- Games play just like the operator’s standard Hexapro except that starting stacks are 300 chips instead of the usual 500.
- Blinds go up every minute, regardless of multiplier.
- The regular Hexapro is offered up to €100; the Banzai edition is only available at €1, €2, €5 and €10.
- Winamax introduced its Nitro version in the summer of 2019; PokerStars and partypoker quickly followed suit.
Following in the footsteps of Winamax, PokerStars and partypoker, Unibet has launched its own faster version of its lottery sit and go (LSNG) product HexaPro.
Dubbed HexaPro Banzai, these games play just like the operator’s standard HexaPro except that starting stacks are 300 chips instead of the usual 500 and blinds go up every minute.
The format is otherwise the same: Three-handed, winner-takes-all, on-demand sit and gos where the prize is randomized at the start of the tournament. The pay table is the same as the regular game, which means the effective rake for HexaPro Banzai is unchanged at 6.85%.
The only other tweak to further speed up the game is a shorter animation picking the prize at the start of the game. There are also no antes at higher blind levels.
The idea of speeding up the already-fast lottery sit and go format can be attributed to Winamax, the inventor of the original lottery sit and go. It introduced its Nitro version in the summer of 2019.
Along with the smaller starting stack and faster blinds, the other Nitro innovation was that it was made available through the same Expresso lobby screen rather than a separate tab. Players simply hit a “Play Nitro” button to launch the faster version games, making it very low friction for players to hop into the new format.
The concept has been quickly adopted by the competition. PokerStars launched its Spin & Go Flash just three months later; partypoker went live with SPINS Ultra last month.
Remarkably, every version of a fast LSNG follows the Nitro formula exactly: 300 chips instead of 500; 1-minute blind levels; otherwise, identical pay table and structure. PokerStars and partypoker also copied Winamax in how the game was integrated into the lobby.
