An Overview of Poker Tournaments

In the world of poker one of the most exciting ways to play is in tournaments. In poker tournaments you can compete against large numbers of players for big prizes. If you are new to poker tournaments then you may not know how they work or what different options you have when it comes to tournament play. The following is an overview of the different kinds of poker tournaments you can choose from.

For starters, you need to understand how to sign up for a tournament. Most poker tournaments require an entry fee or buy-in. For your buy-in you gain entrance into the tournament and each player receives a predetermined amount of chips to use during tournament play. It is important to note that there are also freeroll poker tournaments in which there is no buy-in but you still compete for real cash and prizes. Freerolls are generally offered as promotions by online casinos.

When it comes to poker tournament format the most popular type of tournaments are elimination poker tournaments. In an elimination tournament all the players start out with the same number of chips and are eliminated as they run out of chips. The player who ends the game with all of the chips is declared the winner. In an elimination tournament the final player is not always the only one to win a prize. Quite frequently all of the players at the final table will win some percentage of the final prize, although the final player standing will win the biggest reward.

Another poker tournament format is the re-buy tournament. In a re-buy tournament, players that lose all of their chips can re-buy more chips, as the name suggests, and continue playing. In re-buy tournaments many players start out the game more aggressively because they know that even if they are eliminated they can always buy back into the tournament. Because players are allowed to re-buy the prize in this sort of tournament can also wind up being much larger than originally expected.

In many poker tournament variations the tables are rearranged and combined as players are eliminated. However, this is not the case in shootout tournaments. A shootout tournament is one in which each table of players continues to play until there is one single player remaining. Later, the winners from each table compete against one another in a final table. The final player remaining at the final table is the winner.

Finally, one of the most exciting types of poker tournaments is the satellite tournament. A satellite tournament is sort of like a mini-tournament or qualification tournament that allows players to gain entry into larger, more expensive and more prestigious tournaments. For instance, a satellite tournament with a $100 entry fee may offer the winner entry into a tournament with a $1,000 entry. This is a great way for good players that can’t afford the buy-ins for big poker tournaments to gain entrance to them despite their large entry fees.

Now that you understand the basics of poker tournaments and the different types and variations you are ready to start playing tournament style poker. You can start out with a freeroll or inexpensive tournament and figure out which tournament style you like best.