The Complete Guide to PokerStars Spin and Go Poker (2024)
February 17, 2024 Matthew Pitt
Senior Editor Calum Grant Editor & 💯 Live Reporter
The excitement around Spin and Go
tournaments has never died down since making their debut at PokerStars in 2014. 💯 Spin &
Go games attract recreational and professional poker players in equal measure thanks to
the jackpot element, making it 💯 possible for players to turn a relatively small buy-in
into a payout worth up toR$1 million, thanks to the prize 💯 pool multiplier, and do so in
a matter of minutes.
What is Spin and Go Poker?
Spin and Go tournaments are a
💯 sit-and-go variant with no set start time, with each game starting as soon as enough
players have bought in. A 💯 typical Spin & Go at PokerStars has three players, although
the Spin & Go Max Hold'em has up to eight; 💯 more on that twist soon!
The so-called
"jackpot sit and go" format first appeared online at Winamax in July 2013 under 💯 the
name Expresso. Their popularity resulted in other online poker sites and networks
creating versions of these lottery tournaments. The 💯 iPoker Network launched Twister,
the now-defunct Full Tilt released Jackpot, 888poker created BLAST, and PartyPoker got
in on the act 💯 with SPINS.
Randomly Drawn Prize Pools
You may wonder why these famous
poker tournaments are often called lottery or jackpot sit & 💯 gos. That becomes apparent
as soon as the games start. Rather than have a prize pool that the buy-in determines,
💯 the pot is randomly determined by the prize pool multiplier before dealing with the
first cards. Most of the time, 💯 between 80-90% of the Spin & Go tournament you play, the
prize pool will be either 2x or 3x your 💯 buy-in. However, if Lady Luck is shining down
on you, you could find yourself playing in a game with a 💯 prize pool multiplier worth up
to 240,000, meaning it is possible to winR$1 million from some of the games!
This
randomness 💯 adds excitement to Spin & Go games because the potential payouts are
massive, and playing in a tournament with one 💯 of the larger prize pools and multipliers
feels like you are enjoying a significant overlay.
Standard Hold'em and Omaha Spin & 💯 Go
tournaments at PokerStars see you sit down with only 500 chips as a starting stack. The
blinds start at 💯 10/20, which means you only have 25 big blinds from the word go. The
blinds shoot up rapidly, too. Check 💯 out the table below to see just how fast.
Prize
pool multiplier Blinds (minutes) 2x 2 3-5x 3 10-25x 4 120x 💯 and above 5
Flash
Tournaments Are An Even More Exciting Poker Format
The action is even crazier in Spin &
Go Flash 💯 Hold'em tournaments because you start your quest for glory with only 300
chips, and the blinds increase every minute! It 💯 is easy to see why this thrilling poker
format has a flash lightning symbol in its name!
Spin & Go tournaments 💯 mostly play as a
winner-takes-all format, which means only the champion is paid. However, if the
tournament prize pool multiplier 💯 lands on 10x your buy-in, the winner and runner-up
receive a payday. Games where the prize pool multiplier is 25x 💯 and above see all three
entrants win a slice of the pie, although the first-place finisher reels in the lion's
💯 share of the pot.
Hold'em Spin and Go buy-ins
How to Play Spin and Go
Tournaments
Registering for a Spin & Go tournament 💯 is as simple s getting involved in
any other PokerStars sit & go or multi-table tournament; you'll be spinning and 💯 going
within a few mouse clicks!
Load up PokerStars and click on the Spin & Go tab
Decide
whether you want to 💯 play Hold'em, Spin & Go Flash, Max Hold'em, or Omaha
Click the
buy-in that you want to play
Choose how many Spin 💯 & Go you want to play at the same
time (between one and five simultaneous tournaments)
Click Play Now and wait 💯 for your
Spin & Go to fill up with players
Spin & Go Flash Hold'em, and Omaha Spin & Go
tournaments 💯 get underway as soon as three players are registered. Max Hold'em Spin & Go
are slightly different in that they 💯 follow the same format, but the number of entrants,
between three and eight, is randomly determined before the tournament starts. 💯 Also, Max
Hold'em games have a predetermined number of hands you play before the game forces
every player all in 💯 until the winner is crowned!
