What is Spin and Go Poker?
A super-fast paced form of poker, spin and go poker is probably the most exciting, convenient and thrilling poker format available online. It is played on PokerStars, the largest online poker site in the world. It is played between 3 people, randomly drawn, featuring 500 chip starting stacks and hyper turbo blind levels.
Spin and Go Poker Prizes
You must win the SNG to win any money. This is the exciting part, first prize ranges from between two times your buy-in to 12,000! Prizes up to $1,000,000 can be won. The prize is randomly selected at the start of the SNG. They cater for all levels, with buy-ins ranging from 25c to $1,000. See table below for prizes and frequency for $5 and $10 stakes.
| Prize Pool Multiplier | $5 Buy In 1st Place Prize | $10 Buy In 1st Place Prize | Frequency |
| 12,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 | 1 in 1 million |
| 240 | $1,000 | $2,000 | 30 in 1 million |
| 120 | $500 | $1,000 | 75 in 1 million |
| 25 | $125 | $250 | 1,000 in 1 million |
| 10 | $50 | $100 | 5,000 in 1 million |
| 5 | $25 | $50 | 85,000 in 1 million |
| 3 | $15 | $30 | 444,012 in 1 million |
| 2 | $10 | $20 | 464,882 in 1 million |
The incentive to to win such high amounts for low buy in draws in recreational players and makes spin and go poker very profitable for the few who understand how to play them correctly.
How to Win at Spin and Go Poker
A simple, basic strategy is to try to chip up early, attack often from button and small blind and understand your calling ranges. You also need to know what hands are profitable to shove as within a few levels it’s push/fold poker. Most inexperienced players make the mistake of waiting for a strong hand before going all in. This is a huge flaw in this format. To counter it, one need’s to be opening wide and often to accumulate as many chips, risk free, as possible. These basic tips can be summarised as follows:
- Min raise as often as you can from button and small blind
- Do not call raises from small blind
- Understand your calling range from the blinds. (Likely to be A8+, KJ +,all suited aces and all pocket pairs)
- Learn push/fold strategy
Due to the fast-paced nature of this format, there are less complex post flop decision making. With experience and proper training, most decisions will come automatically. One of the poker resources we highly recommend using is PokerAid. Their software is developed primarily for spin and go poker. The software is truly remarkable, grouping your leaks and quickly highlighting solutions. This innovative way of learning is a much faster and fun way of learning and improving at poker than traditional studying. The software even prepares quizzes for you to help with challenging scenarios. Once you’ve finished a session, upload the data to PokerAid and you will be blown away. It is the best software for these SNGs. See video below:
Poker Aid is the ultimate spin and go poker training software. Their pricing is based on your buy in level and fantastic value for service. If you are playing up to $20 stakes, it costs just 74c per day, if paid yearly.
Volume is Key
In order to turn a decent profit and have chance to earn lots at spin and go’s, you need to be prepared to put in the volume. A spin and go can be completed in less than 5 minutes so it’s not for the feint of heart. You can multi table them too so just think about how many you can play? These SNGs are littered with poor players making huge errors. In normal SNG poker, patience is rewarded until it’s push/fold late on. This is a concept lost on many players playing these. I’ve seen players folding for ½ their stack at low stakes. I tried a short session of these a few months ago and won 4/7 from memory. You can access this in our poker training video library.
Conclusion
Spin and Go poker is one of the most popular forms around at the moment. It draws in a lot of donkeys and there is potential to make a lot of money with the right strategy and decent volume. It may not be deep stacked poker or opportunity for triple barrel bluffs, it is a format that allows you to push a big edge. With Poker Aid software available to help you improve your game further, there is no reason to not give it a try. Who knows, perhaps you’ll be a spin and go pro?
Narciso Baldo
Narciso Baldo is the Director and Head Coach of Texas Hold'em Questions. He has been playing poker for over 16 years. After spending many years as a professional, he now runs UK poker training site Texas Hold'em Questions. Narciso regularly writes poker articles sharing tips, strategy, news and experience with gambling enthusiasts. Narciso also writes for reputable gambling portal Casino City Times, (bio here). Contact: [email protected]
