Poker tournament

 Poker tournament

A poker tournament is where poker players compete to play. The tournament can include as few players as two on one table (called a head-up tournament), or as many players as thousands on thousands of tables. The tournament's winner is typically the one who has won all the poker chips in the game. Others are awarded places based upon the time they were eliminated. In most tournaments, the blinds are adjusted to increase as the tournament progresses. In tournaments, unlike in a cash or ring game, a player's chips can't be cashed out for any money. Instead, they are used only to determine the player’s place.

Buy-ins and Prizes

For a typical tournament, players pay a fixed buy in and are provided with a limited number of tournament chips at the beginning of play. Some venues charge an additional fee or withhold a small percentage of the buy-in to cover costs associated with running the event. There is no cash value to tournament chips. Tournament chips can only have a nominal value. The buy-in multiplied by the amount of each participant's tournament chips at the start is usually an integer. Some tournaments provide the possibility of a buy-back or rebuy, which allows players to purchase more chips. Some re-buys may be restricted (e.g. for players who are low in chips, or those with fewer), while others are open to all players. A player with no chips (and who has exhausted or declined all available rebuy options) is eliminated from the tournament.

The number of players at each tables is maintained even if one or more players are moved. Some tournaments, known as shoot-outs don't do this. Instead, one player, sometimes two or more, at each table, moves on to the next or third round. It is similar to a single elimination tournament in other games.

While the prize pools for winners are usually funded by buy-ins and other funds, they may also be open to outside entries. In some cases, invitational tournaments don't require buy-ins. They fund their prize pool with sponsorship revenue and/or gate revenues from spectators. Tournaments without a buy in are called freerolls. A freeroll tournament allows players to play once and is completely free. A freeroll tournament can also be called "freebuy". Freebuy events allow players to register with no cost and can be re-register if they lose any of their chips. [1]

The game continues in most tournaments until the last player is eliminated. In some situations, such as informal tournaments where there are multiple players, they have the option to end by consensus.

In reverse chronological order, players are ranked: the last person to play in a game is awarded 1st, the next-to-last 2nd, etc. This ranking of players through elimination is unique amongst all games. Additionally, it prevents any tie for first place since only one player can have all the chips necessary to finish the tournament. Ties are possible for all places, but they are rare as the only tiebreaker is how many chips one has at one's start of the hand. Therefore, two people must start hands with exactly the exact same number of chips in order to be eliminated from the tournament.

Sometimes the remaining players reach a mutual understanding and end a tournament. Two players might be left with chips worth $29 and $21 in a $10 game. These two players can split the prize according to their respective in-game currencies (or as they prefer).

Bounty tournaments can place a bounty upon some or all players. The bounty is paid to the opponent if a player knocks out their opponent. You may be able to win prizes by collecting individual bounties or the total bounty at the end of a tournament. Bounties work well in combination with a regular tournament prize pool where a small amount of each player's buyin goes towards their bounty.

Another tournament allows players to exchange chips during a tournament for cash prize money. Each player has a separate buy-in that goes towards a prize pool or a cash out pool. The cash-out rate is generally fixed. Players are also allowed to cash out after the end of the game. The rest of the cash out pool is either paid to the remaining field players or added into the regular prize pool.

One of two methods are used to award prizes to winners:

Fixed: Each placement corresponds with a payoff. In this example, $100 might be awarded to the first player in a $20 tournament. $60 would go to the second placer and $40 to the third. There is nothing for the lower places.

Proportional: Payouts will be determined based on a percentage scale. The payout percentages will rise with increased participation. About one in ten players will "cash", or earn enough money, as a rule. These rankings are very top-heavy with the top three players often winning more than the rest.

Open and invitational tournaments can be held. The World Series of Poker's Main Event (a $10,000 buy in no limit Texas Hold 'em tourney) is an invitational tournament.