Wide Range of Buy-ins Means There is a
Tournament For Everyone
Buy-in forR$0.25,R$1,R$2,R$5,R$10,R$25,R$50,R$100,R$250,R$500,
andR$1,000, plus, on occasion, 💯 PokerStars runs special edition Spin & Go games that pay
tournament tickets instead of cash. These usually appear in the 💯 run up to the Sunday
Million or during major festivals such as the Spring Championship Of Online Poker
(SCOOP) or 💯 the World Championship Of Online Poker (WCOOP).
Before your game starts and
the cards are in the air, the PokerStars software 💯 displays a slot machine-like spinner
that eventually settles on the prize pool you are playing for. This is known as 💯 the
prize pool multiplier. No sooner has the random draw of the prize pool been determined;
you and your opponents 💯 receive your hole cards, and you spin and then go!
How Much Can
You Win; What is the Biggest Prize Pool 💯 Multiplier?
The random prize pool multiplier
sometimes means that the 1st place finishers in the Spin and Go win the lottery.
💯 Hitting the top prize pool multiplier of 12,000x at the lowestR$0.25 stakes creates
aR$3,000 prize pool where second and third 💯 place collectR$250, and the champion
winsR$2,500, which is quite incredible for a quarter.
TheR$5 buy-in Spin & Go games
have a 💯 240,000x highest multiplier, resulting in aR$1.2 million prize pool! Win this,
and you instantly become a millionaire while both your 💯 opponents pad their poker
bankroll with cash prizes ofR$100,000 each.
As you can see in the below prizes
structure, you will 💯 play for either 2x or 3x your buy-in prize pool most of the time.
The prize pool multiplier will be 💯 5x or above in less than 10% of the games you play,
but the biggest multipliers do land, so there's 💯 always a chance. Be aware that deal
making is not possible in this format.
Buy-in:R$0.25
Rake: 8%
Prize Pool Multiplier 1st
2nd 3rd 💯 Probability in 1M Games 12,000R$2,500R$250R$250 1 240R$50R$5R$5 30
120R$25R$2.50R$2.50 75 25R$5R$0.75R$0.50 1,000 10R$2R$0.50 5,000 5R$1.25 85,000 3R$0.75
414,012 2R$0.50 494,882
Buy-in:R$1
Rake: 💯 8%
Prize Pool Multiplier 1st 2nd 3rd
Probability in 1M Games 12,000R$10,000R$1,000R$1,000 1 240R$200R$20R$20 30
120R$100R$10R$10 75 25R$20R$3R$2 1,000 10R$8R$2 5,000 💯 5R$5 85,000 3R$3 414,012 2R$2
494,882
Buy-in:R$2
Rake: 8%
Prize Pool Multiplier 1st 2nd 3rd Probability in 1M Games
12,000R$20,00R$2,000R$2,000 1 240R$400R$40R$40 30 💯 120R$200R$20R$20 75 25R$40R$6R$4
1,000 10R$16R$4 5,000 5R$10 85,000 3R$6 414,012 2R$4 494,882
Short Stack Strategy: 5
Tips to Survive as a 💯 Short Stack
Buy-in:R$5
Rake: 8%
Prize Pool Multiplier 1st 2nd 3rd
Probability in 10M Games 240,000R$1,000,000R$100,000R$100,000 1 240R$1,000R$100R$100
300 120R$500R$50R$50 750 25R$100R$15R$10 10,000 💯 10R$40R$10 50,000 5R$25 850,000 3R$15
4,020,102 2R$10 5,068,847
Buy-in:R$10
Rake: 7%
Prize Pool Multiplier 1st 2nd 3rd
Probability in 1M Games 12,000R$100,000R$10,000R$10,000 1 💯 240R$2,000R$200R$200 30
120R$1,000R$100R$100 75 25R$200R$30R$20 1,000 10R$80R$20 5,000 5R$50 85,000 3R$30
444,012 2R$20 464,882
Buy-in:R$25
Rake: 6%
Prize Pool Multiplier 1st 2nd 3rd
💯 Probability in 1M Games 12,000R$250,000R$25,000R$25,000 1 240R$5,000R$500R$500 30
120R$2,500R$250R$250 75 25R$500R$75R$50 1,000 10R$200R$50 5,000 5R$125 85,000 3R$75
474,012 2R$50 434,882
Buy-in:R$50
Rake: 💯 6%
Prize Pool Multiplier 1st 2nd 3rd
Probability in 1M Games 12,000R$500,000R$50,000R$50,000 1 240R$10,000R$1,000R$1,00 30
