As you might have guessed, every site featured here in our top five offers a decent selection of all variations of tournaments at a wide range of buy-in levels. There are simply hundreds of thousands (if not more) of tournaments running around the clock across these skins. If cash games are the lifeblood of a poker site, then tournament offerings are the heart. And a big one, at that.
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Ranking Poker Site Tournament Offerings - How We Did It
Our ranking takes into consideration factors like number, volume, diversification, special events/series, overall frequency, and buy-in levels, among other things. So while we rank at the top spot - and we'll get to why soon enough - they don't necessarily offer the highest buy-in . Nor do they host the largest . But when all categories are averaged, they come out ahead. But let’s be clear about something right from the start: all of the poker sites ranked here are elite operators with a long track record of success. It would be just as reasonable to pick any one of them as the ‘best online poker tournaments’ site.
Speaking of pick, if you're looking for the best poker tournament experience, look no further than the table below to find the top poker tourney site for you. After picking your site, be sure to check how each compares against its counterparts in our extensive poker site comparisons.
Top 5 Poker Sites for Tournaments
- PokerStars (best overall online poker tournaments)
- partypoker (second-to-none tournament features)
- 888poker (best poker tournament software)
- Unibet Poker (most varied selection of tournaments)
- GGPoker (best poker tournaments high rollers will find online)
1. PokerStars - The Best Site for Online Poker Tournaments Overall
PokerStars has held the No. 1 spot in virtually every category since it entered the industry in 2001, and this is no exception. They set the bar - and everyone else tries to reach it. Indeed, even the bottom lines in their balance sheets are bigger. The simple fact is that PokerStars is so far ahead of the pack in terms of the sheer size and scope of their tournament offerings that trying to catch them would be like trying to outrun a hurricane on foot.
In 2019, PokerStars offered more than $17 million worth of guarantees across their daily schedule. During busy times, like the weekend or the annual Winter Circuit online, that number can easily double or even triple. PokerStarks also hosts several series per year, with their flagship event being the . In 2019, the event drew over 100,000 unique players from all over the globe to compete for a share of the $2 million prize pool starting from as low as $0.01.
Macau High Stakes Challenge
And yes, they offer higher stakes . The is a bi-weekly tournament with a $10,000 buy-in, and the $100k challenge takes place once a week with a whopping $25,000 price of entry. For less wealthy players there are plenty of satellites available to both, starting as low as $1.10. If you want to play high roller poker tournaments online, look no further than PokerStars.
But the real reason PokerStars has maintained its position at the top of the food chain for nearly two decades isn't because of its massive playerbase, although that certainly helps. It's due mostly to the relentless innovation exhibited by the Nicks (Leeson and Feather), who aren't afraid to tweak or tinker with their product constantly. Examples include the introduction of , , snap-cam tables, bounty, and many others.
Tournament Types at PokerStars
Spin & Go's
As you would expect from an operator of this caliber, the selection is vast and diverse. Of course, all hold'em and Omaha formats are represented, but there are some lesser-seen variants as well, including:
- Fast Forward (aka "Zoom")
- Lottery SNGs ("Spin & Gos")
- Short Deck Hold'em
Low-stakes players will feel right at home at PokerStars with dozens upon dozens of micro-stakes tournaments running all day and all night in every variation and format. And even after moving up a couple of levels, players won't have any trouble finding soft tourneys to enter. The difference, of course, is that the prizes get progressively larger as you go.
One of the most popular features of PokerStars' tournament offerings - outside of the low-hanging fruit for soft competition - is their progressive bounty MTTs. The marquee event is the PDCI, which has produced multiple $1 million score, the last coming in early 2019. Satellites for the big event begin every week and cost less than a movie ticket.
When you're ready to join the poker elite, PokerStars will be waiting for you with open arms - and hundreds of thousands of regular players with holes in their souls just begging to be explored. Just remember to pay attention to the shorthanded and heads-up-only events to maximize your edge.
2. partypoker – Best Poker Tournaments When It Comes to Features
partypoker took a nosedive for a few years there after ESN caught them cheating and gave them to one of their competitors. However, partypoker has made a strong comeback under new management. They now offer a ton of great features and promotions for their tournaments, surpassing most of the competition outside of perhaps .
