenbeina situationwhereyouwillpushwithanyfacecard.Ifyouareinthebigblindonthe nexthandanditwillseverelycrippleyou,pushingwithanytwocardsisthebest courseofaction.Yes,thereisachancethatyouwillgetcalledandthattheother playerwillhaveabetterhandthenyou.Butitdoesntmatterbecauseifyoudont pushnowyouwillbealmostoutofchipsduetotheblindsanyway,andyouwill havenofoldequityifyouattemptastealaftertheblinds. Anexceptiontothisiswhenyouandanotherplayerhaveequalchipstacks.If thatsthecasethenyouhavealittlemorelatitudewhendecidingtomakeasteal. Bothplayersareinthesamepositionanditispossiblethathewillwaitforyouto
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makeamovebeforedoinganythinghimself.Ifyouareinapositiontoput pressureonhimdoit,especiallyifyouhaveaaceorkinginhand.Theplayerwill oftenfoldandyouwillbeinpositiontowinthetournament.

LateBlindLevels:150/300andAbove
Whentheblindsincreasetothislevelandyouareashortstackplayer,youhave littletimetomakeamove.Theblindsaresohighthatyoudonthavemany chancestoaddtoyourchipstack.Stealwhenitispossibleandpickontheother shorttomidsizedstackswhenyoucan.Inmostcaseswhenyouraiseallinyou willonlybecalledbyplayerswhohaveaverystronghand,whichisntthecaseas oftenasitmayseem.

BeatingYouOvertheHead:ASummary
Iknowthebookseemslikealotofrepetition,butitsimportanttoknowthatin DoNtournamentsextremelytightplayputsyouinthebestpositiontowin.After afewtournamentsyouwillseehowpoormanyoftheplayersare,andhowmany putthemselvesatunnecessaryriskwithmarginalhands(orevenstrongstarting hands).Theplayissometimesroboticattimes,asyouarefoldingalmostallof yourhands,butifyoustayoutofmarginalsituationsyouwillbeawinner. Anotherconceptthatwasrepeatedregularlywasstealing.Youmustbewillingto attemptstealsinordertobesuccessfulinDoNtournaments.Ifyouputyourselfin therightsituationsyouwillbeabletostealwithsuccessandaccumulatethechips youneedtowinthetournament.

AftertheTournaments:ConsiderationsfortheFuture
Aswithmostformsofpoker,thecompetitionisharderasyoumoveupinlimits. WhiletheadviceinthisbookisgearedtowardthelowerstakesDoN tournaments,muchoftheadviceappliestothehigherstakestournamentsas
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well.Thereare,however,moreplayerswhounderstandthebasicconceptsat theselevelsandwhoknowhowtomaximizetheirprofitsinthesetournaments.If youreachyourbankrollgoals,congratulations!Gooffandenjoyyourfavorite formofpoker,andgoodluck. IfyouwanttocontinueplayingtheDoNsandmoveupinstakesthentakeitslow. Thelevelofplaydoesincreaseasthebuyinincreases.Iwouldsuggestthrowing inoneortwoofthehigherstakesgamesasapartofyourregularset,orplaya shortsetofjustthehigherstakegamestogetafeelfortheplay.Ifyoufeel comfortablethenyoushouldeasilybeabletomoveupandadapttothetougher play.Ifyoureuncomfortablethenenjoyplayingthesmallerstakestournaments andenjoyingyourlowvariancemoney.Goodluck!