120R$5,000R$500R$500 75 25R$1,000R$150R$100 1,000 10R$400R$100 5,000 💯 5R$250 85,000
3R$150 474,012 2R$100 434,882
7 Tips to Take Your Poker Game From "Meh" to
Amazing
Buy-in:R$100
Rake: 5%
Prize Pool Multiplier 1st 💯 2nd 3rd Probability in 1M Games
12,000R$1,000,000R$100,000R$100,000 1 240R$20,000R$2,000R$2,000 30
120R$10,000R$1,000R$1,000 75 25R$2,000R$300R$200 1,000 10R$800R$200 5,000 5R$500 85,000
3R$300 504,012 💯 2R$200 404,882
Buy-in:R$250
Rake: 5%
Prize Pool Multiplier 1st 2nd 3rd
Probability in 1M Games 4,800R$1,000,000R$100,000R$100,000 1 240R$50,000R$5,000R$5,000
30 120R$25,000R$2,500R$2,500 75 25R$5,000R$750R$500 1,000 💯 10R$2,000R$500 5,000 5R$1,250
85,000 3R$750 511,212 2R$500 397,682
Buy-in:R$500
Rake: 5%
Prize Pool Multiplier 1st
2nd 3rd Probability in 1M Games 2,400R$1,000,000R$100,000R$100,000 1
💯 240R$100,000R$10,000R$10,000 30 120R$50,000R$5,000R$5,000 75 25R$10,000R$1,500R$1,000
1,000 10R$4,000R$1,000 5,000 5R$2,500 85,000 3R$1,500 511,212 2R$1,000
397,682
Buy-in:R$1,000
Rake: 5%
Prize Pool Multiplier 1st 2nd 3rd 💯 Probability in 1M
Games 4,800R$1,000,000R$100,000R$100,000 1 240R$200,000R$20,000R$20,000 30
120R$100,000R$10,000R$10,000 75 25R$20,000R$3,000R$2,000 1,000 10R$8,000R$2,000 5,000
5R$5,000 85,000 3R$3,000 514,812 2R$2,000 394,082
10 💯 Tips for Sit & Go Success: How To
Play Heads-Up
Are Spin and Go's Profitable?
There was much talk on social media 💯 and
poker forums when PokerStars launched Spin & Go tournaments in 2014, and most of the
chatter suggested there were 💯 essentially unbeatable. The winner-takes-all format – for
most of the games you play – combined with thehyper-turbo structure and the 💯 rake meant
grinders did not expect to win consistently at Spin & Go.
However, once players began
logging plenty of volume 💯 and devised strategies, they soon realized Spin & Go
tournaments could be very profitable at PokerStars, even if you endure 💯 a long spell of
not playing for the most significant payouts, which is likely. It's, therefore,
imperative that you play 💯 responsibly at all times.
Low-Stakes is Where You Should
Start
This format attracts recreational players in droves, particularly at the lower
end 💯 of the buy-in ladder. Many of these players are playing spin tournaments for the
first time, or are using tickets 💯 from the free play welcome offer using the "SPINANDGO"
bonus code. These players are happy to commit their stacks with 💯 less-than-stellar
holdings in the hope of doubling up or busting and firing up the next Spin & Go. Higher
buy-in 💯 games are tough because professional players frequent them, with regulars
displaying solid knowledge of ICM and GTO.
Sure, the shallow stacks 💯 and hyper-turbo
blinds leave little room to outplay these weak players, but you can still enjoy a
significant edge over 💯 lower-stakes players if you put in enough study away from the
tables and practice at them.
Of course, hitting one of 💯 the massive payouts will make
Spin and Go very lucrative and profitable, but it is best to treat these as 💯 a bonus
rather than relying on them to make you profitable in the other games.
In addition,
because a rake is 💯 charged in Spin & Go games, you progress through the Stars Rewards
scheme, meaning you are earning the equivalent of 💯 rakeback all the time. Play enough
games, and you could take home four-figure sums of loyalty payments each month, which
💯 takes some pressure off your bankroll if you hit a dry spell.
