According to a statement published yesterday on 2+2, PokerStars discontinues one of their most popular formats, the Double or Nothing Sit &Go tournament, effective February 15, 2011. However, an improved version of the game type takes its place, the Fifty50 Sit & Go, which shares many of the attributes of the DoN SnG:
“• Half of the players who enter the tournament receive a payout
• The tournament ends when half of the players remain
• There is no shorthanded play
• They end quickly
• They have low rake”
The main difference from the previous format lies in the payout structure. That is, “only half of the prize pool is distributed evenly amongst the top half of finishers. The other half is distributed based on chip count, with each chip having an equal value,” as the statement says. This means players will be encouraged to do “care about the size of their chip stack.” Admittedly, besides making “the Fifty50s a more skilful and, to many, more interesting format,” this change helps lower the temptation of collusion, which has been a serious problem of late at the room. As they state, “the Fifty50 format is an improvement over the Double or Nothing format in this regard as there is always a cost for a player to make a decision that doesn’t maximize the size of their own chip stack.”
Moreover, changes are made in the rake structure as well. Although rake will be higher for Turbo Fifty50s than it was for their DoN counterparts, it will be considerably lower for normal speed games than it was for normal Double or Nothings. PokerStars also promises changes for all SnG tournaments which are expected to include the balancing of rakes, especially compared to industry standards.
You can read the whole announcement at 2+2 here.
“• Half of the players who enter the tournament receive a payout
• The tournament ends when half of the players remain
• There is no shorthanded play
• They end quickly
• They have low rake”
The main difference from the previous format lies in the payout structure. That is, “only half of the prize pool is distributed evenly amongst the top half of finishers. The other half is distributed based on chip count, with each chip having an equal value,” as the statement says. This means players will be encouraged to do “care about the size of their chip stack.” Admittedly, besides making “the Fifty50s a more skilful and, to many, more interesting format,” this change helps lower the temptation of collusion, which has been a serious problem of late at the room. As they state, “the Fifty50 format is an improvement over the Double or Nothing format in this regard as there is always a cost for a player to make a decision that doesn’t maximize the size of their own chip stack.”
Moreover, changes are made in the rake structure as well. Although rake will be higher for Turbo Fifty50s than it was for their DoN counterparts, it will be considerably lower for normal speed games than it was for normal Double or Nothings. PokerStars also promises changes for all SnG tournaments which are expected to include the balancing of rakes, especially compared to industry standards.
You can read the whole announcement at 2+2 here.
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