Sit & Go ROI Calculator
Measures your long-run profitability in 9-player Sit & Go tournaments by comparing prize payouts to total buy-ins spent. Use it after any sample of SNGs to benchmark your edge.
About this calculator
Return on investment (ROI) for Sit & Go tournaments measures how much profit you generate per dollar invested in buy-ins. This calculator assumes a standard 9-player payout structure where first place receives 4.5× the buy-in, second place 2.7×, and third place 1.8×. The formula is: ROI = ((1st × buyIn × 4.5 + 2nd × buyIn × 2.7 + 3rd × buyIn × 1.8) − (tournamentsPlayed × buyIn)) / (tournamentsPlayed × buyIn) × 100. A positive ROI means you are a winning player over that sample; a negative ROI indicates a loss. Because variance is high in SNGs, a sample of at least 500 tournaments is generally recommended before drawing firm conclusions about your true edge.
How to use
Suppose you played 100 SNGs at a $10 buy-in, finishing 1st twelve times, 2nd ten times, and 3rd eight times. Prize money = (12 × $10 × 4.5) + (10 × $10 × 2.7) + (8 × $10 × 1.8) = $540 + $270 + $144 = $954. Total invested = 100 × $10 = $1,000. ROI = ($954 − $1,000) / $1,000 × 100 = −4.6%. Enter those five values into the calculator and it returns your ROI instantly, telling you that this sample is slightly unprofitable.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good ROI for Sit & Go poker tournaments?
A ROI of 5–10% is considered solid for low-stakes SNGs, while elite players at micro-stakes can exceed 15%. As stakes rise, game pools get tougher and ROI naturally compresses. Any positive ROI over a large sample (500+ games) indicates a genuine edge over the field.
How many Sit & Go tournaments do I need for my ROI to be statistically meaningful?
Due to the high variance in winner-take-most formats, most analysts recommend at least 500 SNGs before treating your ROI as reliable. With fewer games, a few big scores or bad runs can swing results dramatically. Tracking your results in a database tool alongside this calculator gives the clearest long-term picture.
Why does this calculator use fixed payout multipliers of 4.5x, 2.7x, and 1.8x?
These multipliers reflect the standard prize pool distribution for a 9-player SNG: roughly 50%, 30%, and 20% of the total prize pool. With a 10% rake the actual cash paid out maps closely to those multiples of the buy-in. If your site uses a different structure you should verify the payouts and adjust your expectations accordingly.