A poker tournament is a tournament

Tournament

A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...

 where players compete by playing poker

Poker

Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...

. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table (called a "heads-up" tournament), and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables. The winner of the tournament is usually the person who wins every poker chip in the game and the others are awarded places based on the time of their elimination. To facilitate this, in most tournaments, blind

Blind (poker)

The blinds are forced bets posted by players to the left of the dealer button in flop-style poker games. The number of blinds is usually two, but it can range from none to three....

s rise over the duration of the tournament. Unlike in a ring game

Ring game

Ring game may refer to:*Ring game , a general class of multi-player pocket billiards gambling games*Ring game, a.k.a. cash game, a poker game played with "real" chips and each player's own money at stake, as opposed to a poker tournament with a prize money pool...

 (or cash game), a player's chips in a tournament cannot be cashed out for money and serve only to determine the player's placing.

Buy-ins and prizes

To enter a typical tournament, a player pays a fixed buy-in and at the start of play is given a certain quantity of tournament poker chips. Commercial venues may also charge a separate fee, or withhold a small portion of the buy-in, as the cost of running the event. Tournament chips have only notional value; they have no cash value, and only the tournament chips, not cash, may be used during play. Typically, the amount of each entrant's starting tournament chips is an integer

Integer

The integers are formed by the natural numbers together with the negatives of the non-zero natural numbers .They are known as Positive and Negative Integers respectively...

 multiple of the buy-in. Some tournaments offer the option of a re-buy or buy-back; this gives players the option of purchasing more chips. In some cases, re-buys are conditional (for example, offered only to players low on or out of chips) but in others they are available to all players (called add-ons). When a player has no chips remaining (and has exhausted or declined all re-buy options, if any are available) he or she is eliminated

Walk of shame

The walk of shame refers to where a person must walk past strangers or peers alone for an embarrassing reason before reaching a place of privacy. Most commonly, it occurs the morning after a night out at a bar, dance club, or party...

 from the tournament.

In most tournaments, the number of players at each table is kept even by moving players, either by switching one player or (as the field shrinks) taking an entire table out of play and distributing its players amongst the remaining tables. A few tournaments, called shoot-outs, do not do this; instead, the last player (sometimes the last two or more players) at a table moves on to a second or third round, akin to a single-elimination tournament

Single-elimination tournament

A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...

 found in other games.

The prizes for winning are usually derived from the buy-ins, though outside funds may be entered as well. For example, some invitational tournaments do not have buy-ins and fund their prize pools with sponsorship revenue and/or gate receipts from spectators. (These tournaments are referred to as freerolls

Freeroll (poker)

In poker, a freeroll has two distinct meanings. One applies to the play of a single hand, and the other describes an entire poker tournament.-Freeroll hand:...

.) Play continues, in most tournaments, until all but one player is eliminated, though in some tournament situations, especially informal ones, players have the option of ending by consensus.

Players are ranked in reverse chronological order — the last person in the game earns 1st place, the second-to-last earns 2nd, and so on. This ranking of players by elimination is unique amongst games, and also precludes the possibility of a tie for first place, since one player alone must have all the chips to end the tournament. (Ties are possible for all other places, though they are rare since the sole tiebreaker is the number of chips one has at the start of the hand in which one is eliminated, and hence two people would need to start a hand with exactly the same number of chips and both be eliminated on that same hand in order to tie with each other.)

Sometimes tournaments end by mutual consensus of the remaining players. For example, in a ten-person, $5 game, there may be two players remaining with $29 and $21, respectively, worth of chips. Rather than risk losing their winnings, as one of them would if the game were continued, these two players may be allowed to split the prize proportional to their in-game currency (or however they agree).

Certain tournaments, known as bounty tournaments, place a bounty on some or all of the players. If a player knocks an opponent out, the player earns the opponent’s bounty. Individual bounties or total bounties collected by the end of a tournament may be used to award prizes. Bounties usually work in combination with a regular prize pool, where a small portion of each player’s buy-in goes towards his or her bounty.