Multi-table tournaments allow many players to play simultaneously at several tables, sometimes even hundreds. Satellite tournaments can be used to gain entry into major events without having to deposit a large sum of cash. These tournaments usually have smaller buy-ins and are held at various venues, as well as on the Internet. In lieu of cash prizes, the top players are awarded tickets to the main tournament. The number of places is dependent on their participation. Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event. He was able buy his seat via an Internet tournament, which had a $39 buyin. Greg Raymer, the 2004 World Series of Poker champion, obtained his seat by winning a $165 Internet event.

A single-table tourney, also known as STT, is the opposite to a multi-table event. A single-table tournament is a tournament that has a set number of tables. The chips are then distributed to the players and the game begins. Sit-and-go tournaments can be started at single tables. When the required number of players "sit", then the tournament "goes". These sit-and go tournaments that have more than one table are becoming more frequent, particularly in Internet poker. A single-table tourney behaves in the exact same way as a multitable tournament except that all players begin with the same amount chips and the starting bet is usually lower. Fixed payouts are almost universally used.

A tournament series can consist of single-table or multitable tournaments. Tournament series can include multiple tournaments in which prizes may be awarded. However, the series leaderboard (or standings) system is often used. Additional prizes drawn from individual tournament buy ins are awarded to the top performers of the series. The World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker use standings to decide the Player of the Year.

Playing format

Freezeout is the most commonly used format for playing poker tournaments. The dynamic pool is comprised of all players participating in a tournament. When a player loses all his chips, and gets eliminated from a tournament, his table shrinks. To avoid tables with multiple players and to combat the shrinking of the tables, players are moved among tables. As the tournament progresses, unnecessary tables are closed. The "final table", which is the final table, is where all players remain. Many sit and go tournaments end in a freezeout.

Rebuy tournaments allow players the opportunity to rebuy their chips in order to avoid elimination. Usually, this is a one- to two-hour period. The "rebuy" period ends and the game resumes as a normal freezeout tournament. Rebuy tournaments sometimes allow players to buy again even if they do not lose all their chips. The rebuy amount can then be added to the stack. In-game, players are not permitted to rebuy if they have too many chips. This is usually the amount of the start stack or half of it. Players who have not repurchased within the time limit are usually given the opportunity to buy an "add on", an additional number of chips. This is typically similar to the starting stack.

The "shootout", or tournament, is another option. A shootout tournament divides play in rounds. Standard shootout tournaments have between 2-10 players per table. After that, the table roster changes until only one player is eliminated. The table winners advance to the final table, where the tournament winner will be determined. A shootout tournament awards players places in tiers depending on how many rounds they completed and the place they were eliminated. Shootouts can have multiple rounds (triple quadruple or cinquel shootout) and may feature several players at each table moving (usually three). Shootouts are a popular format for large heads up multi-table tournaments. These may include double or triple elimination.

Recent innovation is the "mixed max" or "mixed maximal" tournament. Here, the table sizes can change over the course of an event. One example of this is the mixmax event at the 2012 World Series of Poker. The first day of play was nine-handed and the second day was six-handed. The rest of the tournament was heads-up. This made it a hybrid tournament that was both freezeout and shootout, with freezeout play at larger tables as well as shootout play during the heads up phase. [2]

Betting format

You can bet in tournaments in one of these three ways:

A fixed limit betting system restricts raises and bets to certain amounts. However, these amounts tend to increase as the tournament progresses. For example, raises in a seven-card Stud tournament with stakes at $10/20 would be $10 for the first three rounds, $20 for the last rounds.

Semi-structured bets allow for raises within a range. This format allows for a limit on the amount of money that a player can raise. It would be illegal for another person to raise more than $20 if one player has raised $20. The pot limit is semi-structured and raises can not exceed current pot size. Spread limit refers to a semi-structured format where bets and subsequent raises cannot exceed the current pot size.

