What Are the Different Types of Poker Tournaments?

So, you're enjoying poker as a newfound hobby and you think you are getting pretty good at it. You’d like to try your hand at a poker tournament, either in person or online, but you’re a little confused and intimidated by the huge range of formats and the odd terminology that you’ve run into that doesn't make a lot of sense at first glance.

Don’t panic! In this article, we’ll be breaking down the different types of poker tournaments and exactly what they entail. By the time we’ve finished, you’ll be able to tell your Super Turbo from your Deep Stacks, and have a better idea of where you want to dip your toe into the amazing world of poker tournaments.

The Different Types of Poker Tournament 

Freezeouts

Freezeouts are the most common type of poker tournament. The exact setup of the tournament might vary, but one rule remains the same: once you bust out you're out, no buying back in.

Rebuys

Basically the opposite of the Freezeout, Rebuys allow players who busted out to buy back in to the tournament. This is normally restricted to the first couple of rounds to stop the tournament going on forever.

Turbo or Super Turbo

Turbo, or Super Turbo tournaments, keep the action snappy by decreasing the timeframe for the blinds going up. Rather than the blinds increasing every 20 minutes or so, the blinds go up every 5 to 190 minutes, sometimes even faster.

This means you need to change up your poker tournament strategy, as the luck of the draw starts to play a much larger role in the game.

Guaranteed Pot

Guaranteed pot tournaments have a fixed prized pool, regardless of how many players turn up. If too few players attend to make up the advertised prize pool, then the house makes up the difference or “overlay”.

Satellite

Satellite tournaments award seats at higher-priced tables as prizes. For example, you might buy into a £20 Satellite tournament that wins you a seat at a table with a £500 buy-in.

The best example of this is Chris Moneymaker, who gained his seat at the $10,000 buy-in WSOP Main Event, which he went on to win, by winning a $86 satellite tournament. The WSOP has a reputation for first-timers making a big splash, with 21-year-old newcomer Nick Marchington holding the lead for much of the 2019 WSOP. 

Knockout Poker

Knockout Poker tournaments are a new style of poker being pioneered by online poker giant PokerStars. Unlike standard tournaments, the prize pot is split into two. The winner takes home half of the pot and the other half is awarded in tranches to those who are able to knock opponents out of the game. 

The excitement of getting to play in a Knockout Poker tournament comes from its fast pace and more confrontational style, which encourages players to actively go head-to-head with other players in order to win big.

Sit N Go

Sit N Go tournaments are so-called because there is no official start time, the tournament starts whenever all the seats at the table have been filled, and there is no need to register in advance. Sit N Gos have become much more popular due to the rise in the popularity of online poker. Sit N Go tournaments have a fixed field, the wait times are low and the games are quick.

Deep Stacks

Deep stacks are pretty much what they sound like. You start the game with around double the number of chips you would normally have in a tournament. Instead of 1500 in chips, you might sit down with 3000. The Aussie Millions tournament is a Deep Stacks tournament famous for the size of its buy-ins. 

You might also hear players reference DeepStack, which is actually a complex poker-playing artificial intelligence and the first AI capable of beating professional poker players at heads-up no-limit Texas hold'em poker. Don’t worry, it probably won’t be appearing in a tournament near you.

Shootouts

Shootouts normally involve a number of tables that are whittled down to one player. The winning players from those tables then go on to face each other at the top table. If there are five tables in total, then the tournament ends with the five winners of those tables facing each other.