How Do Poker Tournaments Work?

Poker tournaments online are extremely popular and a great way to learn the game or compete at the highest level. With a solid buy-in, you can play poker knowing that's all it costs - and a good position in a big event can turn a small investment into a big win.

In tournament pokerIn a tournament, each player enters for a certain amount and receives the same number of chips at the start. The difference between tournaments and cash games is that these chips have no monetary value and you can't just enter and exit - in tournaments, the overall winner is determined as players are eliminated along the way,
In cash games, blinds are fixed, while in tournaments they increase as the tournament progresses. Thus, the game stays in motion while players' stacks grow as they pick up the chips of players who leave.

Prize money will be awarded to the players who finish in first place, depending on the tournament structure. The prize money is usually split between the top 10-30% of players, with the prize money increasing as the tournament progresses. Full information on the total prize pool and prize money distribution for each tournament can be found in the lobby.

Satellites are special tournaments in which the prizes are fixed amounts for a target tournament (or a subsequent satellite). In satellite tournaments, the available prize money is divided into ticket amounts and the remaining prize money not sufficient for a ticket is awarded to the player who finishes outside the ticket allocation places.

Tournament Rules

Entrance Fees - Entry fees are displayed in the lobby next to the buy-in for a tournament. For example, in a $100 + $10 tournament, your $100 buy-in is added to the prize pool and $10 is the entry fee.

Late Registration - After a tournament starts, there is usually a certain period of time (specified in the tournament information) during which you can still buy-in and join the game. After this period, no new players can enter and the tournament will be played to the end to determine the winner.

Seating - At the start of a tournament, players are randomly placed with their starting stack. If new players are added during late registration, new tables are formed and players can be moved to equalize the number of players at each table. If players leave, the tournament is compressed and tables are "broken", which in turn means that some players are moved to new seats as needed.

Absent Players - All players must be present for each hand. Any blinds or antes are automatically posted for players who are not at the table (unconnected or disconnected) and whose hand is folded when their turn comes.

Tournament Speeds and Structures - There are various tournament structures and speeds. It can take quite some time to complete a tournament - especially for those with a lot of money at stake! We offer options for players who want to experience the fun and excitement of tournament poker without investing too much time, as well as for those who prefer a slower clock (the speed at which the blinds increase). In the lobby you will find these tournament types (from slowest to fastest):

• Slow
• Regular
• Turbo
• Hyper Turbo

Tournament Types - There are different tournament formats and structures. In Bounty or Knockout (KO) and Progressive Bounty (PKO) tournaments, a portion of each player's buy-in is offered as a bounty. You earn a bounty when you knock out another player (KO tournaments), while in PKO tournaments, a portion of the knocked-out player's bounty is added to your own bounty and a portion is immediately earned as a cash prize.  ,

Tournaments can be played in no limit hold’em, short deck or Omaha variants, with varying numbers of players at a table, from heads up (one on one, with the winner advancing to the next round until the overall winner is declared) in9 handed. 6-Max is a popular short-handed tournament format where tables are six-handed.  

Hand-for-hand Play - In tournaments with more than 100 entrants, hand-for-hand play is introduced when the money bubble is approaching (the bubble is the last place that does not receive a share of the prize money). This means that one hand is dealt to each table and play is suspended until all tables complete the hand,

Simultaneous elimination - If two players are eliminated in the same hand, the player with the highest number of chips at the beginning of the hand is considered the highest ranked player.

Heads Up Blinds - When a tournament reaches the heads up stage (two players remain), the button places the small blind and starts the first round of betting.

Timebank and Disconnection Timer - When your turn comes, a pre-set shot clock is activated - the time available for actions. When this is exhausted, there is a larger time bank you can activate. When the player-activated time bank expires, your hand is folded. The extended time bank can be extended at various stages of the tournament depending on the structure of the tournament. There is also a disconnect time bank that is automatically triggered when the system detects that your connection has been broken. When it expires, your hand will be folded and set to auto-fold.

Synchronised Breaks – Most tournaments will have breaks at the same time, once an hour, at XX:55.

Multiple Flights - In events with multiple flights (leading to a final day), you can take part in more than one flight. If you survive more than one flight, you usually take your "best stack" with you, meaning the highest stack from your qualifying flights is the one you start the next stage with.

Tournament Cancellation Policy - We reserve the right to postpone or cancel a tournament without prior notice.

If a tournament is cancelled before the first hand is dealt:

• All buy-ins/tickets (including admin fees) are refunded
• If a player has a ticket and there are no subsequent qualifying events in which it can be used, it will be refunded in the form of tournament dollars ($T) or tickets of equal value for future events as we deem appropriate.

If a tournament is cancelled before registration is closed:

• Remaining players in the event are refunded according to ICM calculation*
• ICM is calculated using only the buy-ins + admin fee (not the guaranteed prize pool)

If a tournament is cancelled after registration is closed:

• The remaining players will be paid the total prize money (including guaranteed prize money) according to the ICM's calculation.

If a multi-flight tournament If there are connection problems during a flight, we may postpone the flight or event to a later date and time of our choosing. If problems occur during a particular flight (before money), players will be refunded the full registration fee and that flight will be cancelled or postponed at our discretion.

* ICM calculations are performed when the system detects the first significant number of disconnected players. If more players register after the first disconnections, they will be refunded their unpaid buy-in and administration fees based on the ICM calculation.

All Tournament Rules are intended to complement our overall Terms of Service. When we apply the rules, we consider that fairness is a priority in the decision-making process.  ,