Is Flip & Go Renewal an improvement?
Barry Carter is a Flip & Go fan, but does he like the new revamped version of the format?
This week GGPoker launched a revamped version of Flip & Go which they call Flip & Go Renewal.
Instead of being every 30 minutes, the tournaments are every hour on the hour. However, you can play several Flip stages leading up to that, one every five minutes. Much like a phase tournament with several Day 1s.
If you win the Flip stage you can play the further stages and any other ones you win will see the chips you win added to your eventual stack in Stage 2. You can only buy five entries per each flip stage, where it was eight in the old version.
Flip & Go is one of my favourite formats specifically because I like playing end game poker and I love short formats, so I had a vested interest in this one.
It favours deeper pockets now?
The fact is that this new format ensures that the prize pools are much bigger and also the chips vary more, making it more like a regular MTT. The $3 Flips for example previously would have about nine players in Stage 2 and $200 up top, but so far in this new version it's more like 30 players in Stage 2 and $600 up top.
I certainly found that a lot more exciting and this was probably the vision they had for Flip & Go from the start. Previously it felt more like an SNG than a tournament but now it really feels like you have been parachuted into the end of a regular MTT.
It has changed the flip stage considerably and favours players with deep pockets. It is advantageous to play and win several flips to get a big stack in Stage 2. In theory you could play five buy-ins eight times before Stage 2, compared to eight buy-ins once. In practice it seems most people don't add to their stack after winning a flip stage and if you stick to that as a buy-in strategy you will be in profit from the start of Stage 2.
Much more time added
I was concerned, however, that they had messed up one of my favourite formats. I love Flip & Go because it is quick, I can fire one up and get to the end game right away.
Multiple flip stages essentially adds an hour onto the tournament at one end and considerably increases the length of Stage 2. However, if you only buy in at the final flip stage that does decrease the extra time by quite a margin. They did only have two Flip & Go's an hour prior to this so I am perhaps being over sensitive to a small change.
It remains a fast, fun and I believe profitable format and I am probably in the minority being concerned about the extra time added.
Do you like this change to the format? Let us know in the comments:
