Poker Tournament Variations

In all poker tournaments, once the game has begun, you must keep playing until either all your chips are gone or you have won everyone else's chips on the table. Aside from this central guideline, there are many deviations to tournament rules.

It is important to be fully aware of the different types of poker tournaments out there because they will shape and influence your strategy and game plan.
Furthermore, whenever you are playing at an online poker tournament you should know what the playing conditions are at that specific site and table.
With so many different types of poker tournaments out there, it is easy to get yourself in a muddle. We however are attempting to clarify the topic, making it more approachable by providing an overview of the following types of poker tournaments provided by the various sites:

Single Table Multi Table Freeroll Satellite or Qualifier Sit and Go

Rebuy Freezeout Turbo Step Shootout

Single Table

Single Table – A Single Table Tournament is a contest where a player plays poker at a single table with a group of other players until all players bar one are eliminated from the table. Players are ranked by how long they can stay in the game and also the prize pool paid out on a sliding scale amongst the top finishing players.

 

Multi Table

Multi Table - A Multi Table Tournament is a contest that involves numerous players at many different tables play until all but one is eliminated from play. The number of tables is reduced by moving players until there is only one table of players remaining. The tournament continues until only one player remains, and becomes the eventual winner. Players are ranked by how long they can stay in the game. The prize pool is paid out on a sliding scale amongst the top finishing players.

 

Freeroll

Freeroll - Freerolls are online poker tournaments that are free of charge to take part in, but still have a prize pool. The poker room that sponsors the free roll entice players by giving them the opportunity to win merchandise, gifts and sometimes real money from within the prize pool. Freerolls are used by poker sites as promotional tools to draw in potential real money clientele.

Satellite or Qualifier

Satellite or Qualifier - The one major difference between a satellite tournament and a regular tournament is very simple – the first prize is not in cash but instead a seat at a more expensive and prominent tournament. For instance, there are many online satellite tournaments for both the World Series of poker and the WPT. Of course there are also many satellite tournaments for less prestigious tournaments but with bigger-then-normal prizes and higher buy-ins.

Sit and Go

Sit and Go – Sit & Go's not only offer outstanding value in contrast to multi table tournaments because they generally pay out to the top 30% of players whereas the multi table tournaments pay out to the top 10%, so it's a lot easier to make a profit when taking part in one. Another good thing is that you don't have to schedule your day around them like with multi table tournaments. You instead can choose to play whenever you like just by simply sitting down at a table and waiting a few minutes for it to fill up. There is a lot less risk involved playing Sit & Go's in comparison to ring games because the maximum amount you can lose is your buy in, allowing you to make a slow and steady stream of profit in a low variance environment. Also sit and go’s are often full of fish (inexperience players) to take advantage of so your chances of winning are even greater.

Rebuy

Rebuy – This type of tournament is gaining more and more popularity among online poker players. As its name implies this type of tournament allows players to re-buy the preliminary amount of chips during tournament play. This means that if you have been busted out of the tournament or you are running low on chips you can receive the same amount of chips you started with for the same amount you paid to enter the tournament. Essentially maintaining your place at the table as well as adding to the prize pot.

Freezeout

Freezeout – A Freezeout Poker tournaments means that a player cannot add any more chips to his or her stack apart from those he or her wins. Most online poker tournaments run along these lines, especially the major poker tournaments such as the world poker tour and the World series of poker.If an online poker tournament is not a freezeout it means the player can add to his chip stack via a rebuy or add on. In any event, one can only rebuy or add-on during a specified period after which the tournament reverts to being a freezeout one.

Turbo

Turbo – Turbo tournaments, also sometimes referred to as speed tournaments, differ from regular tournaments because of the pace at which the blinds are raised and the time the player is allowed to act. In a turbo tournament the blinds might be increased every 2-5 minutes. There is little to no play after the flop as most players are usually forced to go all-in or fold before the flop. The luck factor is much more significant in this type of tournament and aggressive play is a lot more prominent. If you play too tight the blinds are sure to quickly eat up your stack forcing you to leave the table empty handed.

Steps

Steps – A step tournament is essentially a chain of single table tournaments in which the first prize is a seat in the next step tournament. Each of the steps has an increasingly larger buy-in. The final step usually provides a considerably large first prize due to the sum of the buy-ins paid in the previous steps. Most step tournaments consist out of five steps. You can enter the tournament in any step, though the buy-in for the upper steps is considerably larger. Many tournaments also provide the opportunity to win a seat at the lower steps or at the same step; though this is generally not recommended as You don’t want to end up playing the same step tournaments forever.

Shootout

Shootout – these tournaments are very similar to step tournaments. The main difference is that you can not win a seat in a lower step or the same step; it's either victory or a loss. You also can not enter the tournament in a different step than the first one. A shootout tournament is a single, consecutive event with a much stricter structure. In a step tournament you can play each of the steps whenever you want, whether it's the same day or the same month. All the final table players usually receive substantial piece of the prize pool, with the two first places taking the larger portions than the other competitors. Shootout tournaments have different structures with different qualifications. Sometimes only the first place gets to progress to the next round and sometimes it's the leading two or three places.

It is important to keep in mind that any poker tournament can be a combination of the aforestated types. For example, a tournament can be both a Satellite and a Multi Table.