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You can sign up to any online poker room these days and start playing sit and go tournaments immediately. But which poker site is the best for SNGs? Allow me to help point you in the right direction.
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Sit and go poker sites rankings table.
Rank | Room | Rating | Competition | Lowest | Bonus |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ignition Poker | A+ | Weak | $1+20c | $1,000 | |
SwC Poker | A | Weak | $1+20c | - | |
Americas Cardroom | A | Tricky | $1+10c | $1,000 | |
Betsafe Poker | B | Average | $0.10+1c | €2,000 | |
Nitrogen Poker | B | Weak | $10+50c | - | |
888 Poker | D | Average | $0.50+5c | $400 |
What to look for in a good sit and go poker room.
Every online poker room offers SNG tournaments (sometimes referred to as STTs). I could just cobble together any old list of random rooms and call them the 'best poker sites for sit and gos'. However, I enjoy being opinionated, so I won't.
Here are the factors I looked at when compiling this list of the best places to play SNGs in 2021:
- Poker room player traffic.
- The level of competition (how 'soft' the site is).
- Variety and types of SNG tournaments on offer.
- Tournament fees.
- Basic SNG structure (i.e. starting stack sizes and blind structure).
1) Poker room player traffic.
Without at least few hundred SNG players active in the poker room lobby throughout the day, the action can get a little stale. The more active players there are in the lobby, the quicker the tables will fill up and the less time you have to spend staring at empty seats.
Don't underestimate how annoying it is to wait for a simple sit and go tournament to fill up at a low-traffic room. It's just like driving to a theme park all excited, only to find out there is an hour-long queue for every ride.
Stick with the high traffic sites and ride the roller coasters until you're sick.
2) The level of competition.
Don't forget that you're in this for the money. Sure, playing SNG tournaments at online poker sites is a barrel of fun, but it's even more fun if you're winning money.
There's no shame in hunting down and taking advantage of bad players. In fact, it's just common sense. If you don't win a fish's money, someone else will. If you're a decent SNG player, a high traffic poker room + soft competition = easy money.
3) Variety and types of SNG tournaments on offer.
Even though the Texas Hold'em SNG games are the most popular, there are a bunch of variations of the sit and go tournament on offer. Here are a few of the different types with some examples:
- Number of entrants
- 2 (Heads Up)
- 6
- 9
- 10
- 18 (More than one table)
- Poker games
- Texas Hold'em
- Omaha
- Stud
- HORSE
- Faster blind levels
- Turbo
- Super Turbo
- Extreme Turbo
- Varying stack sizes
- Regular (100bbs)
- Double Stack (200bbs)
- Varying payout structures
- Fifty 50 (PokerStars only)
- Steps
I'll explain more about these different types of SNGs in a minute. But basically, even if you're happy with the standard SNG format it's nice to have a bit of variety to choose from (if you're ever feeling fruity).
4) Tournament fees.
Again, winning money is important. Although the standard fee for a SNG is 10% (e.g. $10 + $1), these fees can and will vary between sites. As you can guess, the smaller the fees in relation to the buy-in the better.
There's often a lot of variation in the size of SNG fees at the lower limits, where the fees can increase up to 20% or more. If you're not a micro stakes player then the size of the fees isn't going to be an issue for you. However, if you're a beginner or have a small bankroll, it's worth searching around for the best price (i.e. poker sites with the lowest fees for SNGs).
5) Basic SNG structure.
This is a non-issue these days, as the stack sizes and blind structures follow a fairly standardised format at the biggest SNG poker sites.
Back in the early days of online poker though the structures of SNGs at some sites were all over the place, and you could either end up with too much freedom to play (games took ages) or not enough (games were pure luck).
Thankfully, most poker rooms have now worked out what kind of structure works best. Although there are still subtle differences in the setups for the straightforward sit and go tournaments, the point is they are subtle and are not really worth worrying about.
Types of SNGs in online poker.
