Worked Double Up Sit & Go Decision Scenarios

Scenario 1: medium stack with a micro-stack alive

Assumptions: 4 players remain, 3 paid equally. Stacks: 24 BB / 12 BB (you) / 5 BB / 2 BB. You face a covering shove from the leader.

Decision lesson: Your 12 BB stack already sits well ahead of two opponents. A marginal chip-EV call risks turning strong survival equity into immediate elimination while the 2 BB stack is likely to face forced action soon. This is a classic high-risk-premium spot.

Scenario 2: you are the 5 BB short stack

Assumptions: 4 remain, 3 paid. Stacks: 24 / 13 / 11 / 5 BB (you). Action folds to you on the button.

Decision lesson: Waiting has a real cost because you are clearly shortest. The medium stacks may be constrained by the consequence of calling and losing. A shove can therefore create fold equity even though you are the player most at risk.

Scenario 3: change one opponent to 1 BB

Assumptions: Same as Scenario 2, except another opponent has 1 BB and you have 7 BB.

Decision lesson: Your urgency falls sharply because someone else is under more immediate blind pressure. The existence of the micro-stack can make a fold much more valuable than it was in the previous setup.

Scenario 4: big stack faces short-stack shove

Assumptions: Stacks 30 / 12 / 8 / 4 BB. The 4 BB player shoves into your big blind.

Decision lesson: You cover everyone and can survive a loss, so your risk premium is lower than a medium stack's. But calling with any two cards is still not justified automatically: doubling the short stack can compress the table and reduce your cushion.

Scenario 5: equal stacks on the bubble

Assumptions: Four remain, three paid, all around 10 BB.

Decision lesson: Nobody has the luxury provided by a micro-stack. Blind pressure is symmetric and everyone risks becoming shortest. More active stealing and carefully chosen all-ins can become necessary compared with a table where one player is nearly eliminated.

What to write down after each game

• Stacks when the bubble began.
• Which player was about to post the largest forced bet.
• Any shove/call decision that risked tournament life.
• What you believed the opponent's range was.
• Whether your decision was based on chip gain or survival equity.

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