> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://smily.gitbook.io/smily-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://smily.gitbook.io/smily-docs/payouts.md).

# Payouts

## By table size

The number of paid positions scales with the size of the table. Small tables are winner-takes-all, larger tables pay the top finishers.

| Format and size        | Paid positions                                      |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| Heads-Up (2)           | Winner-takes-all                                    |
| Sit and Go (4)         | Winner-takes-all                                    |
| Sit and Go (8)         | Top 2                                               |
| Sit and Go (16)        | Top 3                                               |
| Sit and Go (20)        | Top 3                                               |
| Spin and Go (3)        | Winner-takes-all, or top 2 to 3 at high multipliers |
| Tournaments and Series | Leaderboard, top N share the prize pool             |

For multi-position payouts, the prize is split among the paid positions on a declining schedule, with first place receiving the largest share. The exact split per position is a tunable parameter set per format and published in the room rules, so a player always knows the structure before they sit down.

## The fee split

Every pot is divided the same way, in every format.

* **97% to the winners,** per the payout structure above.
* **2% burned,** removed from supply, denominated in $SMILY, taken directly from the pot.
* **1% operating revenue,** funding operations, the team, and marketing.

This is lean relative to the category. Poker rake is frequently 5% or more. Returning 97% of every pot is a generous, transparent, and ownable position: the house takes only 1%, burns 2% for holders, and gives 97% back to players. The full breakdown of the fee and the burn is in [Fees, Burn and Deflation](broken://pages/2e6bef97c0647c73fd6eed56b81e1a4f52383da0).

## A worked payout example

A Gold-tier eight-player Sit and Go. Each player stakes 100,000 $SMILY. The pot is 800,000 $SMILY.

* **Burn:** 2% = 16,000 $SMILY removed from supply.
* **Operating revenue:** 1% = 8,000 $SMILY.
* **To winners:** 97% = 776,000 $SMILY, split between the top 2 on a declining schedule (for example, 65% and 35% of the winner pool, which is tunable).

Every Gold eight-player room burns 16,000 $SMILY. As volume and tier size rise, the burn rises in proportion. The buy-in tiers are therefore the throttle on deflation, which is covered in [Buy-in Tiers](broken://pages/55cccb7fd021f3c0e9ebfe532090b94433233bc0).

## How ties affect payouts

A tie does not break the structure. Players tied for a paying position combine the prizes for the positions they occupy and split them equally (a chop), and a Heads-Up tie returns each stake minus the burn (a push). The 2% burn applies in every case, including ties, so the deflation is never skipped. The exact tie rules are in [Scoring and Smily Points](broken://pages/eeb3f2ded91b7d43d0962711900a5e1b7de4e0b1).


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