In August, sports betting giant DraftKings launched its first online poker product, Electric Poker, its own version of the popular jackpot sit-and-go game, commonly known as Spins in the online poker world.
The game follows the familiar Spins format: Fast-paced, three-handed tournaments where the winner claims a random prize, which can be anything from double the buy-in to jackpots thousands of times higher. Buy-ins start at $1 and go up to $25, with a top jackpot of $250,000.
This format has been a staple across the online poker landscape for years, and all licensed online poker rooms in the US offer it. PokerStars US calls them Spin & Go’s, the variant at WSOP Online goes by the name Blast, BetMGM Poker US refers to theirs as Spins and the newly launched BetRivers Poker calls theirs Cub3d.
So how does DraftKings’ Electric Poker stack up against the well-established Spins products that have been around for years? We provide a full breakdown below, but here are our some key takeaways:
- Unique Format: Electric Poker has a forced all-in phase called Electric Mode which sets it apart from other Spins on the market. The feature favors recreational players.
- Blind Structure: Electric Poker has a faster blind structure with blinds increasing every two minutes, while other operators like PokerStars, BetMGM, WSOP, and BetRivers offer slower or multiplier-dependent blind intervals.
- Bigger Prizes: With a top jackpot of $250,000, Electric Poker offers a larger top prize than PokerStars, BetMGM and BetRivers. Only WSOP offers a bigger jackpot, up to $500,000.
- Payout Distribution: Electric Poker is the only Spin variant in the US that pays out 2nd place in games with a 5x multiplier. Other operators only pay more than one place at multipliers of 10x or higher. BetRivers Poker, however, offers a consolation “glitch prize” to 2nd place on rare occasions.
- Lots of Casual Players: DraftKings’ Electric Poker has a lot of casual players when compared to other Spins products.
- Rake: DraftKings charges a competitive 7% rake, aligning with PokerStars and BetMGM, which also charge 7%, while WSOP imposes higher rakes at lower stakes and slightly reduced rates at higher stakes and BetRivers charges between 4% to 6% rake.
Jackpot Sit and Gos in US
| Operator | Product Name | Buy-in Range | Rake | Multiplier | Top Prize Range | All-in Mode? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PokerStars | Spin & Go | $0.50 – $25 | 7% | 2x – 2000 | $2000 to $50,000 | No |
| WSOP Online | Blast | $0.30 – $50 | 6.77% – 10% | 2x – 10,000 | $3000 to $500,000 | Not any more |
| BetMGM Poker | Spins | $1 – $25 | 7% | 2x – 1200 | $1000 to $25,000 | No |
| BetRivers Poker | Cub3d | $0.25 – $25 | 4% – 6% | 2x – 1500 | $375 to $150,000 | No |
| DraftKings Poker | Electric Poker | $1 – $25 | 7% | 2x – 10,000 | $1000 to $250,000 | Yes |
Forced All-In Stage
Electric Poker plays as a standard three-handed No-Limit Hold’em tournament, with the prize pool randomly determined at the beginning. Players start with 500 chips, and blinds increase every two minutes, making for a fast-paced game — nothing unusual so far.
The biggest differentiator comes with Electric Mode — DraftKings’ version of a “forced all-in” stage where all players are automatically all-in on every hand until one player remains. This mode kicks in after a few blind levels — six minutes for lower multipliers and up to 12 minutes for higher multiplier games.
Currently, no other US online poker rooms offer this feature. However, it is not entirely a new concept. WSOP, which uses 888poker’s software, previously offered a similar all-in countdown clock in its Blast games (though this feature was recently removed). PokerStars’ Spin and Go Max also includes a version of this, but it is not available in US markets.
This all-in mode has its pros and cons. The advantage for casual players is that it reduces the skill gap and ensures that games finish quickly. On the downside, it gives players less play for their money.
Blind Structure
Electric Poker runs at a faster pace compared to other Spins formats. Players start with a 500-chip stack, and blinds increase every two minutes regardless of the multiplier. In contrast, PokerStars’ Spin & Go, BetMGM’s Spins and BetRivers’ Cub3d also begin with a 500-chip stack, but their blinds increase every two or three minutes.
WSOP Online, on the other hand, offers a more dynamic blind structure based on the multiplier. For example, in a 2x multiplier game, players start with 300 chips, and blinds escalate every minute. At a 3x multiplier, the same 300-chip stack is used, but blinds increase every two minutes. As the multiplier grows, so do the starting stacks and the blind intervals. At 10x or 25x multipliers, players get 500 chips with blinds increasing every four minutes, while the highest multiplier awards a 1000-chip stack with blinds advancing every six minutes.
