Three-handed Lottery Sit and Go (LSNG) tournaments remain one of the most popular formats in online poker, even today, more than a decade after they were first introduced. Today, almost every online poker room offers its own version of the game.
Each operator markets the format under a different name; some go by Spin & Go, SPINS, Expresso, Twister, Windfall, and even as simple as Jackpot Sit and Go. DraftKings, for example, offers peer-to-peer online poker exclusively through this format, branded as Electric Poker.
Although each operator has introduced its own twists, the basic format remains largely the same. These are three-handed hyper-turbo tournaments where the prize pool is determined at random before play begins. Depending on the operator, the prize can range from as little as twice the buy-in to as much as 10,000 times the buy-in, with some sites even offering million-dollar jackpots.
While the overall concept is universal, certain operators include features that help set their version apart.
One such example is the recently launched FanDuel Poker, a spin-off of PokerStars US & PokerStars Ontario. The platform also offers Spin & Go tournaments, but with a feature that is virtually unheard of in the regulated US online poker market.
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- All new software and three-state online poker network
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- Great tournament schedule & cash games
How Spin & Go Deals Work
Known as Spin & Go Deals, the feature allows players to negotiate a deal once the tournament reaches heads-up play. Deal-making is a familiar feature in multi-table tournaments, where players often agree to split the remaining prize pool at the final table or during heads-up play. Today, most online poker rooms support this functionality in MTTs.
However, it is rarely available in LSNG tournaments. PokerStars on FanDuel is one of the few operators to introduce it.
To use the feature, players must first enable Spin & Go Deals in the settings menu. Once activated, a deal option becomes available when the tournament reaches heads-up, with a small checkbox appearing on the left side of the table.
If both players opt in, they can negotiate a deal to divide the remaining prize pool. During the negotiation process, the tournament clock is paused.
Once both players confirm the deal, the game stops and a separate confirmation window displays the agreed payouts. After both players accept the terms, the tournament ends immediately, and the prizes are awarded according to the agreed split.
An Uncommon Option
FanDuel Poker is the first operator in the regulated US online poker market to introduce this functionality. Outside the US, Playtech’s iPoker network is one of the few platforms to support deal-making in jackpot-style sit and go tournaments. FanDuel Poker also runs on Playtech’s software.
Previously, Full Tilt Poker — before it shut down — also offered deal-making across all of its tournament formats, including its LSNG product, Jackpots.
Lottery sit and go tournaments are generally winner-takes-all events, although higher prize multipliers often pay smaller prizes to the second- and third-place finishers. In the vast majority of games, however, only the winner receives the full payout.
The deal-making option could prove particularly attractive to recreational players, allowing them to lock up a share of the prize without having to win the tournament outright. Given the high variance associated with the format, it also gives players a way to reduce swings if both agree to a split. For example, just a few days ago, a $250,000 jackpot was triggered in a $50 Spin & Go game at FanDuel Poker in the US market. Had the players chosen to make a deal, they could have shared the prize, but no agreement was reached, and a player from Pennsylvania went on to win the entire $250,000 jackpot.
At the same time, introducing deal-making could raise concerns about potential abuse, including collusion between players.
Despite those trade-offs, deal-making in lottery sit and gos remains extremely uncommon. That makes Spin & Go Deals one of FanDuel Poker’s more distinctive features and one that few online poker operators currently offer.
