Online poker tournaments range from Stud to Texas Hold’em, although Hold’em is the most popular format. They can consist of a single table of players or multiple tables. Some allow rebuys and add-ons, but most are single buy-in events.
They do require more of a time commitment than cash games because you can’t walk away from the table without losing your place in the competition. However, they are also easier for beginners to get to grips with, and placing in the money can reap good rewards.
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Tournament types
Tournaments and cash games are available at US-friendly poker sites, enabling registration and play from anywhere in the US. Any standard player can join tournaments. According to casino expert Cameron Dhaliwal, the lower-stakes games do tend to be made up of newer amateurs, and vice versa, but this isn’t guaranteed.
You will generally find most tournaments are single-table events because they’re easier to register for, but bigger sites also hold some very big multi-table and even satellite tournaments.
How the tournaments play out and what you can expect will differ according to the type of tournament you play in.
Sit and go
Sit-and-go tournaments are commonly found across most casino and poker sites. These are single-table events that will usually seat anywhere between 6 and 9 people. Once the table is full, play starts. Most games do not allow rebuys, and all players pay the same buy-in.
Prizes are awarded to the players that finish in the top 2 for a 6-player tournament or in the top 3 for a 9-player tournament.
Multi-table
A multi-table tournament consists of two or more tables. Players are eliminated when their stacks are depleted. Generally, tables are reassigned when there are a certain number of players left. Eventually, there will be a single table for the final few players.
Freeze-out
A freeze-out tournament is a basic tournament. All players start with the same amount of chips, and there are no rebuys. When a player’s chip count hits zero, they’re out. Play continues until there’s one player left standing.
Progressive knockout
In progressive knockout tournaments, players pay their buy-in, and half this money goes into the prize pot whilst the other half goes into a bounty pool. Every player starts the game with an equal share of the pool as a bounty on their head.
When one player eliminates another, they keep half of the bounty, and the other half is added to their own bounty.
Players who eliminate a lot of others can end up with high bounties, and progressive knockout tournaments are popular because there is an opportunity to win a good pot without getting close to the final table. The rest of the tournament operates in the same way as a standard tournament.
Heads-up
Heads-up poker is played between two people. Both players start with the same amount of money, and play continues until one player is eliminated, leaving the winner. The winner takes all of the prize pot.
Rebuy tournament
Rebuy tournaments allow players to buy back in when they go bust. Rebuys are usually only offered during the first stage of the game, for example, for the first hour after the tournament has started.
Once the rebuy period has ended, the tournament will play out the same as a standard tournament. The rebuy value is usually the same as the initial buy-in, but the site might take a rake every time.
Satellite tournament
A satellite tournament is one with a first prize that includes entry or a reduced fee in a larger, more prestigious tournament. Satellite tournaments can lead to very big prizes for some of the best players.
What you need to know
Before you start playing an online tournament, there are certain features you need to check:
- Buy-In – The buy-in is the amount each player has to pay to enter the tournament. This amount can vary considerably between tournaments and venues, with some only costing a dollar or so and others costing hundreds of dollars or more.
- Starting Stack – When the player pays their buy-in, they will receive their starting stack. This is the number of chips the player has to start with, and in tournament play, this is generally the same for all entrants.
- Pot Split – Pot split is the amount of money given to the players who finish top in a tournament. The site keeps some of the buy-in money as its rake, but the rest is then divided accordingly. Some tournaments pay a small pot to the winner of each table as well as to the top few players at the final table. This does vary, however, and it is worth knowing before you play.
Tournament poker play
Tournament play is different from cash games in several ways.
- In a cash game, a player’s chips are worth real money. In tournament play, they don’t have any value outside of that tournament.
- During cash games, players can cash out and leave the game whenever they want. If you leave the table during a tournament, you lose your seat and are out.
- In cash games, players can keep funding their wallets and replenishing their chip pool. Although rebuys are available in some poker tournaments, this isn’t true in all competitions. Once you lose your chips, you’re usually out of a tournament.
- In terms of winnings, cash games offer more consistent profit (or loss) levels, whereas tournaments tend to offer peaks and troughs in poker cash flow. But tournament peaks can be very big, which draws a lot of players into the format.
Conclusion
Having developed from a game played more than 1,000 years ago, poker has become one of the most popular card games in the world.
As well as being enjoyed in person, live cash poker online has also become very popular.
Some players prefer cash games for their greater consistency in profits and losses, whilst others prefer the buzz of tournaments and the possibility of winning a big prize.
