Understanding Online Casino Tournaments
Even though online casino games are authentic, challenging, rewarding and fun, they do not always offer you a competitive gaming experience. Online casino tournaments aim to remedy this by allowing multiple players to compete in a traditional tournament-style event.
Online tournaments come in a range of formats and styles, giving players so many options. You can find Pokies, Poker, Blackjack and Roulette tournaments, amongst many others. Tournaments can feature multiple rule sets, for example they can feature buy-ins, free entry, time limits or no limits.
Let’s look at how online casino tournaments work, what rules can be applied to them and why they are so much fun.
The Benefits Of Online Casino Tournaments
Online Casino Tournaments have all the benefits of regular online gaming. The gameplay can be really fast-paced at times, which is very helpful in timed tournaments. With Free Play gaming you can practice games for free ahead of any scheduled tournaments, giving yourself a slight edge.
No matter how large your winnings are for finishing on top in a tournament, thanks to a whole range of withdrawal options, getting your cash into your pocket is a simple and safe process.
The variety on offer in online casino tournaments is unparalleled, giving players something new to come back to at each event. You can play what you want, when you want and how you want.
Another major perk of online tournaments is the fact that there will often be prizes for the top finishers. It isn’t just a sole winner who claims everything. There are often first, second and third place prizes. Depending on the tournament structure, even a third place win can fill your pockets nicely!
Table Game Casino Tournaments
Table game tournaments often feature Texas Hold’em, Blackjack and Roulette. These tournaments feature a very fixed format. The buy-ins, blinds, antes, time limits and stack sizes will be set out from the start and displayed in the tournament rules. This means players know exactly what they’re getting themselves into.
To get started with an online tournament you will either need to purchase a buy-in, or you will need to redeem a coupon or voucher if you can gain free entry. Also, check when the tournament is scheduled to start. If you are late to a scheduled game, you will make everyone late and ruin your, and their, gaming experience.
Casino Tournament Formats
Table game tournaments usually follow the same general rules no matter what game you are playing.
Below are a few of the most common tournaments you will come across, but they are by no means the only options available. Online casino tournaments can have a range of unique rules and features.
- Knockout Tournament – These tournaments require players to pay extra money, which then is used as a bounty. Whenever a player is knocked out, the person who beat them will get the bounty.
- Freeze Out Tournament – This is the most common format for tournaments. Whenever a player loses all his chips, he is knocked out of the tournament.
- Turbo – Turbo tournaments are shorter versions of standard tournaments. Rounds usually last a maximum of 10 minutes. These events will either have a high buy in and high cash prizes or a small buy in and a small prize.
- Satellite – In these tournaments the players are not competing for a cash prize, but rather entry into another tournament that can potentially offer huge prizes.
- SNG – Sit and Go tournaments are regular tournaments where the game starts as soon as enough players have joined up. These tournaments are usually shorter events aimed at quick and rewarding action.
Pokies Tournaments
Online pokies tournaments are a bit different from Table game events, but not that much. The aim of online pokies tournaments is to attempt to rack up as high a score as possible. Players will play the games with virtual credits.
It should be noted that the money you win in these tournaments would not actually be awarded to you. The virtual currency you gamble with is just to keep score. You will be awarded according to the tournament prize scale, which you will be able to find in the tournament rules section.
The aim of pokies tournaments is to earn the most amount of money in the allotted timelines. The timelines can be arranged around rounds. After each round a certain number of players are knocked out and the tournament continues until only the final players remain. Just as with the table game tournaments, you do not have to finish in first place to receive a prize, you can also get rewarded for 2nd, 3rd or even 10th place.
Just as with table game tournaments, many pokies tournaments will allow players to re-buy themselves into the tournament or you can play Extender and Reloader rule tournaments to keep yourself in the game, even after a loss.
Pokies Tournament Formats
There is a lot of overlap in the format of pokies tournaments and table game tournaments. There are still a few unique elements to be found here.
- Survivor- This is a knockout competition that often features 3 rounds of 5 minutes each. Often there will be only a brief 10 second break between matches. These games are fast paced and fun.
- Free Roll – This is a free to enter tournament that is usually granted as a casino bonus or promotion. There is still a cash prize at the end. Some free roll tournaments act as satellite tournaments to real money events.
- Scheduled – These tournaments are the counter point to Sit and Go tournaments. They have fixed start and end times and fixed rules. They are often for big prizes and require a buy in to play.
- Sit and Go – These tournaments are open to any player. There will usually be a set amount of competitor seats available and as soon as the game is full the tournament will start. These events have smaller jackpot prizes but they often require only a small buy in.
Enjoy competitive casino gaming at its best when you play in tournaments online!