Tournaments

The world of poker tournaments looks pretty complicated at first. But we simplify matters by looking at tournaments from a handful of different angles:

• Single-table vs. multi-table.
• Sit-and-go vs. scheduled.
• Play money vs. freeroll vs. real money.
• Satellite vs. regular.
• Rebuy vs. freezeout.

For players who are just getting started with tournaments, we recommend trying out a play-money, single-table, sit-and-go no-limit holdem event.

All poker tournaments have one thing in common. After play begins, you can't stand up and cash out your chips. You must continue to play until you have lost all your chips or you have won everybody else's chips. Beyond this basic rule, there are a lot of variations. Below we cover the most important ones.