Among the many features partypoker now offers their players are the Sit & Crash boom-style tournaments, which begin as SNGs but increase bounties as players are eliminated until only one remains. The Championship tournaments are multi-day events that draw thousands of entries and buy-ins ranging from $5 to $25,000. The most notable of these is the - a series of tournaments that runs once a month and culminates in a $1 million guaranteed main event.
partypoker has also done away with rake in certain situations with their RakeFree policy, which can save you up to 6% over the course of a tournament. When you combine that with the TOUGH LOSE SUNDAYS REFUND, where you can get 20% refunded if you bust out of four tournaments in a day, and you've got a pretty attractive deal for anyone looking to grind through a bunch of partypoker tournaments. Check our full review below for more details.
3. 888poker – Best Online Poker Tournament Software & User Experience
While PokerStars gets props for having the most tournaments and partypoker receives accolades for innovative features, 888poker wins the award for best user interface and experience. This doesn't mean that either of the other two is difficult to figure out, but there is a learning curve with anything new, especially if you're used to live poker. 888poker claims that they have the lowest learning curve in online poker, and we tend to agree. Their software is second to none, and the software is available on almost every device imaginable, from iOS and Android to Amazon Alexa.
Reasons Why You Should Play with the Same Live Casino Dealer Every TimeThis does not mean that 888poker is lacking in the quantity department, though. Quite the opposite; in fact. There are usually over 100 tournaments running every day, ranging in buy-ins from freerolls up to the high hundreds. They also offer unique tournaments such as Super Turbo Bounty, which is only seven minutes long! You better hope that you're close to the action when your opponent gets knocked out so you can collect your bounty because the level will be changing fast in these.
888poker also offers deepstack structures, which start you off with a generous stack and slower blinds structure. This type of tournament tends to pay out many places and allows more creative playing styles. They offer these in hold'em, Omaha, and even mixed-hand poker, which deals you a hand from each of the two tables you're seated at. 888poker also has a series that runs once each quarter. These are called XL Blizzards, and they feature huge guarantee main events and a ton of satellite opportunities.
4. Unibet Poker - Most Varied Selection of Poker Tournaments
Unibet Poker is known throughout Europe as having one of the most varied selections of tournament poker, and now the rest of the world can enjoy it too. With a focus on recreational players and fun, Unibet has a great selection of theme tournaments alongside your standard fare. For example, recently they had a Star Trek series with events named after planets from the Star Trek universe and a Picard/Kirk bake/rakeoff that gave a large chunk of the entry fee back to players who busted.
They focus on team competitions and have a great setup for playing with your friends or joining a larger group (like ) temp orgency. Clash of Group was designed specifically for friendly competition between groups of eight, and the Passport to Prizes leaderboard lets you represent your country against all others. In addition to these, they have sit and go's, daily guaranteed tournaments, and even heads-up events.
If you're looking for an online poker experience that is more laid back, Unibet Poker may be exactly what you need. Even their non-theme events have names instead of numbers, making it easy to remember which one you want to play. Remember, poker is a game, and Unibet helps you remember that.
5. GGPoker - The Best Poker Tournaments for High Rollers
It might seem odd to put GGPoke in fifth place considering we've said time and again how quickly they've grown to become one of the biggest online poker rooms in the world. However, most of GGPoker's users play cash games, and tournaments are quickly catching on thanks to their innovative features and staggeringly high guarantees. The latest record for the most participants in an online poker tournament was broken on this platform, with more than 6,600 players competing for a chance to win the $2M guaranteed top prize during the WSOP 2021 Online Main Event on GGPoker.
The network, in fact, consists of several skins, including Singapore's Full Throttle, Malaysia's Good Game, the Supersonico brand aimed at the Spanish and Latin American markets, and the Burger King-themed ClubGG, which is only available in select Asian countries. All share a common client, however, which means they all have an identical offering when it comes to .
With GG taking down the record for the biggest-ever online poker tournament in November 2021 - with the help of the World Series of Poker (online) - , runness, and options are second to none. Daily majors - including the flagship Big Game - see guarantees routinely crushed, and there's no shortage of high-roller options, including buy-ins of $5,000 and above. There are tons of satellites into these available for much less, of course, and if you're looking to qualify, GGPoker is one of the best places to play free rolls (you literally can't beat the price of free).
In addition to traditional MTTs, GGPoker is also the inventor of the Flip & Go, a lottery-style hyper-Turbo with immediate action. If you're wondering whether or not GGPoker operates in the US, it sort of does. Through the Full Throttle skin, players in New Jersey can access the site via a partnership with the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa.