Other tournaments allow players to exchange some or all of their chips in the middle of a tournament for prize money, giving the chips cash value. Separate portions of each player’s buy-in go towards a prize pool and a “cash out” pool. The cash out rate is typically fixed, and a time when players may not cash out (such as the final table) is usually established. The remaining cash out pool is either paid out to the remaining field or added to the regular prize pool.

Prizes are awarded to the winning players in one of two ways:

• Fixed: Each placing corresponds to a certain payoff. For example, a ten-person, $20 buy-in tournament might award $100 to the first-place player, $60 for second-place, $40 for third, and nothing for lower places.
• Proportional: Payouts are determined according to a percentage-based scale. The percentages are determined based upon the number of participants and will increase payout positions as participation increases. As a rule, roughly one player in ten will 'cash', or make a high enough place to earn money. These scales are very top-heavy, with the top three players usually winning more than the rest of the paid players combined.

Tournaments can be open or invitational. The World Series of Poker

World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...

, whose Main Event (a $10,000 buy-in no limit Texas Hold 'Em

Texas hold 'em

Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...

 tournament) is considered the most prestigious of all poker tournaments, is open.

Multi-table tournaments involve many players playing simultaneously at dozens or even hundreds of tables. Satellite tournaments to high-profile, expensive poker tournaments are the means of entering a major event without posting a significant sum of cash. These have significantly smaller buy-ins, usually on the order of one-tenth to one-fiftieth the main tournament's buy-in, and can be held at various venues and, more recently, on the Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

. Top players in this event, in lieu of a cash prize, are awarded seats to the main tourney, with the number of places dependent on participation. Chris Moneymaker

Chris Moneymaker

Christopher Bryan Moneymaker is an American poker player who won the main event at the 2003 World Series of Poker . His 2003 win is said to have revolutionized poker because he was the first person to become a world champion by qualifying at an online poker site...

, who won the 2003 World Series of Poker

2003 World Series of Poker

-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 839 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a brick and mortar casino at the time...

 Main Event, was able to afford his seat by winning an Internet tournament with a $39 buy-in. Greg Raymer

Greg Raymer

Gregory Raymer nicknamed "Fossilman," is a professional poker player. He is best known for winning the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event.-Early life:...

, 2004 World Series of Poker champion, acquired his seat via a $165 Internet tournament.

The opposite of a multi-table tournament is a single-table tournament, often abbreviated STT. A number of places (typically, nine or ten) are allocated at a single table, and as soon as the required number of players has appeared, chips are distributed and the game starts. This method of starting single-table tournaments has caused them to be referred to as sit-and-go (SNG) tournaments, because when the required number of players "sit," the tournament "goes." Sit-and-go tournaments of more than one table are becoming more common, however, especially in Internet poker. A single-table tournament effectively behaves the same as the final table of a multi-table tournament, except that the players all begin with the same number of chips, and the betting structure starts much lower than would likely be the case at a MTT final table. Almost invariably, fixed payoffs are used.

A tournament series may consist of either single-table or multi-table tournaments. In a tournament series, multiple tournaments are played in which prizes are awarded. However, a series leaderboard or standings system is often used and additional prizes, drawn from the individual tournament buy-ins, are awarded to those who perform best overall in the series. Major poker tournaments such as the World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker, use standings to determine a player of the year.

Playing format

The most common playing format for poker tournaments is the knockout (also known as "freezeout") format. All players still playing in a tournament constitute a dynamic pool. Whenever a player loses all his chips and gets eliminated, his table shrinks. To combat the constant shrinking of tables and avoid having tables play with varying numbers of players, players are moved between tables, with unnecessary tables getting closed as the tournament progresses. In the end, all remaining players are seated on just one table, known as the "final table". Most sit and go tournaments are knockouts.