We all know how a simple sit and go works – you pay your entry fee, sit down with a bunch of other poker players and try and finish first. Easy.
Obviously some players felt that this wasn't quite exciting enough, so a number of variants to the humble SNG have been developed. Here's a quick guide to the most common types of SNG currently on offer.
The most common types.
These types of tournaments are available at all the best SNG poker sites. You can probably find them at the worst ones too.
1) Turbo tournaments
How they work: These are just like normal SNGs, except that there are fewer hands between blind levels. Therefore, these SNGs are over more quickly and involve a greater element of luck. There are a few different 'degrees' of turbo tournament:
- Turbo
- Super Turbo
- Extreme Turbo
- Hyper Turbo
...and I'm sure there are a few more speedy-sounding names out there. As a rule of thumb, the 'faster' it sounds, the fewer hands there are between blind level increases.
Pros: Fantastic if you fancy a faster-paced game. Fun and exciting.
Cons: The faster structure means that turbo tournaments are more luck than skill. If you're a good player you may want to stick with the standard SNGs.
2) Satellites
How they work: You buy in for a set amount of money as usual. But instead of the top place prize(s) being a break up of the prize pool, the winner(s) gain entry in to an even bigger tournament with bigger cash prizes or tournament seats.
Pros: Opportunity to enter bigger tournaments for bigger prizes than you would normally be able to afford with your current bankroll.
Cool Story: Chris Moneymaker won his way to the 2003 WSOP through a $39 satellite and ended up winning the Main Event for a total of $2.5 million. Wikipedia has a nice summary of the Chris Moneymaker story. There's a book about it as well.
Cons: You need to get pretty lucky to win your way up to a big tournament through satellites. You then have to get even luckier again to place in that big tournament. Personally I'd rather play standard SNGs and save my winnings as I go along, then enter a bigger tournament if I fancy it (and can afford it).
Less common types of SNG.
These are the more 'speciality' SNG games. They're not available everywhere and are usually unique to just the one poker site.
1) Steps
Available at: Party Poker, PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker
How they work: There are a set number of tournament 'levels' or 'steps'. You can buy in at any step, but the cost of entry increases as you move up the steps. The twist is that you can only win money in the highest step SNG. If you start at a lower step than the top step SNG, you have to win that lower step SNG to move up to the next level (and so on).
I know, I know, you're probably scratching your head right now.
Think of steps tournaments as a pyramid. They are constantly running and you can join in at any level you like whenever you want. Only the top level SNG has cash payouts, whereas the others give you tokens to move up to the next level. The goal is to reach the top step and try and win some of the big buy-in prize pool money.
Pros: Opportunity to win big. Win a bunch of SNGs in succession and you can net a huge payout, especially if you start at one of the lower step SNGs.
Cons: Steps tournaments are kinda like fixed-structure satellites. So again, whilst you can win a heap of money if you get lucky, you do have to get lucky. Also, imagine working your way right to the top and busting out on the bubble – that's a smashed mouse and keyboard situation.
2) Double or Nothing
Available at: Party Poker, 888 Poker, Betsafe Poker
How they work: Standard SNG format with an even number of players (usually 10). However, the game is over once half of the players have been knocked out. The remaining players win double the amount of their buy-in.
Pros: Interesting variation on the standard 1st, 2nd and 3rd place payout structure. There's also more chance of winning something from these tournaments, which is always nice even if it's a smaller amount than usual.
Cons: You'll either love them or hate them. Maybe not quite on the same scale as marmite, but not far off. The biggest disappointing aspect is that you don't get the satisfying feeling of 'winning', as you never truly come out on top – you're always sharing the top spots with other players.
These SNGs are also full of players that sit tight and hope to squeeze in to the money, never really getting involved or having fun.
3) Fifty 50
Only available at: PokerStars
How they work: Very similar to the Double or Nothing tournaments, except the payouts for the remaining 5 players is a little different. Instead of doubling up, the total prize pool is divvied up amongst the remaining players based on the stack sizes. The bigger your stack, the larger your slice of the prize pool.