Online Poker Tournament Guide & FAQ
Players come to poker tournaments for a variety of reasons. Some believe they’ll be the next , while others just enjoy the competitive aspect of the game. Still, others treat poker tournaments like a vacation - a chance to escape the stresses of the world and lose themselves in another realm for a little bit. Whatever your motivations, you're certainly not alone.
Online poker tournaments have been growing steadily since the turn of the century, and with the advent of highly secure, highly developed software, they show no signs of abating. In fact, the biggest online tournaments now regularly eclipse the $10 million mark in prize pools - and that number is only going in one direction.
legal wv online casinosWhat Is a Poker Tournament?
At their core, are simply poker games where players pay an entry fee to play, and the winner(s) receives a predetermined or calculated prize(s) based on the number of entries and the initial entry fees collected.
In a cash poker tournament, players begin play with a fixed number of chips, and on rare occasion, additional add-ons may be offered at specified intervals. When a player loses all of his or her chips, he or she is out of the tournament. The event continues in this fashion until one player owns all the chips - or nearly all of them in heads-up tournament poker.
Freezeout poker tournaments do not allow re-entries, while most do permit re-buys and late registration. In some events, particularly online, players can continue to re-enter until a certain point in the tournament.
Entry fees vary widely depending on the event. At the local bar, it might be $20, while at the , it can be millions. In online poker, the range is equally vast, beginning essentially at zero (more on that later) and scaling upward.
Most tournaments have specific starting times, although online operators are increasingly hosting "freeroll" events that begin at various intervals throughout the day and often award tokens for more valuable events.
How Are Poker Tournament Prize Pool Distributed?
Exact rules concerning payouts in a poker tournament are generally outlined before the event begins and agreed upon by all players. In most cases, prize pools are distributed according to the following formula:
- First-place finisher: 25-30%
- Second-place finisher: 15-20%
- Third place: 10-12%
- Fourth place: 5-8%
- Remainder of payouts: Declines linearly from there
Of course, those percentages vary widely from event to event, with some larger tournaments paying many more places and offering much shallower slice to the first-place finisher. In recent years, some winners have received roughly 10% of the prize pool for finishing first.
In some instances - particularly in smaller events - the house may take a percentage of the prize pool if the guaranteed amount has not been met. For instance, if a $1,000 tournament only draws $800 in entries, the house may take $200 of the overall prize pool to make up the difference.
How Are Poker Tournament Entry Fees Used?
Entry fees in poker tournaments are exclusively used to generate the prize pool, with a small percentage deducted for dealer fees and taxes in some jurisdictions. The buy-ins are pooled together, and a set portion is reserved for first place, second place, third place, and so on - as decided before the tournament begins.
In some cases, a set guaranteed prize pool is established, and the entry fees are combined with money from the sponsoring poker room or other entities to ensure that amount is awarded to players. Guaranteed prize pools are much more common in live tournaments than online.
Are All Poker Tournaments Created Equal?
Absolutely not.
Some poker tournaments are incredibly loose, while others play extremely tight. Understanding how a particular tournament might play is crucial to selecting the proper strategy for success.
Also, different types of poker tournaments favor certain skill sets. For example, H.O.R.S.E. events - which require players to be proficient in multiple variations of poker - will test a player in ways that single-variety events do not. Similarly, events with lower starting stacks will likely see earlier bubble action and more all-in situations.
Tournaments with longer levels also tend to play differently than those with shorter levels, as do events with fewer players and bigger blinds.
Finally, player ability must be considered. Playing in a $20 satellite against seasoned locals is apples to oranges compared to a $10,000 event at the , despite both being technically "poker tournaments."
Why Play Online Poker Tournaments?
There are myriad reasons people choose to play poker tournaments, be they live or online. In many ways, they are the purest form of poker, as all players begin with an equal opportunity for success.
Here are a few advantages of online poker tournaments:
- Lower Barrier to Entry: Online poker makes it possible for anyone with an internet connection to play in major international events without having to travel to Las Vegas, Rio de Janeiro, or any other exotic location.
- Greater Frequency of Action: Online poker tournaments can begin every few minutes in some cases, unlike live events, where you must wait for registration to close and multiple tables to reach the scheduled break simultaneously.
- More Opportunities to Win: Naturally, the increased frequency of online poker tournaments means more chances to win. Many players will enter two or three events each day, never leaving the comfort of their homes.
- Cost Is Adjustable: Online poker tourriers are available in a wide range of buy-in levels, from freerolls up to millions of dollars. Players can choose events that fit their bankrolls and skill levels, whereas live events are often prohibitive in both regards.
