Most online poker rooms such as Carbon Poker offer players a vast range of games – including both heads-up cash games and heads-up sit and go’s. And many beginning players want to know what the main differences between playing HU cash and HU SNG’s are. This being said, let’s take a look at some differences you’ll encounter when moving between the two forms of HU play.

Blinds are a Big Factor in HU SNG’s

The most notable difference is that blinds are a factor in SNG’s. For example, you may start with 1,500 chips and blinds at 15/30 (gives you 50bb total), but by the time blinds reach 100/200, you may have less than 10bb; at this point, you’re either shoving or folding. On the other hand, the same sense of urgency isn’t there in cash games because blinds don’t increase. So you have more time to sit back and make +EV moves.

Swings are Bigger in HU Cash

If you’re going to play HU cash games, you’d better be strong mentally from a bankroll management perspective. That’s because some big swings can happen as you’re grinding in cash games since there’s no cap to the amount of money you can win or lose. Looking at SNG’s, the most money you can lose is your original buy-in, which is comforting to new players who are trying to learn the game without dropping too much money.

HU Cash is Typically Tougher

Good players can gain more of an edge in heads-up cash games because more money is exchanged in a shorter time period. That said, HU cash competition is normally a little tougher than HU SNG’s when similar stakes are taken into account. So we strongly recommend that beginners stick to SNG’s when trying to learn heads-up play. After all, your losses are capped and you’ll see a bit weaker competition in HU SNG’s.