Note: The Fifty 50 tournaments replaced the similar Double or Nothing tournaments at PokerStars. This was due to the Fifty 50's favourable payout structure. The DoN SNGs ended on the 28th of February 2011.
Pros: The dynamic payout structure of the Fifty 50 tournament makes it more interesting than its DoN cousin. There are more rewards for being active and building a large stack.
Cons: Again, you'll either love or hate this sort of format for single table tournaments. Although it's more rewarding to be active in Fifty50 tourneys, you still get the complete rocks playing 0.01% of hands.
4) Matrix
Only available at: Full Tilt Poker
How they work: You are forced to play 4 SNGs simultaneously against the same 8 players across 4 tables. The total prize pool is split up in to 5 parts; 4 chunks for the standard 1st, 2nd and 3rd payouts on each table, and 1 last chunk for 1st, 2nd and 3rd for overall performance.
It's a bit like multi-tabling 4 SNGs by yourself, except that you get rewarded for performing well thanks to your multi-tabling skills.
Pros: Lots of action. With 4 tables open at a time you won't be sitting and waiting for your next turn for long. Plus, you'll have a distinct advantage if you're up against players that are inexperienced when it comes to playing on multiple tables.
Cons: If you're abysmal at multi-tabling and multi-tasking in general, you're not going to do very well in Matrix tournaments. You have less time to focus as your attention will be divided across 4 poker tables. Not recommended if you haven't got some experience with online poker under your belt.
Sit and Go online poker sites FAQ.
Where can I play poker tournaments online for real money?
All of the poker sites in the table above allow you to play SNGs with other players for real money.
Every online poker room I've ever signed up with has offered real money sit and gos. So it's not really a case of where to play SNGs for cash; it's more like which site to play them at.
Which poker site has the smallest stakes SNGs?
Best Websites To Play Poker For Real Money
One of the sites with the smallest stakes SNGs I've come across is Betsafe Poker. Their smallest buy-in regular sit and go tournaments start at $0.10+1c.
In general, the lowest level STTs at the vast majority of poker sites start at around $1. This is like the industry-standard minimum, although I'm fully aware that some rooms go lower. I've included the minimum stakes SNGs on offer at each room in the table at the top of this page.
If you have a small bankroll, you should check out my rankings of the best poker sites for small stakes players.
Do all poker sites offer SNGs?
Yes.
Sit and Go tournaments are hugely popular. A poker room without a SNG lobby would be like a butchers without beef. You could sign up to any random online poker room and be 99.9999% sure that they have them.
SNGs that is, not beef fillets.
How much can you win from sit and go's?
You could be asking two different things with this question, so I'll address them individually:
- How much can you win from one SNG?
- How much can you win from playing SNGs in general?
1) How much can you win from one SNG?
The payout structure for a standard 9-seater STT is as follows:
- 1st = 50%
- 2nd = 30%
- 3rd = 20%
So if there are 9 players in a $10 + $1 SNG, the total prize pool would be $90 (tournament fees do not count toward the total prize pool). Therefore, actual winnings for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place would look like this:
- 1st = $45
- 2nd = $27
- 3rd = $18
2) How much can you win from playing SNGs in general?
This depends on two things:
- How good you are at playing SNGs.
- How many you play.
You can't win every SNG you play, so the aim is to get a positive ROI. If you can get a positive ROI, it's just a case of how many tournaments you play.
To give a quick example, let's say you have a 5% ROI playing $10 + $1 SNGs. If you play 20 of these a day, you could comfortably 'earn' over $300 a month. Not bad.
Can you consistently win money from SNGs?
Yep, and there are a number of players that make a very comfortable living from playing SNGs online. You just have to learn good tournament strategy and be able to outplay your opponents.
