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| $12 Turbo 180-player SNGs at Poker Stars |
In late 2007, Poker Stars, the largest online poker site, introduced what would become one of the largest volume tournaments online. The $11+1 turbo speed, 180 player sit and go tournaments are simply an online tournament poker phenomenon.
The Details
The tournaments are 180-player sit and gos. As with all sit and go tournaments, there is no fixed starting time. As soon as exactly 180 players have registered, all are seated and the game starts one minute later. Tables are nine-handed, so there are 20 tables to start. Players start with a standard 1500 chips, and the blinds follow their usual Poker Stars progression at 10/20, then 15/30, et cetera.
The most immediate difference players will notice is the speed that the blinds increase. Blind intervals here are 5 minutes, versus 10, 15, or even more in non-turbo Poker Stars tournaments. Antes kick in on the seventh level (the 31st minute), and the pots become huge preflop.
The $12 buy-in consists of $11 for the prize pool and $1 kept by the site as the rake, or administrative fee. This is already a small bargain, as the entry fee is only 9% of the buy in, versus 10% for most online poker tournaments. (Most turbo-speed tournaments at Poker Stars feature a reduced rake).
Payouts go to the top 18 players. Places ten through eighteen receive a flat $23.76, not quite double the buy-in, and the prizes increase rapidly from there. The top three spots receive a whopping 61% of the prize pool, and first place gets $594, a nice 4750% return on investment for the winner.
Reasons to Play
These multi-table sit and go tournaments are extremely popular for several reasons:
Size of Field. The 180 player field makes for a nice sweet spot between 1-, 2-, or 5-table sit and gos, and huge field multi table tournaments. Overcoming very large fields requires a tremendous amount of luck (in the short term) for even the very best players.
Buy In. The $12 cost also hits a great sweet spot for online poker players. While large enough to offer decent prizes, it is also small enough that many players with even small bankrolls can take a shot at these.
Time of Play. These tournaments rarely last more than two hours. Many players would love to play more online MTTs, but often cannot make the time commitment of several hours.
Speed of Tournament Field Becoming Fully Registered. One thing that sit and go players are painfully aware of is the occasional forever wait for a game to fill up (especially at higher limits). That is definitely not a problem with the $12/180s. During peak times, these often fill every four minutes. This may be a chicken and egg situation. Whether they fill up because they're popular, or they're popular because they fill up so quickly is impossible to tell. Either way, it is possible to play many of them in one session.
Strategy Considerations
Play fast and loose. That's all there really is to say. If a player sits back and waits for premium hands, they will be blinded into submission in no time. By the time the antes kick in, the average stack is usually six times the starting pot. If you haven't played a hand by this point, even a double up won't do you much good.
These tournaments are best for aggressive players. Although aggressive play means more variance, it is the only way to accumulate enough chips to have a shot at one of the top three spots, and winning one of those will fund a lot of future buy ins.
Join Poker Stars today and give this strategy a try!
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Disclaimer:
People from thousands of jurisdictions access the internet. It is impossible for us to stay current with the laws of every jurisdiction. Please make sure that any activities you engage in online are legal where you live.
We have reason to believe that it may be illegal to gamble online in: Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Michigan, New York, New Jersey and Wisconsin. If you live in one of these states, we advise you NOT to gamble online. |
Poker News Today.com © 2007 Reverse Implied Odds
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