In some tournaments, known as "rebuy tournaments", players have the ability to re-buy into the game in case they lost all their chips and avoid elimination for a specific period of time (usually ranging from one to two hours). After this so-called "rebuy period", the play resumes as in a standard knockout tournament and eliminated players do not have the option of returning to the game any more. Rebuy tournaments often allow players to rebuy even if they have not lost all their chips, in which case the rebuy amount is simply added to their stack. A player is not allowed to rebuy in-game if he has too many chips (usually the amount of the starting stack or half of it). At the end of the rebuy period remaining players are typically given the option to purchase an "add-on", an additional amount of chips, which is usually similar to the starting stack.

Another playing format is the "shootout" tournament. A shootout tournament divides play in rounds. In a standard shootout tournament, 2-10 players sit on each table and the table roster remains the same until everyone but one player is eliminated. The table winners progress to the final table where the tournament winner is determined. In a shootout tournament players are usually awarded places in tiers based on how many rounds they lasted and in which place they were eliminated. Shootouts can include multiple rounds (triple, quadruple or quintuple shootout) or feature several players from each table progressing (usually up to three). Shootouts are also a common format for large heads-up multi-table tournaments, although these may feature double or triple elimination instead of the standard single knockout method.

Betting format

Betting in tournaments can take one of three forms:

• In a structured (fixed limit) betting system, bets and raises are restricted to specific amounts, though these amounts typically increase throughout the tournament. For example, for a seven-card stud
  Seven-card stud
  Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...
  
   tournament with the stakes at 10/20, raises would be $10 in the first three rounds of betting, and $20 in the latter rounds.
• Semi-structured betting provides ranges for allowed raises. Usually, in this format, one may not raise less than a previous player has raised. For example, if one player raises $20, it would be illegal for another player to raise an additional $5. Pot limit is a semi-structured format in which raises cannot exceed the current size of the pot. Spread limit is a semi-structured format in which bets (and subsequent raises) must be between a minimum and maximum amount.
• Unstructured betting, usually called no limit. While blinds, antes, or bring-ins are fixed, players are free to bet as much as they wish, even early in a round of betting. To bet all of one's chips (risking one's tournament life, in the event of losing the hand) is to go all-in. In no-limit tournaments, players will sometimes take this risk even early in the betting; for example, in some no-limit Texas Hold 'Em tournaments, it is not uncommon for players to bet "all-in" before the flop.

The betting structure is one of the most defining elements of the game; even if other aspects are equivalent, a fixed-limit version and its no-limit counterpart are considered to be very different games, because the strategies and play styles are very different. For instance, it is much easier to bluff in a no-limit game, which allows aggressive betting, than in a fixed-limit game. No-limit games also vary widely according to the proclivities of the players; an informal, emergent, betting structure is developed by the players' personal strategies and personalities.

The stakes of each round, as well as blinds

Blind (poker)

The blinds are forced bets posted by players to the left of the dealer button in flop-style poker games. The number of blinds is usually two, but it can range from none to three....

, bring-ins, and antes as appropriate per game, typically escalate according either to the time elapsed or the number of hands played.

Variants of poker

While some tournaments offer a mix of games, like H.O.R.S.E. events which combine Hold'em, Omaha, Razz, Stud and Stud Eight or Better and Dealer's Choice

Dealer's Choice

Dealer's Choice is a play by Patrick Marber first performed at the Royal National Theatre in London in February 1995 where it won both the 1995 Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy and the Writers' Guild Award for Best West End Play....

 events, at which one may choose from a similar menu of games, most tournaments feature one form of stud

Stud poker

Stud poker is any of a number of poker variants in which each player receives a mix of face-down and face-up cards dealt in multiple betting rounds. Stud games are also typically non-positional games, meaning that the player who bets first on each round may change from round to round...

 or community card poker

Community card poker

Community card poker refers to any game of poker that uses community cards , which are cards dealt face up in the center of the table and shared by all players. In these games, each player is dealt privately an incomplete hand , which are then combined with the community cards to make a complete...

, such as seven-card stud

Seven-card stud

Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...

, seven card high-low

High-low split

In traditional poker games, the player with the best traditional hand wins the whole pot. Lowball variations award the pot to the lowest hand, by any of several methods...

 stud, Omaha Hold 'em or Texas Hold 'em

Texas hold 'em

Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...