Unstructured betting is also known as no limit. Although blinds, antes or bring-ins can be fixed, players have the freedom to place as many wagers as they like, even at the beginning of a round. If you lose the hand, it is possible to place all your chips. Sometimes players take the risk of losing their hand in tournaments with no limit. In Texas Hold'Em tournaments it is common for players to "all-in" even before the flop.

The betting structure is a key element of the game. Although other aspects of the game are similar, a fixed-limit version of the game and its no limit counterpart are considered different games due to the differences in strategies and play styles. A no-limit, which allows for aggressive betting, is more conducive to bluffing than a fixed-limit one. No-limit games can be very different depending on the preferences of the players. A informal, emergent betting system is created by the individual strategies and personalities of the players.

The stakes for each round as well as blinds and bring-ins as well as antes depending on the game are usually determined by the time taken or the number played.

There are many variations of poker

H.O.R.S.E. tournaments may offer more than one game. There are events that offer a mix of Omaha, Omaha, Razz and stud. Omaha and Texas hold’em tournaments can be found in both fixed-limit and non-limit Texas. Tournament play is almost entirely no-limit Omaha.

Tournament venues

A group of friends can organize informal tournaments. Many colleges have poker tournaments. Online gaming sites and casinos often offer daily tournaments.

These are not the only venues. There are also tournaments on board poker cruises. The Rio Hotel in Las Vegas was the venue for most of the World Series of Poker 2005 and 2006 events.

Major tournaments

The World Series of Poker in Las Vegas is the largest and most popular tournament in the USA. From 1987 to 2020, the World Series of Poker was shown on ESPN before CBS Sports became the domestic television partners for 2021. [3] PokerGO and the WSOP have been partnered since 2007 to provide live streams as well as on-demand content. [4]

In 1980, the Super Bowl of Poker became the second most important and prestigious tournament.

2005 World Series of Poker was not held at Binion's Horseshoe Casino. However, the final days of the main event were held at Benny's Bullpen. The Rio has been the venue for tournaments since 2005. [5]

The European Poker Tour, the largest and most well-known European tournament, was created in 2004 by John Duthie. This tour is the largest in terms of both players and prize pools. The World Series of Poker Europe started in London in 2007, moved to Cannes in 2011, then moved again to Paris in 2013. [6]

The Asia Pacific Poker Tour Macau tournament is the most popular and well-known in Asia.

The Latin American Poker Tour Argentina tournament is the largest and most well-known in Latin America.

Crown Australian Poker Championship, also known by the Aussie Millions host Crown Melbourne, is the largest regional tournament. Caesars Entertainment, owner of the WSOP and Crown Melbourne host of Aussie millions teamed up for the World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific. The first edition was held in 2013.

There are also other tournaments throughout the year. The World Poker Tour, which is broadcast at different venues throughout the year, features a series open tournaments in the U.S. and Caribbean. Buy-ins range between $5,000 and $25,000 and includes European events with a EUR10,000 buyin. Although some of these events can be held as stand-alone tournaments, like the Caribbean Poker Adventure (see below), most of the tournaments are combined with tournaments being held at host casinos, such the Commerce Casino's LA Poker Classic and Grand Sierra’s World Poker Challenge. 2010 saw the launch of a North American Poker Tour.

Atlantic City hosts The United States Poker Championship, which is broadcast by ESPN in recent times. It takes place at the Trump Taj Mahal casino.

The All Africa Poker Tournament, which is hosted by Piggs Peak Casino Piggs Peak (Swaziland), is the most important live poker tournament.

The National Heads-Up Poker Championship features 64 players competing in single elimination matches. It is the first ever tournament to be produced by a television network and is one of most prestigious tournaments in heads-up poker.

Online poker tournaments have grown to be larger than most live tournaments due to the internet poker revolution. The World Championship of Online Poker and the Full Tilt Online Poker Series are two of the largest online tournament series with prizes exceeding the million dollars. the basics of 9 table poker tournaments