Poker Tournaments
Poker tournaments are an exciting, inexpensive and fun way for beginning poker players to play the game. Tournaments
are fun to play in, and with a low entry fee and large prizes to be won are very popular. Tournaments can involve up
to 1500+ players playing at the same time.
Games Played
Wile casinos offer many different types of poker the games played in tournaments are limited to those that have a
large number of followers. The poker game played at tournaments is usually one of: 7-card Stud, 5-card Stud, Omaha
or Texas Hold'em.
Number of Players
The number of players at a tournament can be as few as 8 players to as many as 1500+ players. Larger tournaments are
made up of many tables - each table having between 8 to 10 players.
Balancing and collapsing tables
Larger tournaments that have more than one table have a problem. As the tournament progresses players are eliminated
and the number of players at a table changes but for the game to be fair the number of players at each table should
be the same. To keep play fair the organizers move players from table to table in an attempt to keep the same number
of players at each table.
Balancing is done when you move players from tables that are full to tables that have less than a full complement of
players. Balancing is usually done when the difference between tables is 3 or more players.
Collapsing tables is removing tables from the tournament once enough empty spaces open up among the rest of the
tables in the tournament. For example, when using 10 player tables, when 10 players have been eliminated from various
tables the players from one table are moved into these empty spaces and that table is collapsed (taken out of play).
Basic Play
To enter a tournament a player pays both an entry fee (charged by the casino to pay them for hosting the tournament)
and a buy-in fee (this is put into the prize pool). The casino then assigns the player a seat and given him/her
special tournament chips to play with.
The tournament is played until a single player emerges with all of the chips. Tournament players all start playing
at the same time and with the same quantity of chips. The players continue to play until they lose all of their chips
at which time they are removed from the table. Tournament play continues without a break until the winner is
determined. As the tournament progresses the playing level is raised and the stakes rise making the game more risky
for the players.
The prize money is distributed depending on the finishing position a player obtains in the tournament. The majority
of the prizes go to the top finishers with the 1st place winner receiving around 35% of the prize money, the 2nd
place winner around 18% and so on. The total number of winners depends upon the game being played and the size of
the prize depends upon number of people playing and the size of the buy-in fee.
Betting
Tournament betting differs from casual playing betting in that it is structured and the betting limits increase after
a new level of play is reached (tournaments differ but the usual lower betting limit is in the $15 range while the
upper betting limit can exceed $2,000). Changes in tournament playing levels occur differently in different
tournaments; some tournaments time each level while some tournaments play a set number of rounds and then increase
the level.
Re-buys and Add-ons
Many casinos allow players to buy more chips during the tournament.
A re-buy option (at the start of the tournament) allows the players to buy replacement chips when they run out of
their original chips. Re-buys rule differ with some tournaments allowing unlimited re-buys during the re-buy period
of the tournament while some tournaments allow a player only a single re-buy.
The add-on option also is an opportunity for players to purchase additional chips however it is usually limited to a
one time offering at the end of the re-buy period. The add-on option can usually be used without regard to how many
chips a player has.
Money raised from chips purchased on re-buys and add-ons are added to the prize pool to increase the size of the
prize to be won.
Tournament poker is a good way for beginning players to improve their game. You play against experienced players but
your losses are limited to the buy-in fee and you always have an outside chance to win a large prize. Try a tournament
to see if you agree.
|
