As per their prize pools, the top three
sites for online poker tournaments are PokerStars, 888Poker, and WPT global.
Most of the events they organize are of the buy-in type, but there are some you
can enter for free.
Top 6 Popular Online Poker Tournaments and How They Work
There are several types of online poker
events depending on their format, the number of participants, and the admission
fee. The best sites provide buy-in bonuses that can double your initial balance
of chips.
1. Freeroll Tournaments
Freerolls are amateurs’ top choice, as they
don’t have an entrance fee. At the same time, you can compete for real money
and hone your online poker skills.
Small prizes
Freerolls have insignificant prize funds
rarely exceeding $100. There are freerolls with prize pools of several thousand
dollars, but you’ll need a password or an invitation to join them.
Provide entry to more significant events
Some freerolls do not have cash prizes.
Instead, the winners receive special passes to high-stake online poker
tournaments with massive prize pools.
2. Sit ‘n ‘Go Tournaments
These are the perfect venues for restless
poker enthusiasts ready to play around the clock. Instead of a fixed starting
time, the tournament starts when all poker
games are ready to begin.
The number of participants varies widely
from 10 or 20 to over 300; a typical sit’n’go virtual table seats between six
and nine players.
Prize money
All sit’n’go events have buy-in, and the
winner usually takes 50% of the prize fund; the runner-up walks away with 30%,
and the third-best player pockets 20%.
3. Multi-Table Tournaments
These online poker tournaments allow
players to play at different tables, with all of the action starting at the
same time.
Multi-table tournaments are high-pressure, fast-paced
events that require fine poker skills and an agile mind. Some players use
special software to calculate their best chances of winning the hand.
Life-changing prize pools
The best players at each table qualify for
the final showdown. Multi-table online poker tournaments feature substantial
prize pools with so many participants, and the top three players can become
millionaires overnight.
4. Double-or-Nothing Tournaments
Not more than ten players can join a
Double-or-Nothing online poker event, with those in the first part of the
standings doubling the amount of the entry fee.
The downside of these online tournaments is
that there practically isn’t a winner, so pros rarely join in. The pace is
slow, and the starting bets seldom surpass the $20 bracket.
5. Re-buy Tournaments
This particular type of tournament allows
participants to get back to their table even if they’ve run out of chips. These
online poker events permit chip re-buys within a specific time window, as their
name suggests.
Where professionals meet
Re-buy or Re-entry tournaments attract
strong poker players and even professionals, who are more
likely to splash some cash on a new stack of chips when their balance runs
low.
They are after big money and readily buy
more time at the table whenever they can.
On the other hand, Rookies withdraw to lick
their wounds under some rock when they get their noses rubbed.
6. Satellite Tournaments
The biggest and most popular poker sites
regularly hold satellite events as qualifiers for the World Series of Poker
(WSOP).
Satellite tournaments are not the place to
try new tricks or refine old strategies because tough battles begin as soon as
the cards are dealt.
The
buy-in is usually a percentage of the big event’s entrance fee. The top three
players qualify for the main tournament, where buy-ins can exceed $200.
