Well, I'm new to the forum but I'm playing poker for about 3 months but not regularly only when i feel like i want to. So, my question is that where i will experience bigger and longer downswings in HU or 6max Sit&Go's?

The bigger the playing field the bigger the variance.

Well, I started with 45 dollars and now i have 127 dollars playing only sit&go's. I know it's not great or even good but it's better to win little than lose. I'm still reading a lot of books and going through the forum to improve my game.

And my question was general whether a good player is going to experience more dowswings in HU or 6max(or FR). But thx for replying!

This definitely isn't true in this case. I've played about 3k HU SNG's and about 500 6maxes (lol sample size). But, the key is being able to multitable vs 1 tabling. 1 tabling heads up is going to make variance a lot brutal and you will be more prone to tilt just because you're focused on one table. I 16 table 6maxes and I don't give a **** when i take a badbeat on one table and have 15 left open. You will be able to play your A game longer playing 6maxes, and a lot more volume, which will lower long term variance.

So stop tilting. Seriously, the bigger the field, the bigger the variance. Do the math. Assuming equal skill:

Heads-up: 50% to double
6-max SnG: 16,6% to ~double 16,6% to ~quadruple.

6-max SnG has a smaller winchance but bigger pay-outs, thus provides more variance.


Let's say we flip a count for double or nothing, or we roll a dice that pays 4 x the buy-in on 6 and 2 x the buy-in on 5. Which game has higher variance?

But if you can play more games at 6 max than heads up in the same time span, that would lessen the variance in 6 max substantially. If you are playing 15 games of 6 max at once and 1 heads up, heads up will definitely show more variance.

It will show less variance in #game and more in #time. The choice is yours. How you could 16-table 6-max and only be able to 1-table HU is beyond me, but go nuts.

In terms of cash games hu is ridic more swingy

Depends on who you're playing, but generally yes. Topic was about SnG's though.

Thanks for all replies.

And if anyone could answer to this question, I would appreciate it. What bankroll would you recommed me to have if i would like to play 5 dollar HU sit&go's?

ehh i dont buy that 6max or full ring has less variance than hu sng or cash... hu is probably the hardest form of nlhe and hence your edge will be shown in this form more than any other form so i would say overtime less variance will be in hu cash or sng

10-20 buy in downswings happen at every game whether multi tabling or single tabling, also remember your 1tabling game is going to be much better than multi tabling so bigger and longer downswings will/should happen multi tabling 6max/full ring vs 1tabling hu cash/sng

20 buy-ins is enough for small stakes husngs if you're prepared to drop down if you go below 15.

This is sound BRM-wise.

20 BI will be more than enough for HU SNGs

The longest downswings will probably be experienced in cash games, just because you can go on a perpetual losing streak for months. At least in a tourney you can lose 50 games and then make 1 sick score to win it all back. In HU your graph will just be spiking up and down constantly, so not really a downswing as it is a variance fest. But dont let that deter you from playing normal cash ring games. They are the least variance heavy.

I just switched from $20 hu sng's to 16 tabling $5 6maxes. I've had a much higher hourly at the 6maxes, but my sample size is still pretty small. If i maintain a 17% ROI I'll make an average profit of $1 a game, If I'm remembering correctly. You'll make about a dollar a game at $10 heads ups with a 10% ROI, but you will only get about 4 games an hour. The choice is pretty obvious tbh. If you would rather focus on heads up, start grinding a bankroll with 6maxes because they are super soft and the volume is easy. Switch once you have a nice BR and can hire a HU SNG coach.

EDIT: Obviously, you might not be able to play 16 6maxes at a time. You need to work out what ROI you think you can maintain in both and how many you can play in an hour to see what hourly you will be able to achieve in both. If you can 10+ table the 6maxes, which is actually pretty easy, it will be more profitable to start out with those. Also, switching between both will benefit you also. The HU SNG's will help you out a lot because you will have a pretty big edge over a regular sit n go player when it gets to heads up. Also, the ability to play loose aggressive during the bubble gives you another huge edge.

edit2: Also, you will want to play 6maxes in sets, this way you will have already busted out of some of the games when they get to short handed / heads up, which will allow you to focus more on these games during the most important stages.

If you can move down 20 is ideal.

It's easy to lose 10 buy-ins in a bad session and if you get stuck on trying to win it back as quick as possible you can lose your whole bankroll while experiencing normal variance.

6maxes are boring bro

I make more money this way, so its not boring.

You have to admit though it's a lot more fun winning a husng than it is winning a 6max.

I love HU SNG's when I get in a game with another good/decent reg that is somewhere around my skill level. A good HU match is extremely fun to play, but playing passive nits, fish, or ******s can get pretty boring. But obviously, I don't want to sit regs everytime lol.

Yup, finding a good opponent while playing lowstakes is a treat.

I'm not sure I agree with your 4 games/hour though. It's not hard to do 6 or 7 per hour against players who don't mind playing big pots. This is on FT though where the structure is a little faster.

Thanks a lot, everybody!
Some good advices there that i'll try out.

Thanks again!

In terms of skills request: HU > 6-max > FR. So, if you just started playing the game, go FR first, then 6-max, then HU.

Hey I've just started playing. I'm not starting with FR, but 6max @2nl. I know I would love HU(I love 1v1s) but I read that the rake is pretty bad @ $2husng. I decided it wouldn't be a great place to grind it out when first starting out. What limit would you suggest a new player get to in 6max before considering grinding HU?