If I could explain how to do this from just a few paragraphs within an FAQ I'd be the most loved man in online poker. However, there is a lot to learn if you want to be able to 'beat' sit and gos for a profit. It takes both time and effort.
If you're really interested in winning money from SNGs, check out my friend Mark's Sit 'n' Go poker strategy site. It's the perfect starting point for beginners.
Useful links.
- Turbo or Regular SNGs? - PokerFives.com
Go back to the Texas Hold'em rooms.
You could theoretically take at least 4 different approaches to writing a page about “video poker websites”. You could write a page that features a list of the best online casinos where you can play video poker for real money. Or you could write a page that features a list of the best informational sites on the subject. The third option is to do both—that’s the route we’ve decided to go with this page.
Our directory of the best video poker sites starts with a list of casinos which offer what we think are good VP games with good payback tables. More importantly, the casinos listed have excellent reputations related to timely customer service, fast payouts, and integrity in their dealings.
Rank | DE Online Casino | Exclusive Bonus | Get Started | |
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#1 | Betway Casino | 100% Up To€250 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#2 | Europa Casino | 200% Up To€500 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#3 | Jackpot City Casino | 100% Up To€400 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#4 | Spinia | 100% Up To€250 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#5 | Spin Casino | 100% Up To€400 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
The informational sites on this list focus on websites which offer detailed, unique information with a minimum of advertising. We have no problem with advertising in general. Our site, like most sites on the Internet, relies on advertising revenues to stay in operation, too. We do object to sites which have no other reason for existing than to serve ads. There must be significant value to the reader for a site to earn a listing on this page.
You can read full reviews of all these real money online casinos here. On this page, we’ve restricted our comments to a few of the top USA video poker sites and how well each property serves the needs of online VP players. We’re confident that these really are the best video poker casino websites on the Internet.
If you’re from the United States, El Royale is your best bet for playing online video poker games. Many online casinos don’t accept real money players from the USA, and a lot of those that do have problems processing deposit and withdrawal requests. That’s not an issue at El Royale.
This online casino has 14 different video poker games available, including the following.
What Is The Best Poker Website
- Aces and Eights
- All American Poker
- Bonus Deuces Wild
- Double Bonus Poker
- Double Double Bonus Poker
As well has single hand versions of these games, they also have multi hand versions. Many of the payout tables are full pay.
One of only real downsides for VP players at El Royale casino is when it comes bonuses. Video poker bonuses at online casinos are actually quite rare, as the game has such a low edge. So, although El Royale offers a number of generous bonuses, none of them can be used for playing video poker games. However, that at doesn’t stop this being the top US online casino for real money video poker players.
BetOnline
BetOnline is also friendly to players from the United States. This real money gambling sites offers multiple services besides casino games, including sports betting and poker. They offer 17 different VP variations to choose from in their casino section.
As far as signup bonuses go for VP players, though, BetOnline.ag isn’t quite as attractive. First of all, they have a rollover requirement of 50X your deposit plus bonus, which is significantly more restrictive than most other casinos. Also, they do not include video poker wagers toward your rollover requirement.
That being said, we still like BetOnline as a video poker casino. They have a great variety of games with reasonably good pay tables. We don’t think most players should worry too much with casino bonuses as a deciding factor for where to play video poker online.
Wild Casino is an excellent site to play real money video poker games online. They have 18 different VP variations, with single hand, multi-hand, and pyramid poker versions. Unlike BetOnline, they don’t offer sports betting.
They do have the opportunity to use one of their signup bonuses to play video poker games, but the rollover requirements are 60x. That’s a lot of VP wagers you’ll need to place. Still, the fact that they even offer a video poker bonus is very much a good thing.
Wild Casino offers a ton of other casino games, too, so this isn’t “just” one of the top video poker sites. It’s one of the all-round best online casinos.
Vegas Casino Online
There are 17 real money video poker games to play Vegas Casino Online. It’s a similar selection to most of the other VP sites discussed above, with nothing unique of note on offer. They do offer higher stakes than most, though, so high rollers looking to play video poker online should definitely consider this casino.
