Online Poker > Online Poker Tournaments
Tournaments
Online poker tournaments provide fantastic entertainment value and can prove extremely profitable with big prizes to be won in relation to the buy-in. From Guaranteed Pot and Freerolls to No Limit Texas Hold ‘em , there are tournaments happening online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – whether it’s a Fixed Tournament or a Sit n Go you are sure to find an online tournament that suits your style of play!
A 'tournament' is an online poker contest in which all players start with an equal amount of poker chips and continue to play until one player remains and accumulates all the chips. The Blinds or ‘antes’ are raised consistently throughout the tournament forcing the players to act as the blinds eat away at their stack. When a player loses all of his or her chips, they are knocked out of the tournament. The poker tournament continues until one player remains, winning all of the chips. Prizes are still handed out to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and can often pay down to 100th place if the tournament has enough players. This makes tournament play all the more attractive as players can still ‘Make it to the money’ without having to win.
Freeroll Tournaments – There is no cash buy in to the tournament, although some tournaments require ‘player points’, accumulated from playing in other poker games, or some sort of poker room loyalty scheme to enter.
Guaranteed Pot Tournaments – The total pot is set to a guaranteed limit no matter how many players sign up to the tournament. This can be very attractive when only a few players register meaning greater odds for you to win a big prize pot.
Quallifiers & Satallite Tournaments – A pre-tournament offered at a reduced buy-in relative to the main tournament. Winners of Satellite Tournaments, and often placed players, are offered free entry to the next level Satellite Tournament or main tournament. Qualifiers & Satellite Tournaments may be offered as Freerolls. This can often be a cheap way to gaining entry to the big prize tournaments with relatively unknown players like Chris MoneyMaker winning a place in the main event of the World Series of Poker from an online satellite tournament.
Sit & Go Tournament – Single Table Tournament (STT)
Sit & Go tournaments are so called because as soon as all the players are seated, usually between 5 and 10, the game starts. The game will continue until one winning player remains, much like the final table. Prizes are usually won by the top 3 placed players also. Seat allocation is not random as players can choose their seat on a first come first served basis.
You may also be allowed to 'un-register' from a Sit and Go tournament while the registration window is still open.
Heads Up Tournaments:
Heads up tournaments are One-on-One Sit & Go tournaments played between two players. However, you can also have a multi table heads up tournament where all the players are divided into tables of two, the winner of each table progressing to the next table. These can be extremely fast paced and fun with both players being involved in almost every hand.
Fixed Tournament, Scheduled Tournament & Multi Table Tournament or MTT’s
Multi-table tournaments are the worlds most popular online poker tournaments today. This is where the glamour and attention is focused with chances to win big prizes for small wagers. Multi-table tournaments challenge your online poker skills and the players that do well are sometimes offered sponsorship deals.
Fixed tournaments have many players with multiple tables starting off simultaneously. Fixed Tournaments are so called because they have a set starting time and players must register in advance in order to play. Although late entry is sometimes allowed in some fixed tournaments.
Before the fixed tournament is scheduled to start your online poker room will notify you. You will then be randomly assigned to a seat prior to tournament starting.
As the play progresses and players are eliminated or knocked out, the remaining players are automatically moved to different tables in order to keep them full.
As players are knocked out from the tournament, the tables are combined, thus reducing the number of players until there is only one table left, the infamous ‘Final Table’.
When the number of players and tables has reduced to a critical point Hand For Hand Play is used. This occurs to allow all tables to play the same exact number of hands. Again this is also automatic, whereby play will be paused until all tables have completed that hand.
Re-buys – some Fixed Poker Tournaments allow players to buy extra chips during the tournament. This is usually only allowed up until a fixed point, such as the first break. After that point no more re-buys are allowed and the play continues until the winner takes all of the chips.
Deal Making - Deal making allows for fixed tournament players at the final table to make a deal for all or part of the remaining prize pool. Rather than continue play the players left can decide if they want to split the prize there and then should they wish.