Tag Archives: flip

4 Tips to Winning Double or Nothing Tournaments

Double or nothing tournaments are much different than normal poker tournaments because they have a very unique payout structure. In a double or nothing tournament half of the players in the field double their buy-in and half lose theirs. The fact that so many players cash combined with the fact that there is no difference in prize amount between first place and the last casher means the strategy for these tournaments is very unique.

Tip 1 – Play Tight in the Early Stages of the Tourney At this stage of a double or nothing tournament you want to play very tight and only play big hands. The less experienced double or nothing players will likely be playing a lot of hands and you want to let them. If you do find a good hand you should play it aggressively in order to keep from allowing your opponent to suck out on you.

Tip 2 – Maintain Your Stack through the Middle Stages In the middle stages of a double or nothing tournament the blinds will start to increase and you will need to steal blinds on occasion to maintain your stack size. You can’t have your stack getting too small at this stage because you want it to carry you through the later levels.

Tip 3 – Survive the Late Stages In the late stages you should just be focussing on surviving. At this point there will be about two-thirds of the field remaining which means there will only be a few more busts before you cash. If you have a big stack at this stage you should just hold onto it and not risk any chips when you don’t need to. If you have a short stack you will want to compare your stack size to the other short stacks and if you are in a non-cash position you should get aggressive and try to gain some chips. If you need to get aggressive you should try to use your position to your advantage and you should also attack the blinds of the medium sized stacks. These players with about an average stack at this point will be wanting to fold their way into the money and you can take advantage of this by stealing their blinds.

Tip 4 – Avoid Coin Flips in the Early Stages In double or nothing tournaments it is best to avoid coin flips in the early stages because they are negative expected value. This is simply because if you lose the coin flip you’re out of the tourney and you lose the buy-in, whereas if you manage to win the coin flip you just have double the amount of chips and you aren’t even guaranteed to cash. This theory holds true only because the top prize you can win is only double your buy-in and by winning the 50% coin flip you haven’t even guaranteed yourself this cash.

Double or nothing tournaments are a grind and once the non-experienced players go out in the early rounds it all comes down to who can best adjust in the late stages and get the cards when they are needed.

Trends in Casino Gambling – Always Follow the Trend

We all know when you flip a coin the chances of hitting either heads or tails is 50/50, and yet we also realize that this does not mean that once you have flipped “heads” then the next flip has to come “tails.” This is because each flip is independent of previous flips, and previous flips have no bearing on future events. This means that if you manage to flip 100 heads in a row, the chances of the next coin coming heads is still 50/50. Since this is the case, we can look around us and see trends taking place. We don’t know why they happen, or how long they will last. But what we do know for sure is: Trends happen.

If you’ve ever been to a casino then you have surely witnessed a trend take place. Perhaps it was at the craps table with a hot shooter, hitting one point number after the other. Or maybe it was at the roulette table when you saw 10 red numbers in a row. Trends can be a very good thing or a very bad thing depending on what side of the bet you are on. Most professional gamblers will tell you to always look for and follow the trends, never bet against them. That means if you walk up to a roulette table and see that the last 10 numbers were all red, don’t think to yourself: “Oh look, 10 red numbers in a row, black is due soon.” Remember that each even is independent, and instead think to yourself: “Oh look, a trend is taking place, let’s get on and ride this trend out until it dies!”

Most people don’t think this way, and it’s the main reason casinos put up the “Spin History” boards at all their roulette tables. It causes people to bet against the trends instead of with them, and casinos have seen their profits at the roulette tables skyrocket as a result. A hot trend is a casino’s worst nightmare. For this reason try to remember to always try to spot trends and take advantage of them. You can do this by doing what is called “charting” the tables. Instead of jumping right into a game and hoping for the best, chart the tables until you think you’ve spotted a hot trend starting. Also, make sure you have an accurate knowledge of the game you are playing, so that you know the proper bets to make in order to take full advantage of the trend.

Be careful, though. Don’t forget about the most important aspect of gambling: Discipline. Spotting a trend and getting in on it is one thing. Recognizing that a trend has ended and it’s time to get out is quite another. Many people find it extremely hard to walk away from the table while they are ahead, or even behind for that matter. You need to set win goals and loss limits. It is better to walk away from the table with some money than it is to walk away flat broke. Remember to never chase your losses!

Following the trends is one of the things that makes professional gambling possible. Just remember that many other factors are involved when applying this simple concept. Chart the tables in the casino and find your trend. Learn proper betting habits at each particular game so that you are able to take advantage of the trend. Remember to walk away when the trend has ended by practicing discipline and smart money management. Good luck at the tables!