We should mention that there is a VP bonus here, but the rollover requirements are high at 90x. The good news is that you can play other games with the bonus, too, and the rollover requirements are reduced at many of them.
We’ve tried to include a comprehensive amount of video poker information on our site, but we can’t be all things to all people. When we need to do research, we do so by consulting with other high quality video poker websites. We provide a reasonably detailed description of what you can expect to find at each of these sites below.
Note that these sites are listed in alphabetical order. We don’t rank them in any other way.
Bob Dancer
Bob Dancer is the leading expert in the video poker field today. He’s written several books, many of which are available to buy on his site. He also offers a huge archive of articles as well as training software. It’s not the best-designed site on the Internet, but it’s impossible to list VP sites without including his website.
Jean Scott might argue that she’s just as much of an expert on video poker as Bob Dancer, but she actually writes a broader range of materials that include getting the most out of casino coupons and promotional offers.
This makes her more of a general gambling expert than Dancer, but she does focus more on video poker than on other games like slots or blackjack.
Optimum Play
Dan Paymar is one of our favorite video poker writers, too. Optimum Playis the name for both his website and his excellent book on the subject of the math behind the game. He’s one of the pioneers of the industry.
His site features several pay tables, payback percentage analysis, and strategy advice. He’s known also for making the distinction between playing perfectly and balancing excellent play with good payback percentages.
This almost isn’t really an information site, at all. But it’s important because the land-based casinos in this group in Las Vegas offer the widest selection of full pay games in the industry. You’ll see writers on the Internet lament the impossibility of finding full pay Deuces Wild games all the time, but the fact is that you need look no further than the casinos in this group.
Video Poker Advisor
The content on videopokeradvisor.comis more or less introductory, but the design is straightforward and blessedly low on advertising. We’re not sure who owns this one, as it seems to be more or less anonymously written. It’s worth visiting, especially if you’re a beginner.
This is less of an informational site than a product site where you can buy training software. That being said, the content on this site is straightforward enough, and the software is not only affordable but well worth your money. Everyone we know who’s serious about getting an edge at this game uses some kind of training software—many use this specific package.
Video Poker Info
VideoPokerInfo.com is another great guide for beginners. It includes excellent info about progressive jackpots, comp and VIP points, and single hand versus multi hand games. It also includes the most basic information for the complete newbies, like hand rankings and a glossary of terms. If you don’t know as much about video poker as some of our other readers, and you want to get up to speed fast, then this is the place to start.
No other site on the Internet offers as many free games as this one. Not only that, but these games are more similar to the games you’ll find in Las Vegas casinos than just about any other online versions. It’s a membership driven site. Most of the games are free, but some of the games require you to have a membership to play.
It is not a casino, though. You cannot play for real money. They do offer ongoing tournaments where you can win points. They also have an online strategy trainer that requires no download, but to access that, you need to have a paid membership.
VPFree2
If you’re interested in playing the machines with the best pay tables, this is the site to visit. They feature listings for casinos throughout the United States along with user-submitted reports on which pay tables are available where. This might be the most useful video poker resource on the Web, period.
That’s our list of the best video poker websites on the Internet. We’ve tried to list top-tier casinos with good games and good VP game selection. We’ve also stuck with recommending real money gambling sites that have good reputations for dealing fairly and with integrity with players. For similar recommendations in all kinds of categories, please visit this page.
10 Best Free Poker Sites
Online Poker Websites For Money
The informational sites here were chosen on merit, too. Sites which offer excessive advertising or insufficient content weren’t listed.
Please note that we are NOT accepting submissions to this page. Please do NOT contact us to request a listing on this page. We will not respond to such requests, nor will we list sites which ignore our request to not reach out to us for this reason. There are just too many sites eager to get listed here for us to field all the requests we would receive, so we’ve decided in advance to not even read or accept such emails.