DON - a bankroll security?

[Alpine021]

OK as we know these are new to me but picked them up pretty fast. After falling out with Full Tilt due to losing 70% 30% hands over and over for months I've tried Pokerstars.

Well as for these DONs they seem to be very safe for bankroll building. The variance seems to be really low or am I just having a good run? Basically I've been registered with Pokerstars just over a week and for the last 5 or 6 days purely played $20 DONs am like just under $400 up - looking good on Sharkscope!

I'm going with a few other players to the WSOP in June to play a $1500 NHLE event and was wondering if these are better (again due to the variance factor) to build up a bankroll with as I want to pay for the event purely from my bankroll?

Also are they harder if you move up? Nakamura?

I wasn't exactly happy that the next step up from $20 was $50 - are these much harder?

I did have my bankroll for Vegas sorted on FT but blew it drunk after a massive tilt. I can take losing races but if my KK gets beat by AJ one more time my laptop might fly through the window so I tried Stars.

Any suggestions? They definitely seem "safer" than normal 9 man SnGs?

[Nakamura]

Well, I've played the $20's a bit, but not the $50's. Basically my connection is like super-laggy and drops a lot. I'm comfortable risking $200 at once, but not comfortable risking $500 at once, so I've gone down the route of adding more tables and somewhat diluting my risk.

I can say that the $20's are a bit harder than the 10's, so expect the $50's to be even harder. I don't know how many tables you run at once, but maintaining anything over 10% is difficult.

While they should be lower variance than 9-mans, there is still considerable variance. Check out this thread http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...er-t90557.html. By the sounds of things, you are on a burner ... be careful. I've run like sideways at $10.40's for 1000 games (again), which is annoying but perfectly within acceptable variance thresholds.

[Alpine021]

Yeah it's too much of a jump to $50 even if they were the same standard.

I usually play 4 tables. I've never been a big fan of multi tabling as think it helps a lot to know how agressive the 2 to my right are and how tight or passive the 2 to my left are which I can do with all 4 tables visible. I don't care so much about who the table captain is because as you mentioned in ur guide I don't want too many decisions to go past the flop.

I've also noticed that quite often one of the 2 players to my left practically never defends his blinds (quite correctly I think as I do the same i.e. folding quite decent hands to a push) so I can often regain my blind back from him by shoving the better marginal hands.

This works particulary well if he is BB when I'm on the button as if the SB wakes up with a tempting hand he'll be unsure what the BB will do and obviously can't re-raise as I've offered him no fold equity by shoving.

this is obviously for the higher blinds as you can pretty much just sit pretty when it's early. I just think that in these games when blinds start to get big keeping your head above water is really important whereas in a standard SNG you might be trying to accumulate chips to put you in a position to go for the win.

As for variance I do think it's less for a few reasons... Decent players should rarely be going out first or second unless 2 big hands clash so realistically you only have to "outlast" 3 more players where as in a SNG you have to actually beat them to win or come second.

Secondly I've noticed a lot (if not most in the ones I've played) of the players are playing these as they would play a standard SnG.

For example I don't chase anything but the strongest draws yet I constantly see people committing all their chips as they just can't bear to lay down their OEST or FD. Don't get me wrong if they put their opponet all in with these draws then that can be a nice play but at these stakes it's not suprising to see these moves called down by TP average kicker which tend to hold up so they think it's a good call.

I'd be prepared to bust out 1st if on the flop I had the open ender, flush draw and maybe an over card but that's about it.

I also see some1 raising early on with say 1010 or AK only to get -reraised AI and insta call whereas I would fold. These are about survival.