. Both Omaha and Texas Hold'em tournaments are commonly offered in fixed-limit and pot limit, and no limit Texas hold 'em tournaments are very common (no-limit Omaha is almost nonexistent in tournament play).

Sit and gos are another specific type of poker tournament. Regular tournaments begin at a scheduled time, and however many players are registered for that tournament when the starting time approaches, is the number of players that make up that specific tournament. Sit and gos are formatted the same as regular tournaments, except they begin when a certain amount of players register for it. Standard sit and gos usually consist of 2,6,9,10,12,18,24,27,36,45,90,100 or 180 players. Sit and gos are formatted the same as regular tournaments; everyone buys-in to the sit and go for the same amount and every player starts with the same amount of chips. Each player in a sit and go plays until all of their chips are gone. As each player is knocked out, they receive money (or don't receive money) according to what place they finish. First place makes the most money, second is rewarded with a little less than first, and so on. Unlike cash games, standard sit and go tournaments increase the blinds and antes every 15 minutes or so in equal intervals. Some sit and gos, called winner-take-all, only reward first prize with money, which receives all of the money that the sit and go consisted of from all of the buy-ins from every player in it. Other sit and gos, usually only heads up (1-on-1) sit and gos, don't ever increase the blinds. The blinds stay the same throughout the entire sit and go, causing much more skillful play to be rewarded over the long run, as players aren't as forced to play mediocre hands because of big blinds and antes.

Tournament venues

Informal tournaments can be organized by a group of friends; for example, most colleges feature poker tournaments. Casino

Casino

In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...

s and online gaming sites often offer daily tournaments.

However, these are not the only venues. Poker cruises offer tournaments at sea. Most 2005 and 2006 World Series of Poker events took place in the convention center at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas

Las Vegas metropolitan area

The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...

.

Major tournaments

The two largest and most well-known tournaments in the USA are the World Poker Tour

World Poker Tour

The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...

 championship event and the World Series of Poker

World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...

, both held in Las Vegas. The World Series has traditionally been featured on ESPN

ESPN

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

. In the 1980s the Super Bowl of Poker

Super Bowl of Poker

The Super Bowl of Poker was the second most prestigious poker tournament in the world during the 1980s...

 was the second largest and most prestigious tournament.

The 2005 World Series of Poker was the first held outside of Binion's Horseshoe Casino, though the final few days of the main event were held in the legendary Benny's Bullpen. Later tournaments have been held at one of the Harrah's Entertainment

Harrah's Entertainment

Caesars Entertainment Corporation is a private gaming corporation that owns and operates over 50 casinos, hotels, and seven golf courses under several brands. The company, based in Paradise, Nevada, is the largest gaming company in the world, with yearly revenues $8.9 billion...

 properties; since 2005, the Rio has served as the venue.

The largest and most well-known tournament in Europe is the European Poker Tour

European Poker Tour

The Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour , created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity...

, which was founded in 2004 by John Duthie and is now the largest poker tour in the world by both total players and prize pool. The WSOP Europe started in 2007 and has one stop, in London.

The largest and most well-known tournament in Asia is the Asia Pacific Poker Tour

Asia Pacific Poker Tour

The Asia Pacific Poker Tour started in 2007 and is the first major poker tour in this region. Like its counterparts, the European Poker Tour, Latin American Poker Tour, and North American Poker Tour, it is sponsored by PokerStars. The tour was created by President Jeffrey Haas and Director of...

 Macau event.

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

Latin American Poker Tour

The Latin American Poker Tour started in May 2008, is a major poker tour in Latin America. The LAPT is sponsored by PokerStars, like its counterparts, the European Poker Tour , Asia Pacific Poker Tour , and North American Poker Tour ....

 Argentina event.

The Crown Australian Poker Championship

Crown Australian Poker Championship

The Australian Poker Championship, commonly known as Aussie Millions, is a series of poker tournaments held at the Crown Casino, in Melbourne, Australia...

