How Do Poker Tournaments Work?

Online poker tournaments are extremely popular and are an excellent way to learn the game or accept challenges to climb to the highest level. With a fixed buy-in amount, you can play poker, and this buy-in is your only cost - if you go deep into large events, small investments can have big returns.

In poker tournaments, each player buys in for a fixed amount and receives the same number of chips at the start of the game. The difference between tournaments and cash games is that these chips have no cash value, and you cannot rejoin after you exit——as players are eliminated one by one, the tournament will determine the ultimate winner.

In cash games, blinds are fixed, but in tournaments, their amounts gradually increase. As players acquire chips from eliminated players, they accumulate more chips themselves, and the game continues.

Based on the tournament structure, players who finish in the top positions win prizes. The top 10% to 30% of participants typically share the prize pool, and the prize amounts increase as the tournament progresses. Complete information about each tournament's total prize pool and prize distribution is listed in the lobby.

Satellite tournaments are special tournaments where the prize is a fixed buy-in amount for a target tournament (or a later stage of a satellite tournament). In satellite tournaments, the prize pool is first divided into the maximum number of tickets, and any remaining prize money insufficient for a complete ticket is awarded to the player who finishes one position below those who win tickets.

Tournament Rules

Entry fee——The entry fee is displayed next to the tournament buy-in cost in the lobby. For example, a $100 + $10 tournament will put $100 of your buy-in amount into the prize pool, while the $10 is the entry fee.

Late registration——After a tournament begins, there is usually a period when players can still buy in and join the game (shown in the tournament information). After this period ends, no more players are accepted, and the tournament continues until a winner is determined.

Seating——When a tournament begins, players are randomly seated with their starting chip counts. As new players join during late registration, new tables are created, and players may be moved to different tables to balance the number of players at each table. As players continue to be eliminated and the tournament field shrinks, tables "break," and some players will again move to new seats when necessary.

Absent players——All players must play every hand. Players who are away from their seats (left or disconnected) will automatically post any blinds or antes. When it's their turn to make a decision, their hand will be folded.

Tournament speed and structure——Different tournaments have different structures and speeds. Tournaments can take a long time to resolve——especially for players who go deep! Whether you want to experience the fun and excitement of tournaments without spending a lot of time, or you prefer a slower pace (the speed at which blinds increase), you can find suitable options with us. In the lobby, you will find these types of tournaments (from slowest to fastest):

• Slow
• Regular
• Fast
• Turbo

Tournament types——Different tournaments have different formats and structures. Bounty or Knockout (KO) and Progressive Knockout (PKO) tournaments set aside a portion of each player's buy-in amount as a bounty that other players can win by eliminating them. When you eliminate another player (in KO tournaments), you win a bounty. In PKO tournaments, part of the eliminated player's bounty is added to your bounty, and the other part is immediately awarded to you as a prize.

Tournaments are held in various types of No-Limit Texas Hold'em, Short Deck, or Omaha. The number of players at a table varies, from Heads-Up (one-on-one, with the winner advancing to the next round until the final victor is determined) to 9 players. Six-max is a popular format with fewer players, with six players at the table.

Hand-for-hand play——In tournaments with over 100 participants, when approaching the money bubble (the bubble refers to the finishing position just one spot away from the prize money), hand-for-hand play is implemented. This means that only one hand is dealt at all tables at a time, and then the game pauses until all tables have completed that hand.

Simultaneous elimination——If two players are eliminated in the same hand, the player who had more chips at the start of the hand will have a higher finishing position.

Heads-up blinds——When a tournament enters the heads-up stage (with two remaining players), the button position must post the small blind and act first in the initial betting round.

Time bank and disconnection timer——When it's your turn to make a decision, a pre-set clock (time to make a decision) begins counting down. After using all your time, you can choose to activate a longer time bank. If a player exhausts their time bank, their hand will be folded. Depending on the tournament structure, more time is added to the extended time bank at different stages. When the system detects that your connection has been lost, the disconnection time bank automatically starts counting down. When the time expires, your hand will be folded, and you will be set to auto-fold.

Synchronized breaks——Most tournaments will have synchronized breaks, once per hour, at XX:55.

Multi-flight tournaments——In multi-flight events (where the goal is to advance to the final day of the event), you can participate in more than one flight. If you advance in more than one flight, you will typically carry forward your "largest chip stack"——the largest finishing chip count from your advancing flights will be the one you use when starting the next phase.

Online Poker Tournaments

QQPK explains how poker tournaments work, with an in-depth analysis of the structure and rewards of competitive gaming.

There are many types of poker tournaments, including freezeout tournaments (players are eliminated after losing all their chips), rebuy tournaments (players can rebuy if they lose their chips within a certain time), sit-and-go tournaments (players advance to the next round by winning at their table), and satellite tournaments (players compete to enter larger, more expensive tournaments).

Play online real-time poker games and cash games

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For a detailed guide to tournament gameplay and strategy, please visit our poker tournament page.