TheBankrollBuilderPrimer:PracticeHands
Asmentionedearlierinthebook,astheblindsincreaseinDoNtournamentsthe gamebecomesmoreofapush/folddecision.Therearentmanyinstanceswhere youwillhavetoplaypostflop.Itcanbedifficulttogetintothemindsetofplaying inthatform,aswellasgettinginthemindsetofplayingtighterinthese tournaments.Thefollowingquizwillhelpyougetinthepropermindsetandhelp youonyourwaytobecomingawinningDoNtournamentplayer. TenplayersremainatthebeginningofaDoNtournamentwiththeblindsat 15/30.YouareUTG+2with1470chipsandaredealt6h6s.UTGlimpsandUTG+1 folds.Whatdoyoudo? Answer:Call.Youareearlyinthetournamentandhopingtobuildyourstacka littlebyhittingaset.Ifyoudonthityoucangetawayfromthehandandonlylost asmalldentinyourchips. Youcallwith6h6s.MP1callsandMP2raisesto90.Thereare4foldsandtheBB andUTGcalls.Thereis345inthepot.Whatdoyoudo?

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Answer:Call.Thesituationhasntchangedtoomuchfromthelasthand.There aremultiplepeopleinthepotandyouhavetheopportunitytowinanicepotif youhityourset.Whileyouwanttobecarefulnottoletyourstackdwindleearly intournaments,tryingtohitasetearlyinatournamentisalmostalwaysagood situation.However,Iprobablywouldntputcallaraiseofanymorethan100chips totryandhitaset. ItsthefirsthandofaDoNtournamentandyouareUTGwithTcTd.Whatdo youdo? Answer:Call.IntheearlystagesofaDoNtournamentyouwanttoplaymost pocketpairsforsetvalue.ThisincludesTTandJJ,andyouprobablywouldntbe makingamistakebyplayingQQthesameway.Mostplayerswontbackdown froma3x4xraiseofthebigbetearlyinatournament.Youwanttoplaytight early,andthatmeansnotraisingsomeofthehandsyoumightraiseinnormal tournamentsorcashgames. YouareinMP2atthebeginningofaDoNtournamentwith10playersremaining andtheblindsat10/20.YouaredealtQhQc.Everyonefoldstoyou,andyou raiseto60.Twomorefoldsandthebuttonraisesto300.Theblindsfoldandits 240chipstocall.Whatdoyoudo? Answer:Fold.Youdontwanttoriskyourchipsthisearlyinthetournamentby reraising,andacallcanputyouinastickysituationaftertheflopifakingorace drops.Youwilloftenbebehindbeforethefloporatbestaslightfavorite.There willbebetterpositionstoriskyourchips.Noneedtorisktoomuchbeforethe flop. Sevenplayersremainwiththeblindsat125/250andanteat25.Youarethe shortstackintheSBwith1205chipsandaredealtAc4h.Everyonefoldstoyou. Thebigblindissecondshortstackwith1495.Whatdoyoudo? Answer:Push.Youareoftenaheadwiththishandandyouneedtoaccumulate chips.TheBBisgoingtotrytoconserveasmanychipsaspossibleandwilllikely

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notcallunlesshehasaverystronghand.Therearefewbettersituationstoraise allinthanthisone. Sixplayersremaininthetournamentwiththeblindsat150/300andantesat 30.TheshortstackisintheCOwith125chips.Youareonthebuttonwith1460 chips.Thebigblindhas690chipsbeforepostingtheblindandante.Youare dealtAsAd.UTGfoldsandMP1pushesallinwith7115chips.Whatdoyoudo? Answer:Thisisasituationwhereitisaclearfold.Youraceslookverynice,but therearetwoseverelyshortstackedplayerswhoneedtomakeamovesoonor theyareoutofthetournament.Youonlyneedoneofthemtoloseinorderto makethemoney.Iftheblindscomearoundtoyouagainyouwillstillnotbein dangeroflosingthetournament.Foldthishandandlettheshortstackedplayers trytomakeamoveandmakeitintothemoney. Sevenplayersremaininatournamentwiththeblindsat75/150and15antes. Therearetwoshortstackswithlessthan1000chips,oneofwhichisinthesmall blind.EveryonefoldstotheSBwhopusheshisremaining800chips.Youhave AcAh.Whatdoyoudo? Answer:Call.Thissituationisalittledifferentthantheprevioushand.While foldingbighandsisanecessityincertainsituations,thereareothersituations whenyouneedtoplaythosebighands.Inthishand,theSBisonasteal.Ifyou loseyouwillbeoneoftheshortstacks,butthereisabetterchancethatyouhave theSBshandcrushed.Andifyouwinyoucancruiseintothemoney. Sixplayersremaininthetournamentat150/300blindsand30antes.Youare theshortstackwith1615inthebigblind.Everyonefoldstothesmallblindwho has2265.TheSBraisesto600.YouholdAs7c.Whatdoyoudo? Answer:Push.Theminimumraisebythesmallblindscreamsastealattempt.You haveadecentstartinghandandprobablyabetteronethantheSB.TheSBknows thatifhecallsandloseshewillbeseverelyshortstacked.Putthepressureonhim tomakeadecisionwithasignificantamountofhisstack.

