STTs
Single table tournaments and Sit and go's are among the most accessible and popular forms of online poker. With a fixed entry price, and the same stack for all competitors, rising blinds force the action, and the prize pool is paid out according to finishing position. They have no set starting time like an MTT; instead they have a set number of competitors, and begin when they are full. Although they both refer to the same games, SNGs also include games with two or more tables.
The appeal of these games is down to a number of factors. With a fixed buy in, you know you're outlay, and the prize pool payouts are clearly defined when you enter, so you know you're possible income as well! The games are also shorter than a typical MTT, allowing for a quick session of poker, or multiple games. There are STTs starting every minute on many sites, so you'll never be short of a game.
STTs and SNGs are almost always freezeouts - when you lose all of your chips you're out (Although second chance and rebuys are available on some sites). Apart from this common factor, the options and range of these games is huge.
Players - Anywhere between 2-10 for STTs, and 2-180 for SNGs. Although SNGs get into the realms of MTTs in terms of entrants, you always know exactly how many players you will be facing when you enter.
Variants - Although NL hold'em is by far the game of choice, most poker variants and betting structures are available on many sites.
Structure - Blind structures vary from site to site, but there are lots of different options available on most sites, from turbos with very short blind levels, to medium and longer games. Some sites also offer blind levels defined by hands rather than time - so blinds go up every 20 hands for example. Stacks also vary usually between 1000 and 3000.
Buy in - All levels are catered for on most sites, from micro STTs for $1 or less, up to $1000 or more. Some sites cap their rake at a certain level, making higher buy-in STTs better value.
Payouts - Payouts vary by the number of entrants, but are always clearly listed before the game starts. Common payout structure percentages are 50/30/20 to the top 3 for 10 players, 70/30 to the top 2 for 5/6 players. One of the newest payout structures around is the "double up", where half the entrants win double their buy in back.
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