- Less Friction / More Hand Per Hour: Online poker tournaments typically have much faster blinds (and thus, more hands per hour), which equates to more action and fewer periods of frustration. Additionally, since players don't have to deal with physical chips and change, there is less mathematical error regarding how many chips they have relative to their opponents.
Can You Really Win Real Money in Online Poker Tournaments?
Yes. While there are free poker tournaments online, most require some form of payment to enter. And when you win one of those events, you get paid according to the established prize pool and your finish within the tournament.
In some cases, you can win satellite entries to larger tournaments, which also offer the potential for real money payouts.
How Can I Improve My Chances of Winning Online Poker Tournaments?
Like most endeavors in life, the best way to improve your poker tournament results is to practice. The good news is that you can play untold thousands of online poker tournaments without ever leaving your couch.
Here are a few tips to improve your online poker tournament strategies:
- Understand Your Opponents: Generally speaking, online poker tournament players are much more aggressive than their live counterparts. Given the ease of registration and the high frequency of events, online players are willing to take more risks in the hopes of cashing or even winning significant sums of money. Be prepared for this agression, and don't fall prey to it yourself unnecessarily.
- Late Registration Can Be Beneficial: Late registration gives you the chance to skip over all the weak players who buzzed in for the beginning of an online poker tournament. Instead, you can stroll in whenever you're ready - for most tournaments up to the first three hours - and face off against more experienced, shorter-stacked players. This is a prime time to be aggressive and accumulate chips.
- Avoid Distractions: While it may be tempting to grade papers, answer customer emails, or watch TV while playing in an online poker tournament, it's best to stay focused on the game at hand. Mistakes happen, but multitasking increases the probability of errors exponentially. Moreover, try to play when you're alert and focused. Don't stay up all night to play a noon starting tournament because you'll be sluggish and slow to react to developing situations.
- Don't Get Married to Cards: This is a card collection game, and sometimes you're dealt crap. Sure, you want to play good cards, but you can still win with bad ones. Position, table image, and hand history with various players should factor into your decision far more heavily than the actual cards you've been dealt. Yes, you need pocket aces to get there with a chance at winning, but even the best starting hands mean nothing if you fold them and move forward empty-handed.
- Take Advantage of Bonuses and Guaranteed Tournaments: As mentioned, online poker tournaments run around the clock, and many of them are rebought or re-entered countless times. Guaranteed tournaments are often a good value because the operators have to pay out the advertised minimum regardless of how many entries they receive. Also, many rooms have first-deposit bonuses and loyalty rewards that can be earned through tournament play.
Check out our dedicated guide on for more information about the game.
Strategy for Online Poker Tournaments vs Cash Games
In general, you want to be more conservative in poker tournaments than in cash games. Your goal in a tournament is to survive and make the money (cash) or win the thing, while in cash games, it's generally acceptable to gamble a bit to try and increase your stack.
However, there are always exceptions to this rule, and you must consider the field when deciding how to adjust your style. If you're up against a group of timid players content to fold at the slightest show of strength, you may need to take a more active role in the hopes of building a big stack.
Generally, though, you want to protect your chips in online poker tournaments. In cash games, you can reload, buying more chips whenever your current supply dries up. In a tournament, your starting stack is all you get (except in add-on periods).
Another significant consideration is blind creep. Online poker tournaments incessantly increase the blinds and ante, putting increasing pressure on your stack. Since you can't buy more during play, you must conserve what you have, especially early.
Lastly, understand that it costs money to play in each hand in a tournament. Without the option of rolling with winnings to avoid ponying up the next blind payment, you must evaluate the cost of staying in versus the potential return.
That's not to say you shouldn't play big hands; quite the contrary. In fact, online poker tournaments often warrant play in marginal situations because the prizes are so large, and the variance so great, that you cannot afford to be overly cautious.
How Do Online Poker Tournament Buy-Ins Work?
entry fees can range from absolutely nothing to millions of dollars. Well, maybe not the second part, but you get the idea.
Naturally, the higher the buy-in, the larger the prize pool - usually. Free online poker tournaments are quite common and a fantastic method for newbies to get their feet wet. From there, the sky's the limit.
Million-dollar prizepools have become routine in online poker, with some events boasting guaranteed payouts reaching ten figures. Of course, it should go without saying that the easier the buy-in, the shallower the field and, generally, the easier the competition you'll face.
best online poker sites floridaSatellites provide a pathway to many major events, allowing players to qualify for massive online poker tournaments for a fraction of the cost of direct entry.