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TheOnlinePokerBankrollBuilder

Sixplayersremainwiththeblindsat150/300with30antes.Theshortstackis UTGwith400chipsandpushesallin.Youarenextwith2250chipsandholding Tc6s.Whatdoyoudo? Answer:Call.Thisisasituationwhere,iftheblindsandothermidstackedplayers arepayingattention,everyonewillcall.Itisonly100chipsmorethancallingabig bet,andthereisagoodchancewithsomanypeoplecallingthattheshortstack willlosethehand.Callknowingthatattheveryleastthebigblindwillcallalong. Aftercallingyoushouldchecktotheriver.Evenifbychancetheshortstackwins youstillhaveadecentstackandagoodchanceatmakingthemoney.

ToolstoHelpYouAlong
PokerTrackerorTourneyManager Thesearebothtournamenttrackingprogramsthatwillimportallofyourhand historiesandtournamentsummariesandpresentyouwithyourplayingstatsand thestatsofyouropponents.Theywillalsotrackyourwinrate.Itsgoodtoreview yourplayandreplayhandsorsituationsthatmayhavebeenunsureaboutinthe midstofatournament. TheinevitablequestionisWhichprogramisbetter?AsofthiswritingIuse PokerTracker.IhaventhadtheopportunitytocheckoutTourneyManageryet buthavereadthatitisanexcellentprogram.Bothprogramsofferafreetrial,soI wouldtestbothandfindwhichworksbestforyou. PokerTracker:http://www.pokertracker.com/ TourneyManager:http://www.tourneymanager.net/ SitNGoWizard SitNGoWizard(SNGWiz)isprobablythemostimportantinvestmentyoucould evermake(besidesthisebookofcourse!)SNGWizissoftwarethancanhelpteach youwhentopushandwhentofoldinSNGendgamesituations.Inmyopinion SNGWizisanabsolutenecessityforanyonewhoplaysSNGsonaregularbasis
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TheOnlinePokerBankrollBuilder

regardlessofskilllevel.YoucanuseSNGWiztoreviewhandhistoriestosee whereyouwentwrong(orright).YoucanalsouseSNGWizinquizmodeandthe programwillquizyouonaninfinitenumberofbubblesituationsandyouchoose whethertopushorfold.Theprogramimmediatelytellsyouwhetheryouwere rightorwrongandthatinstantaneousfeedbackisinvaluableinshorteningthe learningcurve. YoucanreadmyfullreviewofSNGWizonmywebsite,oryoucangodirectlyto theSNGWizwebsitetopickupaFREE30daytrialversion. MultiTableHelpers IplayalmostexclusivelyonPokerStars.TherehavebeenafewdifferentAHK scriptsandprogramsdevelopedtomakemultitablingtournamentseasier.Check outhttp://overcards.com/wiki/moin.cgitofindalistofmanyapplicationsuseful tomultitablers. TheOnlinePokerBankrollBuilder.comBlog Iwillcontinuetoposthanddiscussionsontheblogandothertopicsofinterest relatedtoDoNtournaments.Ifyouhaveatopicyoudliketodiscussorquestions aboutcertainhandssendmeanemailateric@onlinepokerbankrollbuilder.com.

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