Play Your First Spin and
Go! Register on the 💯 PokerStars website and use these poker tips and strategies to win
your first Spin and Go games! Play Now
Spin and 💯 Go Strategy: Tips to Win More
Winning
Spin and Go players are well versed in short-handed, short-stacked, and heads-up play
because 💯 these are the three main elements of this format. Studying these aspects of
poker tournaments and improving your skills in 💯 each is worthwhile.
It is important to
try and accumulate chips as soon as possible not only because of the rapidly 💯 increasing
blinds, which will result in you becoming short-stacked sooner than you would like, but
also because you could find 💯 yourself with little to no fold equity if your stack
dwindles. Without the ability to force opponents to fold, you 💯 will find prizes out of
your reach.
Aggressive, Positional Poker is the Way Forward
The power of position is
very real in 💯 this format, so be willing to show aggression when first in from the
button or the small blind. You will 💯 find the better players either min-raise or make
raises of 2.1-2.3x the big blind, so they put fewer chips at 💯 risk in case they are
three-bet all-in, but it is still an amount that can win the pot preflop.
Eventually,
unless 💯 you accumulate a big stack (in relation to the ever-increasing blinds), you will
find yourself in the push-or-fold territory where 💯 the only moves available to you are
to fold or commit your entire shallow stack. One-hundred percent you need to 💯 study
push-fold strategy because the knowledge will be the difference between showing a
profit and being a losing player.
Learning Push-Fold 💯 Ranges is a Must
Team PokerStars'
Nick Walsh suggests studying push-fold ranges for the latter stages and always be on
the 💯 front foot where possible.
"Just sit down and do your homework about ranges. Have
some guidelines on the kinds of ways 💯 you should be playing. It's little things like
adjusting your preflop raise sizes and ranges. Adjusting how wide you're playing 💯 from
all of the positions is huge. You want to be playing loads of buttons heads-up and
defending your blinds 💯 extremely wide but in a controlled manner."
Spin and Go FAQ
What
is spin-and-go poker? Spin and Go tournaments are a sit-and-go 💯 variant with no set
start time, with each game starting as soon as enough players have bought in. A typical
💯 Spin & Go at PokerStars has three players. Are there any free play Spin and Go's?
Entries for these tournaments 💯 start at an affordableR$0.25. However, PokerStars often
runs time-limited welcome bonuses that award tickets that can be used to enter 💯 games
for free. Is spin and go worth it? If you like playing online poker but don't have much
free 💯 time, spin-and-go poker is worth playing because games take minutes to complete.
How do you play spin and go? Load 💯 up PokerStars and click on the Spin & Go tab. Decide
whether you want to play Hold'em, Flash Hold'em, Max 💯 Hold'em, or Omaha. Then click the
buy-in that you want to play. What is the difference between spin and go 💯 and spin and
go flash? In Spin and Go Flash games, the difference is that players start with 300
chips, 💯 and the blinds rise every minute. What is a spin-and-go on PokerStars? Spin and
Gos are fast-paced sit-and-go tournaments available 💯 to casual players and poker fans at
PokerStars. These online poker tournaments feature a hyper-turbo blinds structure,
500-chip starting stacks, 💯 and a randomized prize pool that can reach up to 240,000x the
buy-in. Are spin and go's profitable? As many 💯 recreational players choose spin and go
as their game of choice, they can be profitable when playing optimal strategies.
However, 💯 you should not depend on spin and go's as a source of regular income. What is
the difference between sit-and-go 💯 and spin-and-go? Sit-and-go poker games are a single
table or small MTT that starts on demand. A spin and go 💯 is the same but usually with
fewer players and a randomised prize. What happened to sit-and-go on PokerStars?
Sit-and-go poker 💯 games are still available to play on PokerStars and can be found under
the sit-and-go tab. What is the best 💯 strategy for a spin-and-go? Winning Spin and Go
players are well versed in short-handed, short-stacked, and heads-up play because these
💯 are the three main elements of this format. Studying these aspects of poker tournaments
and improving your skills in each 💯 is worthwhile. What is a good ROI for spin-and-go's?
For a typical winning player, an ROI of 1% to 3% 💯 would be considered good.
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