US Jackpot Sit and Gos Blind Structure Comparison
| Operator | Starting Stack | Blind Intervals | Countdown Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| PokerStars | 500 | 3 mins | NA |
| WSOP Online | 300 – 1000 | 1 – 6 mins | NA |
| BetMGM Poker | 500 | 3 mins | NA |
| BetRivers Poker | 500 | 2-3 mins | NA |
| DraftKings Poker | 500 | 2 mins | After 6 – 12 mins |
Bigger Jackpot Prize/Higher Variance
DraftKings has opted for a higher variance pay table in Electric Poker. While PokerStars, BetMGM and BetRivers offer top multipliers of between 1200x and 2000x the buy-in, DraftKings has followed WSOP’s lead by going with a 10,000x top multiplier.
This is not an uncommon top payout, as most global operators offer similar top payouts. It allows DraftKings Poker to advertise a massive jackpot, which may particularly appeal to casino players. For Electric Poker, the $25 buy-in offers a chance at a $250,000 jackpot.
However, in recent years, there has been a shift towards flatter payouts for lower variance games. In the regulated US market, WSOP’s Blast also features a 10,000x payout, but PokerStars and BetMGM have opted for lower top prizes.
Jackpot Sit & Go Multiplier Comparison $10 buy-in (US)
| PokerStars | DraftKings | WSOP | BetRivers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2x | 48.8685% | 47.78% | 49.18% | 43.845% |
| 2.5x | - | - | - | 34.544% |
| 3x | 42.021% | 35.9956% | 42.71% | - |
| 3.5x | - | - | - | 13.50% |
| 4x | - | 11.1133% | - | 5% |
| 5x | 8% | 4.60% | 7% | 2.5% |
| 10x | 1% | 0.50% | 1% | 0.50% |
| 25x | 0.1% | - | 0.10% | 0.1% |
| 100x | - | 0.01% | 0.0075% | 0.01% |
| 120x | 0.0075% | - | - | - |
| 200x | - | - | - | - |
| 240x | 0.0025% | - | - | - |
| 1000x | - | 0.001% | - | - |
| 1200x | - | - | - | - |
| 1500x | - | - | - | 0.001% |
| 2400x | 0.0005% | - | - | - |
| 10,000x | - | 0.0001% | 0.0001% | - |
Payout Distribution
Electric Poker’s payout structure sets it apart from its competitors, with notable differences in how prizes are distributed. In the 2x multiplier, which happens more than half the time, the tournament is winner-take-all which is in line with competitors. However, as the multiplier increases, multiple spots get paid.
At a 5x multiplier, two places are paid, with the second-place finisher earning a consolation prize of 20% of the prize pool. In a 10x multiplier, second place receives 25%, while the winner takes 75%. For 100x and higher multipliers, three spots are paid, with the winner getting 70% of the prize pool.
In contrast, PokerStars pays multiple places only at 120x multipliers and above. WSOP pays two spots at 10x and 25x multipliers, and all three at 100x and 10,000x. BetMGM follows a similar structure to WSOP.
MI Jackpot Sit and Go Payout Distribution
| Operator | 2x-4x | 5x | 10x | 25x | 100x | 1000x+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PokerStars | Winner Take All | Winner Take All | Winner Take All | Winner Take All | All places paid | All places paid |
| WSOP | Winner Take All | Winner Take All | 2 places paid | 2 places paid | All places paid | All places paid |
| BetMGM | Winner Take All | Winner Take All | 2 places paid | All places paid | All places paid | All places paid |
| DraftKings | Winner Take All | 2 places paid | 2 places paid | - | All places paid | All places paid |
DraftKings’ Electric Poker has many Casual Players
Pokerfuse took a trip to Michigan to try out Electric Poker, and after playing a few games, here’s what we found. As anticipated, there are a lot casual players in the games, likely because Electric Poker is offered through an online casino and is not part of an online poker room like other jackpot sit and gos in Michigan.
As part of DraftKings’ casino offering the Electric Poker player pool consists of sports bettors and casino players. The skill level of players at Electric Poker is noticeably lower than on traditional online poker sites — at least for now.
DraftKings Poker has also expanded into Pennsylvania where Electric Poker also sits in the DraftKings Casino lobby.
Rake
Electric Poker offers four buy-in levels: $1, $5, $10, and $25, with a consistent 7% rake across all tiers. This is in line with other Michigan poker operators, particularly PokerStars’ Spin & Go, which features the same 7% rake and similar buy-ins, starting slightly lower at $0.25 but also capping at $25. BetMGM’s Spins also apply a 7% rake across its four buy-ins.
The flat 7% rake makes Electric Poker competitive and potentially beatable for skilled players, even in Electric Mode.
In comparison, WSOP charges a higher rake at lower stakes (9-10% for micro stakes) while the newly launched BetRivers Poker’s Cub3d charges between 4% to 6% rake.
