What is a poker tournament?
A poker tournament is a contest decided between poker players in a multiple round format with the process of elimination. Poker tournaments vary in type, in length, in size and in structure. Typically all players wishing to compete in a poker tournament contribute a set amount of money to the prize pool and a set amount as administration fee to the house. Each player is then given a number of tournament poker chips, which are only used in the play of that particular tournament.

What does a tournament round consist of?
Each tournament round consists of the play of poker hands for a pre-determined time, followed by an increase in the limits, blinds or antes. The length of a round may also be determined based on a set number of poker hands being dealt.

How are the winners decided?
All tournament players start with a pre-determined number of poker chips. If a player's chip count is reduced to zero at the end of a hand, and there are no options to refill their chip count, then they are eliminated from the tournament. The remaining player once all others are eliminated is declared the tournament winner.

How are the prizes awarded?
The prize payout structure varies for each tournament, however this information is made known to participants before the tournament's start. Prizes are often distributed with the greatest proportions going to the last few players eliminated. A common method for distributing the prize money is to assign a fixed percentage amount to be awarded to each finalist. An example of this in a small tournament could be: 50% of the total prize pool to 1st, 30% to 2nd and 20% to 3rd. Be sure to check each tournaments payout details before you register.

What is a tournament 'prize pool'?
A tournament prize pool is the total amount of monies or prizes to be won in the tournament. The prize pool is determined by adding all the buy-ins, re-buys and add-ons made at the beginning or during the play of the tournament. For promotional reasons, quite often a card room may contribute additional funds to the prize pool or guarantee that it reaches a certain size.

What is a 'buy-in'?
A buy-in is the amount of monies that are contributed to the prize pool of the tournament upon registration or start of any particular tournament. The buy-in, combined with an entry-fee (if any) given to the casino for services, is the total amount of monies it costs to play in the poker tournament.

Is poker tournament strategy different than usual poker strategy?
Although there are common tactics in tournament poker and side game action, there are many changes in proper winning strategy for each game. These changes arise from numerous factors such as; tournaments are limited in length, players may be eliminated, and prizes are usually only awarded to finalists. Please see our books section if you are looking for more sources of information concerning poker tournament strategies.

What is a tournament satellite?
A tournament satellite is in fact a poker tournament where the winner(s) receive as prize a buy-in and entry fee to another larger poker tournament. Satellites can be played in a single table or multi-table format and are meant as opportunity for players to enter large tournaments without necessarily purchasing in cash the entire tournament buy-in and entry fee.

What is a 're-buy'?
A tournament re-buy is a set number of tournament poker chips given to a player should they wish to contribute additional funds to the prize pool. Not all tournaments include re-buy options, and those that do have different rules concerning their purchase. Some tournament re-buy options may require that a minimum or maximum chip count be achieved before a re-buy is available, some limit the total number of re-buys or limit the number of rounds whereupon a re-buy may be purchased. Make sure you are aware of all tournament rules and details before participating!

What is an 'add-on'?
Similar to a re-buy, a tournament add-on is an additional number of tournament poker chips available for purchase for play solely in that tournament. Add-ons are usually available at the end of a few round of play and players are asked if they wish to purchase an add-on for that tournament.