What’s the difference between a ten-handed Sit & Go and a six-max Sit & Go? That's easy – it's four people, right? Well, yes. But it only takes a cursory glance at the payout structure of the two to notice something else. In six-max Sit & Go 70% of the prize pool goes to first and just 30% to second, meaning that second place gets 1.8x their buy-in back and first gets 4.2x their buy-in. That’s massive! The jump between third and second in a six-max is less than the jump between first and second, meaning that the biggest bubble is not the actual bubble. Get it?
Bubble division
There are two other big differences that affect the six-max bubble. Often in a six-max Sit & Go you will reach the bubble at a stage where there’s still a fair amount of play. It’s not uncommon to be three-handed at level two or three of a Sit & Go, whether playing turbo or regular games. This means that fewer stacks are in push-bot mode and you can take advantage of your opponents’ fear of not cashing to build a stack that gives you the best chance of finishing first - which, given the payout structure, should be your aim.
It’s worth bearing in mind though, that in a six-max Sit & Go getting heads up with a 2-to-1 chip lead does not give you a 2-to-1 equity advantage – in a $10 Sit & Go with payouts of $42 and $18 the chip leader would have equity of $34 (56% of the prize pool) and the shorter stack would have equity of $26 (44%).
However, what this calculation doesn’t take into account is the extra leverage being chip leader in a heads-up situation can give you. As we’ve already noted there’s often a lot of play left (even in the turbos) so you can use your bigger stack to further stretch your lead before your opponent realises it’s already too late. It’s important, therefore, that when approaching a different type of Sit & Go, you think about the dynamics of each structure and revise how to take advantage of every edge.