Types of Poker Tournaments

Poker is a competitive card game that has evolved over the centuries into today's poker phenomenon. As the game spread to different parts of the world, and shifted from the casino to the internet, it has undergone a series of revolutions that continue to challenge the concept of the game. Today, there are dozens of varieties of the original, classic poker game, ranging from classics like 5 Card Draw and 7 Card Stud to the hi-tech Video Poker machines.

The majority of these poker variations are intended for competitive play, pitting player against player in a contest to see who can create the best final poker hand. In order to organize players in competitions, poker tournaments were created. These tournaments are structured in an elimination style, starting with a base of players and progressing to eliminate player after player who runs out of chips. By the end of the game, there will be only one chip champion, the tournament winner.

In online poker, there is a wide variety of different tournament opportunities. Tournaments are available in many poker styles, but the most common is Texas Hold'Em poker. Tournaments not only differ by type of poker game, but also by tournament type. There dozens of tournament styles offered for play on internet poker sites and in casino poker. Poker players can choose tournaments to enter based on several different factors.

The first factor is money. Many tournaments require a buy-in amount that players must pay to enter the tournament. Buy-in amounts differ between tournaments and sites, but are often determined in relation to the jackpot amount. There is, however, a free poker game called a Freeroll Tournament that anyone can enter without paying a fee. The poker bonus prize is sponsored by the hosting casino, and the tournament is therefore often used for promotional purposes. At the other range of the scale are high stakes poker tournaments with prizes that can run from thousands to millions of dollars.

Another important tournament factor is tournament capacity. To play poker in an intimate competition, players choose small tournaments like Heads-Up, the one-on-one battle between two players for one pot. Short-Handed tournaments minimize the table to five players, while Sit-N-Go typically seat 9 or 10 players. Other tournaments may seat hundreds or even thousands of players.

Players should also consider tournament schedules. Some tournaments, such as Sit-N-Go, simply commence when enough players have joined the table. Others, like Multi-table and Scheduled tournaments, have pre-set starting times and dates.

The last factor is the jackpot total. Some tournaments offer cash prizes, while others offer different giveaways. Satellite tournaments, for example, offer winners guaranteed seats in high stakes tournaments. In a Guaranteed tournament, players receive assurance from the casino securing a minimum prize amount no matter what the total number of tournament participants will be.

There are also tournaments with specific quirks, like the Turbo tournament where the blind amount increases every three minutes, or Freeze-Out where players are not permitted multiple buy-ins.

Additional commentaries by Gene Marshall related to poker can be obtained on the internet. Renowned poker gamer Gene Marshall is commissioned by a few different top poker websites. He writes articles about free poker and on line poker.