Run It Once Poker (RIO) has quietly launched its much-awaited Sit N Go game, dubbed SNG Select.
Launched earlier today, SNG Select is the operator’s take on offering Sit N Gos, but true to its brand, RIO has implemented an innovative twist. When registering, players have the option to chose whether they want to play a lottery-style SNG, dubbed Cub3d by RIO, or a traditional SNG which the operator is calling Classic.
These are currently available in five different buy-ins: starting at 25 cents and going up to €10 (four buy-ins are available for Classic). It is expected that the operator will expand the buy-ins to €25 in the near future.
The addition of SNGs marks the operator’s first expansion of its game offering since its launch nearly two years ago. Until today, players only had cash game options that are available in both No Limit Hold’em and PL Omaha.
The SNG launch comes following a period of beta testing that the operator had been conducting with a few select players since August.
On Monday, the pokerfuse team was invited to preview and test real money versions of the new SNG products.
Based on the short play-test, our impressions are quite positive. The game looks very polished and gameplay is quite engaging. The emphasis put on animation and sound effects is especially noteworthy. Overall, the game design is thoughtful and aesthetically-pleasing.
“SNG Select has been a long-time coming, and [Monday] night’s private testing session was a massive success for our team, as it was the first time we got to show off all of our hard work and passion behind this project,” Nick Steiner, Content and Community Engagement Manager told pokerfuse ahead of the launch.
“Our community’s support has been overwhelming, and we are excited to reveal the cub3 to the rest of the poker world… soon!” Steiner added.
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What is SNG Select? How is it Different from Other Proven Lottery Sit N Gos?
SNG Select was first unveiled to the world last week by well-known professional poker player and founder of the upstart poker room, Phil Galfond in a detailed blog post announcing the mechanics of its upcoming unique SNG offering.
As explained in his blog post, SNG Select allows players to choose whether they want to play a traditional SNG game with no randomized prizes but a fixed first-place prize or a lottery-style sit and go format where the prize is randomized.
Both the offerings require a total of three players to start the game and are structured as winner-take-all – a format that is now considered standard in the industry.
To counter the liquidity issue as a result of offering two different game types, the game seats players at the same table, thus allowing both Classic and Cub3d players to play in the same player pool and at the same table.
The Classic version is quite straight-forward: Players compete for a fixed prize that is based on the total prize pool minus rake.
The Cub3d version works like the proven hit lottery-style SNG format, where the prize pool is randomized and can be anything from 2 times the buy-in up to 1500 times the buy-in.
However, one interesting takeaway is that the first place prize is “locked” in the Cub3d version and only revealed to the winner once the tournament is completed.
Additional Cub3d Prizes are Distributed Randomly
The other key innovation with Cub3d is the Glitch prize. These are the additional prizes for the players that finish in 2nd and/or 3rd place that are randomly awarded and vary in size.
But these consolation prizes comes at a cost, and are funded by approximately 10% of all the Cub3d buy-ins. Consolation prizes are not available in the Classic version.
As a result, the buy-ins in Cub3d are higher. A €10 Cub3d tournament will cost only €9 to enter if played as a Classic.
The Glitch prize can be anything from 0.25 times the buy-in to 100x depending on the buy-in.
For example, in a €5 buy-in Cub3d, 50 cents goes to the Glitch prize, and the consolation prize can range from €2 to €250. This means that even a player who loses the game can end up winning money. At most buy-ins, the Glitch will happen around 10% of the time.
At the €25 buy-in (the highest stake planned but not yet available), the Glitch occurs most frequently – approximately 25% of the time.
More info on the pay table and Glitch prizes is available on the RIO website.
The other aspects of the lottery-style SNG remain the same, sticking much to the same tried-and-tested formula used at other online poker rooms: Players start with a 500-chip starting stack, with blinds starting at 10/20 and going up every 2.5 minutes. On average, these games usually last five to seven minutes.
The rake structure in the Classic variant is a bit on the higher side compared to the Cub3d. In Classic, the fee ranges from 7.78% at the micro-stakes to 6% at the €10 buy-in level.
While for the Cub3ed version, the fee is 4% at the 0.25 buy-in level, 5% to 6% at lower and medium stakes, and 3.8% for the €25 buy-in, much lower than the industry norm of 5%-8%.
Run It Once Poker SNG Select Structure
| Classic Buy-in | First-Place Prize Pool | Rake | Cub3d Buy-in | First-Place Prize | Rake | Glitch % (Only in Cub3d) | Glitch Prizes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not Available | - | - | €0.25 | 2x to 1500 | 4% | 7.23% | €0.25 – €12.50 |
| €0.90 | €2.49 | 7.78% | €1 | 2x to 1500 | 7% | 9.24% | €0.25 – €50 |
| €1.80 | €4.98 | 7.78% | €2 | 2x to 1500 | 7% | 10.11% | €0.60 – €100 |
| €4.50 | €12.57 | 6.89% | €5 | 2x to 1500 | 6.20% | 9.76% | €2 – €250 |
| €9 | €25.38 | 6% | €10 | 2x to 1500 | 5.40% | 9.77% | €2.50 – €500 |
| €16.50 | €46.65 | 5.76% | €25 | 1.5x to 1500 | 3.80% | 24.23% | €12.50 – €2500 |
Run It Once SNG Select Overview:
- 3-max, hyper structured, winner-take-all format
- Both lottery and non-lottery variants pooled together
- Currently, buy-ins start at €0.25 and go up to €10
- Occasional Glitch prizes offers consolation 2nd and/or 3rd place finishers in Cub3d variant
- Rake lower than the industry norm
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RIO SNG Select Gameplay Experience
Run It Once Poker has been working on its next big product offering for quite a while. Clearly, given the execution, the operator has spent plenty of time to get it right.
Little things like every time a new card is dealt on the board while a player is all-in, the all-in equity button vibrates and the cube pulsates, and every time the blinds go up an animation plays, shows that the operator has left no stone unturned to offer a premium gaming user experience.
Aesthetically, the game feels quite premium with its fancy-looking animation and darker-themed tables.
“Run it Once Poker’s designers have clearly gone to great lengths to make a premium game experience, with sound effects and graphics that would not be out of place in a video game title,” said Nick Jones, Managing Editor of Poker Industry PRO. “It is immediately engaging and entertaining.”
