Online Poker Tournament Types

Tournaments are available in many styles and formats for all major poker games. The popularity of tournaments has exploded due to the televising of many large scale live events, and many players are choosing to become tournament specialists.

Multi-Table Tournaments

Players start multi-table tournaments with a fixed number of chips and play until one player has all the chips. Blinds and antes increase as the tournament progresses, and as players are eliminated, tables are consolidated together. The number of tables is eventually reduced to one final table which is composed of the top table winners of the field. The total sum of all the entry fees is divided up and awarded to the top players in accordance to the total amount of entries for the tournament.

Freerolls

A freeroll tournament is a multi-table tournament in which there is no entry fee. Many freerolls have prizes either in terms of money, player points, or entries to other tournaments. Freeroll listings can be found under the “Scheduled Tournament” tab in the Poker Software. Keep in mind, freeroll tournaments usually have a restricted number of entries, so early registration is suggested.

Qualifiers

Qualifiers, sometimes referred to as "Satellites," are tournaments designed to allow players to win seats in a bigger tournament at a fraction of the buy-in. A multi-table tournament can have several Qualifiers that players may enter to win a seat at the bigger event. A player can enter a $10 Qualifier and win a $100 seat in a multi-table tournament. Qualifying events for various multi-table tournaments can be found under the “Scheduled Tournament” tab.

Qualifier tournaments will pay out in Tournament Tickets. These tickets can then be used to buy in to the next level of the tournament. Tournament Tickets cannot be converted to real money, but can be used like cash to buy-in for the tournament indicated.

Multi-Table Sit and Go

A multi-table Sit and Go (MSG) is a mini-tournament that does not begin at a designated time, but rather when all of the seat are filled. We currently host multi-table Sit and Go tournaments that include anywhere from 18 to 45 players (two to five tables). Blind levels increase based on time depending on the type of tournament you decide to play in. Our regular MSGs have blinds increase at 10 minute intervals, whereas our turbo MSGs will have blinds increase at five minute intervals. Payouts for these tournaments range depending on the size of the tournament that a player chooses to participate in. To view the payout structure for any given tournament, a player simply needs to double-click on the tournament in question to open the Tournament Lobby.

Re-Buy Tournaments

A typical multi-table tournament has only one buy-in and once a player is out of chips they are eliminated from the tournament. Re-buy tournaments are different from traditional multi-table tournaments in that they allow players to purchase additional chips during the course of the tournament.

Players will be offered a re-buy option whenever they run out of chips, although they may choose to re-buy any time their chip stack falls below the designated amount.

Most re-buy tournaments have a set period of time in which re-buys may be purchased and there may be a limit to the number of re-buys a player may purchase during the course of a tournament.

Re-buy tournaments typically offer a last opportunity to purchase chips, known as the "add-on." The add-on is offered at the end of the re-buy period and is normally available to all players regardless of their stack size. The amount of a re-buy or add-on is usually the same as the original buy-in.

The prize pool and payouts will not be announced until after the re-buy and add-on period is finished, as the prize pool will be increased by the additional re-buys and add-ons.

Sit and Go

A Sit and Go is a mini-tournament that does not begin at a designated time, but rather when all the seats are filled. Blind levels go up based on time: with a standard 10-player Sit and Go, blinds go up every 10 minutes. Payouts for a 10-handed Sit and Go are generally to the top three, with first winning 50% of the prize pool, second winning 30% and third winning 20%. The payouts are displayed in the Main Lobby of the tournament that is highlighted.

Sit and Go Turbo and Super Turbo

A Sit and Go Turbo is a variation where blinds increase faster. Instead of blinds moving up every 10 minutes like a standard Sit and Go, in Turbo, blinds go up every five minutes. As for a "Super Turbo" Sit and Go, blinds go up every three minutes.

Sit and Go - Short Handed

Sit and Go Short-Handed Tournaments can be played with two or six players. With these variations payouts are altered to pay out two players in a six-handed game, and one player in a two-player game. These tournaments are generally very fast paced and can provide some exciting action.