Rebuys and re-entries alter the dynamics considerably, giving players multiple shots at glory (for a price). In some cases, players can enter and exit an event all day long in the opening levels.
What's the Difference Between Freeroll and Free Poker Tournaments Online?
You may hear the terms “free” and “freeroll” used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing.
A free poker tournament is one that charges an entry fee to play. The difference is that the cost is absolutely zero. Usually, these events are sponsored by the online room or a commercial partner, and they are a great way for beginners to get comfortable with the pace and rhythm of online tournament poker.
While most free tournaments have relatively low guaranteed prize pools, they do offer real money to the top finishers, and several thousand dollars is not unheard of for these events. Additionally, scalps are scalps, and knocking players out feels great regardless of their Bank Balance.
Freerolls, on the other hand, are tournaments where you can buy in for no cost. These events typically have almost no financial investment by the poker room and thus offer much shallower guaranteed prize pools. That said, they are an excellent way to sharpen your skills and develop a feel for the nuances of online tournament poker.
Can I Play Online Poker Tournaments on My Phone?
Absolutely. Top rooms like PokerStars, 888poker, GGPoker, and others have robust, fully functional mobile apps compatible with iPhone, Android, and other platforms.
Nnatural limitations of screen size notwithstanding, you can participate in all manner of online poker tournaments directly from your smartphone or tablet.
We recommend using wireless headphones with a microphone to ensure you can hear all the action and chat with table mates as needed. Also, make sure you have a reliable data connection to avoid disconnection issues, especially during critical moments in a tournament.
What Kinds of Online Poker Tournaments Exist?
The possibilities are almost endless, but here are a few primary categories of online poker tournaments:
Freerolls
These are free poker tournaments available to all or specific members of an online poker room. In most cases, players must clear bonuses or meet other criteria to earn entry tickets to freerolls. However, some rooms offer them to anyone interested, and many commercial entities sponsor freeroll events on prominent sites.
Given the absolute lack of risk involved, it’s surprising that some freerolls offer real money payouts. Granted, the top awards are usually quite meager, but there are opportunities for substantial wins, too.
Satellites
Rare in live poker, satellites are common on online poker rooms and enable players to win entry to major events for a fraction of the cost. Scales vary widely, with some satellites offering direct entry and others supplying steps to the target event.
For instance, winning a step 1 tournament in a satellite series would provide a ticket to a step 2 event. Winning step 2 puts you in step 3, and ultimately, that prize includes entry to the major tournament.
Daily / Weekly / Monthly
Online poker tournaments happen frequently, with many event managers choosing to run them daily, weekly, monthly, or some combination thereof.
Dailies are particularly popular because they allow players to compete consistently for prizes both large and small. Some dailies have very low buy-ins, commonly from $1 to $5 or thereabouts, while others scale significantly higher.
Best Casino Free Bet No Deposit Offers in the UK (2023)Weeklies and monthlies follow similar patterns, with varying degrees of consistency. Some weekly events occur every Saturday, while others shift according to schedule conflicts with major tournaments.
Guaranteed
Online poker rooms often post tournaments with guaranteed prize pools. This means that regardless of turnout, the advertised amount will be divided up among the top performers.
Rooms take on some risk when scheduling guaranteed events because there’s no guarantee (pun intended) of buy-ins covering expenses. To minimize risk, many operators reserve the right to take an amount equal to their guaranteed obligation out of the prize pool before it is divided up among survivors.
For instance, if a $10,000 guaranteed event only generates $8,000 in buy-ins, the room will take $2,000 of that guaranteed prize pool to ensure they don’t take a loss.
Re-Buy / Re-Entry
In live poker, a re-buy or re-entry means you're a millionaire (joking ... kind of). Online poker tournaments with these formats enable players to begin again after a catastrophic start or mid-event collapse.
Typically, re-buy and re-entry periods last a set duration, usually ranging from one to four hours. During that window, failed efforts can be swapped out for fresh starts, typically for 100% of the original buy-in.
For example, if you buy into an online poker tournament with a $100 entry fee and crash and burn within five minutes, you can re-buy for another $100 and begin again with a full stack.
Re-entry tournaments function similarly, except players can enter over and over until the re-entry period ends. Thus, players can have multiple stacks in play simultaneously, increasing their chances of survival and, ideally, victory.
