Game Rules

Poker Tournaments

How Are Poker Tournaments Played?

Real world tournament structures can vary widely from one to the next, but most have

the same underlying foundation: a large number of players sit down with the same

number of chips and play until only one person has any chips left. This is true of the

Hoyle Casino tournament, which will be discussed in the rest of this chapter.

To succeed in a Hoyle Casino Poker tournament, you should understand the level and

progression of the stakes, the structure for advancement and elimination, and the

prize distribution. These things are what make it a tournament, and not just regular

Poker.

The Stakes

Each player buys in for a set amount of tournament chips that have no value outside

of the tournament. Everyone in the tournament starts with the same amount of chips.

There are no re-buys, meaning you cannot buy additional chips after you've run out in

order to stay in the tournament. This is called a freezeout tournament. There are two

types pf tournaments, limit and no limit. A Limit tournament means each bet and raise

is a set amount. The bet amounts are increased every seven hands throughout the

tournament. This gradually forces the betting higher and higher, so no matter how

conservative the play, players will eventually be eliminated from the large blinds and

antes (see the chapter on Poker for details on blinds and antes). A no limit tournament

also increases the minimum bet amount every seven hands, but the player can bet all

of their chips at any time.

Advancement

The Hoyle Casino Poker tournament uses a round-based structure for advancement.

There are three rounds in each tournament. The first round has 49 players at seven

tables. After 14 hands, the top three players at each table, 21 in all, advance to the

second round. The second round lasts for 28 hands. The top two players from each

table then advance to the final table. The seventh spot at the final table goes to the

round two third-place player with the most chips. The third round lasts for as many

hands as it takes for one player to win all the chips.

Payout Structure

Once you have paid the buy-in and begin play, eventually you will either walk away

with a cash prize for making it to the third round, or you will walk away with nothing.

The winner is the last player with any chips. Second place and below are determined

by the order of elimination. If two players “in the money” are eliminated in the same

hand, the two prizes are combined and split between the two players.

The first place prize is thirty times the buy-in amount, the second place prize is ten

times the buy-in, and the third place prize is 5 times the buy-in. The fourth through

seventh place players win back their buy-in.

Strategies for Winning at Poker Tournaments

Success in Poker tournaments requires skill at both the game that is Poker, and the

game that is the tournament. Understanding how to play the game at hand (7 Stud,

Texas Hold 'Em, etc.) is, of course, essential to winning.You’ve got to know when to

hold 'em and know when to fold 'em–if you don't, you aren’t going to be advancing

very far.

The key to success in a tournament, however, is knowing how to play the game that is

the tournament as well as the game at hand. The structure of the tournament can alter

how you play each hand–sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically. Consider how the

stakes, the rules of advancement, and payout structure might affect your strategy.

For example, since the stakes increase every seven hands, winning early round hands

isn’t as important as winning late round hands, where the stakes are higher. Consider

this in your risk-reward assessment of staying in a given hand.

Or, consider this scenario: there are two hands left in round two, and you are in fourth

place at the table, where the top two players will advance. Are you going to play those

last two hands strictly by the book? If so, you are playing the Poker game, but not the

tournament game.

In this situation, you should stay in with any reasonable chance of winning in the

second to last hand, provided it looks like the pot will grow big enough to move you

into contention. If you are still in fourth place in the last hand, you should stay in on

any chance of winning at all. The tournament chips can’t be used at any other game,

so you have nothing to lose, and you give yourself one last shot at making the cut,

which is all that matters.

As the first two rounds advance, you should generally play a bit more conservatively if

you are in a position to make the cut, and much more aggressively if you are not. Do

not take this to unwarranted extremes, however. If you bet too aggressively on

undeserving hands, you may find yourself out of chips with several hands to go that

could have made the difference. If you fold playable hands because you are in a

position to make the cut, you might miss out on a large pot and take less money with

you into the next round.

Betting strategy also changes when you are playing against an all-in player in the third

round of a tournament. When a player goes all-in, they must win the current hand or

they are eliminated from. It is to everyone else's advantage to see them eliminated.

If you have a hand worth betting on, but you are not sure you can beat an all-in player,

checking to keep some other hands in is not a bad idea. Betting “incorrectly” in an

effort to eliminate another player might feel underhanded, but it is not. Since you are

doing it to put yourself in a better position to win a bigger prize, it is simply smart play,

not crooked play.

Just remember that in a tournament your goal is to finish high enough to win a prize,

not just to win each hand. Know the rules of the tournament well, and consider how

they will affect your strategy to earn a spot at that final table.

Poker Tournament Strategy Highlights

• Advancing is the bottom line. Stay alive!

• Become familiar with the tournament format, particularly the level and

progression of the stakes, the structure for advancement, and the prize

distribution.

• Play more aggressively if you are behind towards the end of a round, and more

conservatively if you are ahead towards the end of a round.