Poker is an old game, but one that has stood the test of time. It was devised early in the 1800s, but remains one of the most popular games involving playing cards, with a global base of fans.
There are different kinds of poker, including Stud, Draw and Texas Holdem, but also different ways to play them. People either take part in smaller single games or they enter tournaments that are longer tests of endurance as well as skill.
Even within the tournament poker world though, there is more than one kind available. Different types of tournament suit different poker playing styles.
If this interests you and you want to find out more about what poker tournaments are available to you, keep reading.
Freezeout tournaments
This is perhaps the type of tournament that is the most popular of all. This is likely to be the default option when you play poker online, and the majority of people now play poker over the internet.
Another reason why Freezeout tournaments attract a lot of players is because they are the simplest to understand. With this kind of tournament, you pay whatever the buy-in happens to be and receive the number of chips you have paid for.
Then you stay in contention for as long as your stack of chips last. When they run out, you are out of the tournament. There is no option to buy more chips.
Because players get eliminated more regularly, this type of tournament moves fast – making it really good for people who want a quick game. Online poker naturally moves at a faster pace than offline, so an online Freezeout tournament is the quickest option of all.
Rebuy tournaments
These differ from Freezeout tournaments in that there is a set period early in the competition where you can purchase more chips. That is known as the ‘rebuy period’, hence the name of this type of tournament.
The option of replacing your chips is not available for the entire duration of the play though. If you run out of chips once that period has passed, you will be out of the competition.
Turbo tournaments
Turbo poker tournaments are another type that has become popular in the era of online poker. As you would expect from the name, they also move at a very fast pace compared with most other kinds of tournaments.
This is done by increasing the levels of the blinds to a much greater degree than in typical tournament play. Many sites offer variations on Turbo tournaments that have names like Hyper Turbo or Super Turbo, but the only real difference is in terms of the speed. This is ideal for those with plenty of experience and a good understanding of the maths behind the game.
Sit and go tournaments
Sit and Go events have the advantage of much greater flexibility than is usual in poker tournaments. The majority of these get started at a set time and every player who wants to enter the tournament must be at the table at that time to be eligible.
The problem with this is that it is not always convenient for people – especially as they will have no way of knowing how long the event will run for. A Sit and Go tournament has different rules in that there is no set start time.
People put their names down to enter it and play begins when the right number of people are at a poker table. That gives these kinds of tournaments a freewheeling atmosphere that many find appealing.
Multi-table tournaments
Multi-Table poker tournaments are a kind that is enjoying a rise in popularity now. They are large scale events that feature play at more than one poker table at the same time.
Every player who enters one of these tournaments begins it with exactly the same amount of poker chips. That is because the buy-in for them is set at the same level for all players, regardless of experience level or bankroll.
Once the tournament gets underway, a player will be moved around. As more entrants run out of chips and get knocked out, so the remaining players get moved to different tables to take their places and ensure the right number of players.
The number of competitors – and the number of active tables – gradually decreases as the tournament goes on. Finally, the few surviving players compete at the last table.
People like Multi-Table events because more than one person wins money, with up to 15% at least earning back their buy-ins by the time they are knocked out of the event.
There are other types of poker tournaments, but these are five of the main ones that can be found online or in the real world. There is something to suit players who want quick play and those who want a deeper and more involved experience.