, also known as the Aussie Millions, is the largest tournament in the Pacific region.

In addition to these events, there are other major tournaments throughout the year. The World Poker Tour broadcasts a series of open tournaments throughout the U.S. and Caribbean with buy-ins from $5,000 to $25,000, as well as a European event with a €10,000 buy-in. Some of these events are stand alone tournaments like the Caribbean Poker Adventure

Caribbean Poker Adventure

The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is an annual televised poker tournament. The event was first held in 2004 and was originally co-sponsored by PokerStars and the World Poker Tour. In 2008, the event moved from the WPT to the European Poker Tour...

, but most are held in conjunction with a tournament series being held at the host casino, like the Commerce Casino's

Commerce Casino

Commerce Casino is a cardroom located in the Los Angeles suburb of Commerce. With over 240 tables on site, Commerce Casino is the largest cardroom in the world...

 LA Poker Classic, the Grand Sierra's

Grand Sierra Resort

The Grand Sierra Resort & Casino is a resort hotel located approximately three miles east of Downtown Reno, Nevada. The hotel has 2,001 guest rooms and suites, 10 restaurants, including two by celebrity chef Charlie Palmer, and a casino with of space...

 World Poker Challenge and the Bicycle Casino's

Bicycle Casino

The Bicycle Casino is the world's second largest poker cardroom.Founded by George Hardie Sr. in 1984, located in Bell Gardens, California, the Bicycle Casino offers a wide variety of poker games and limits, as well as pai gow poker, panguingue and California blackjack.Financing to build the casino...

 Legends of Poker. A North American Poker Tour

North American Poker Tour

The North American Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments held in North America. The NAPT includes an associated television series broadcasting the final table of some of the tournaments....

 was launched in 2010.

Atlantic City hosts The United States Poker Championship

The United States Poker Championship

The United States Poker Championship is a major annual stop on the poker tournament tour. This event is held at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey...

 at the Trump Taj Mahal casino, which has been broadcast by ESPN in recent years.

The main live poker tournament in Africa is the All Africa Poker Tournament hosted by the Piggs Peak Casino in Piggs Peak, Swaziland.

The National Heads-Up Poker Championship

National Heads-Up Poker Championship

-2006:- 2007 :-2008:In additional to the poker professionals, several poker-playing celebrities from other fields were invited: Gabe Kaplan, Don Cheadle, Jennifer Tilly, Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Alexander and Orel Hershiser. Also invited was Alisha Kunze of Greensburg, Indiana, who won her seat...

 is a tournament modeled similarly to the NCAA tournament for college basketball. 64 players compete in heads-up matches single elimination style to determine a winner. It is one of the most prestigious heads up poker tournaments and it is the first tournament produced by a television network.

The internet poker revolution has sparked online poker tournaments and series that have become larger than many live tournaments. The World Championship of Online Poker

World Championship of Online Poker

The World Championship of Online Poker is an online poker tournament series sponsored by PokerStars. It is played on the PokerStars site in September....

 (WCOOP) and the Full Tilt Online Poker Series

Full Tilt Online Poker Series

The Full Tilt Online Poker Series is an online poker tournament series sponsored by Full Tilt Poker. It was established in August 2006 and is held approximately every three months....

 (FTOPS) are two of the biggest online poker tournament series, with tournament prizes surpassing the million-dollar mark.

See also

• Tournament director
  Tournament director (poker)
  In the game of poker, the tournament director is the individual charged with running the poker tournament. The job encompasses many roles, the most public of which is typically announcing the phrase "shuffle up and deal!" at the beginning of the day...
  
  
• Sit and go
• Public cardroom rules (poker)
  Public cardroom rules (poker)
  Public cardroom rules are the rules and regulations used in casinos. While specific rules vary from casino to casino, most public poker cardrooms have similar rules and regulations.-Popular poker variants:...
  
  
• List of largest poker tournaments in history (by prize pool)

External links

• Poker tournament strategy essays