Knockout (KO)
In a knockout online poker tournament, players compete for their own prize pool and those of their vanquished foes. Each player who knocks someone out (KO) is rewarded with a bounty equal to the buy-in. So, if you buy in for $50 and KO six opponents, you’ll leave the tournament with $300 ($50 x 6 = $300).
Naturally, the last person standing in a KO event gets all the bounties. So, if 100 players enter a $50 KO tournament, the winner pockets $5,000 ($50 x 100 bounties). That winner would also divide up the regular prize pool with any survivors.
Progressive Bounty
A variant of the knockout model, progressive bounty online poker tournaments feature escalating prizes for KOs. In these events, each bounty increases in value each time a KO is recorded.
For example, let’s say a player enters a $10,000 progressive bounty online poker tournament, and each player has a $10 buy-in with a $1 bounty increase for each KO. That player begins by attempting to knock out the 9,999 other entrants.
If our intrepid hero was successful in his quest, he would arrive at the final table with a $109,900 bounty on his head ($10,000 + ($1 + 1) x 9,999). From there, he would compete for list in the remaining prize pool.
Heads-Up
These online poker tournaments consist entirely of heads-up (single v. single) matchups. Players purchase entries, and then pair off randomly. Those who win their matches do so repeatedly until only one survivor remains.
Ideally, the event manager schedules the matchups carefully, ensuring a balanced distribution of skilled and fortunate players. However, variance always plays a role, and sometimes, seemingly inferior players knock off superior challengers.
Scales for heads-up online poker tournaments range dramatically, from just a few dozen players to many thousands. Timeframes also vary widely, with some events resolved inside a day, while others stretch on for weeks.
Shootout
A shootout online poker tournament is a multi-stage event wherein survivors advance to the next round. Often, each round will pit players single v. single until the winner faces off against another solo surviver.
Once that round completes, the victorious player joins the final stage, which could include anywhere from four to 10 players, depending on the starting field size.
Shootouts are ideal for online poker rooms because they take a long event and segment it into manageable pieces. Players competing in the opening rounds have a defined goal and a clear picture of the work required to reach the championship round.
Additionally, rooms can run opening rounds concurrently, reducing variance related to order of operations.
Deep Stack
Deep-stacked online poker tournaments provide players with significantly greater resources with which to prosecute their strategies.
Whereas many events begin players with relatively meager stacks of 10BB (100 big blinds) or fewer, deep-stack tournaments start with 50BB or more. Occasionally, deep-stack events begin at 100BB or 200BB.
The impact of starting with a deep stack is significant. Rather than focusing primarily on survival in the opening levels, players can employ more complex tactics, including aggression, traps, and sophisticated reading of opponents.
Additionally, variance diminishes considerably with deep stacks. Since players have ample resources to absorb losses, luck plays a lesser role, and skill ascends to a more dominant position.
Turbo / Hyper-Turbo
Online poker tournaments with turbo or hyper-turbo formats feature blinds that increase significantly and rapidly.
Standard events typically boost the blinds every 10 to 15 minutes, while turbo tours crank up the pressure with 6- to 8-minute levels.
Uncharted Seas Slot Review - Push GamingHyper-turbos bring the pain with 3- to 5-minute increments, forcing players to contend with tremendously accelerated variance. Consequently, these events typically have very shallow starting stacks because collapsing without many opportunities to recover is common.
Alternative Formats
In addition to the varieties already discussed, online poker rooms occasionally schedule events in alternate formats. Jackpot sucker tournaments randomly award large prizes to survivors at predetermined intervals, irrespective of performance or finish.
Enigma is another alternative poker tournament format in which players begin with a random mix of hole cards. As the tournament advances, players attempt to complete puzzles using their starting hands.
Fast-fold tournaments kick players to a fresh table with new opponents each time they fold their hand. The idea is to minimize time spent at a table with weak cards and eliminate travel time between tables.
What Is the Difference Between a Poker Tournament and a Poker Series?
On paper, a poker series and a poker tournament appear remarkedly similar. Digging beneath the surface, however, reveals meaningful differences between the two concepts.
At its core, a series is a collection of related poker tournaments. Events within the series share common elements like format, structure, entry fees, and guaranteed prize pools.
Many series have a leaderboard component, tallying leaders based on performance across multiple events. The top finishers in the series often garner special awards, like trophies, rings, bracelets, or chunks of cash.
Series events can occur on the same day, one per day, or over the span of weeks or months. Live series often include social events, like player parties and meet-and-greets with pros, deal
