Tournaments
PokerStars is the best place on the internet to play Multi-Table Tournaments, Sit & Go’s and Satellites. Poker tournaments begin with all players having a fixed number of chips and follow an elimination format, with the last player remaining holding all of the chips, being declared the winner. Players earn prizes in relation to their finishing position, and the total number of players.
The best way to find out about poker tournaments is to play one. Open the PokerStars lobby and select either ‘Tourney’, ‘Sit & Go’ or ‘Events’ to bring up a list of available tournaments. Once you have selected a tournament, the tournament’s details will appear on the right hand side of the lobby – including game type, buy-in and also state, and if the tournament is Announced, Registering, Running, or Completed.
To register for a tournament, log in, select the tournament you want to play in and simply click on the ‘Register’ button. You will then automatically be placed in the relevant tournament shortly before it begins. Each tournament also has a lobby screen, useful for registration times, payout structure and additional information.
Take a look at more details on poker tournaments, including tournament rules and prizes structures, as well as the daily schedule of events.
Tournament types
- Sit & Go
- Double or Nothing
- Steps
- Multi-Table Tournaments
- Shootout
- Satellite
- Freerolls
- Rebuy
- Bounty
- Knockout
- Deep Stacks
- 6-Max and 4-Max
- Turbo
- 2X-Turbo
- Guaranteed Tournaments
Sit & Go
Sit & Go tournaments are not scheduled at certain times like regular tournaments, and begin when all the seats have been filled. They can be played in different formats, such as heads-up, single table and multi-table. These tourneys can be found under the ‘Sit & Go’ tab in the main lobby window.
Double or Nothing
In a Double or Nothing Sit & Go tournament, half of the players who enter win double the buy-in. For example, in a $10 tournament with ten entrants, the top five finishers win $20, and the 6th-10th finishers will win nothing. You can find Double or Nothing tournaments under ‘Sit & Go’ and ‘1-Table’ in the PokerStars lobby.
Steps
‘Steps’ are a special ‘tiered’ type of Sit & Go tournament. By playing in Steps tournaments, you can turn a small investment into a large prize, by working your way up from Step 1 to Step 6. Entry to the Steps system starts from just $7.50 or 500 Frequent Player Points (FPP). To register for Steps tournaments, select the ‘Sit & Go’, ‘Satellite’ and then ‘Steps’ tabs in the PokerStars lobby.
Multi-Table Tournaments
In multi-table tournaments (MTT) players at numerous tables compete for one another's chips as the blinds increase incrementally. When players run out of chips, they are eliminated from the tournament. Eventually, remaining players meet at the final table, where the winner is the individual who wins all the chips from his or her opponents.
Shootout
A shootout is a variation of multi-table tournament where each table is played independently, until one player remains. This player then advances to the next level where he plays against other table winners, and the process is repeated until the shootout final table is reached. Most shootouts have two or three levels, but some have more.
Satellite
A satellite tournament is a tournament where the prize is entry to a larger tournament. For example, the buy-in for the larger tournament is $200. The buy in for the satellite is $20. For every 10 entrants one seat will be awarded to the larger tournament. Many satellites on PokerStars offer qualification to live events.
Freerolls
Freerolls are tournaments that have no entry fee, and normally have cash prizes available. These tournaments are a great way to win prizes for free. They can be found by clicking ‘Tourney’ and ‘Freeroll’ in the PokerStars lobby.
Rebuy
A rebuy tournament is a tournament in which players may purchase more chips, after the initial buy-in. There are different conditions relating to the rebuy conditions, depending on the tournament you are playing. Rebuy tournaments will specify a set rebuy period at the beginning of the tournament in which you may purchase more chips. It is worth noting that rebuy conditions differ between tournaments and it is always worth checking the details of any tournament you enter.
Bounty
In bounty tournaments, a special cash prize is awarded to the person who eliminates a particular player. For example, if there is a bounty on the head of ‘KidPoker’, whoever eliminates him wins an extra prize, ranging from a couple of bucks to hundreds of dollars, depending on the tournament!
Knockout
In Knockout tournaments, a cash bounty is placed on every entrant in the tournament. Every time you eliminate somebody, you win a cash prize! Every player pays an extra buy-in, which serves as that player’s bounty. For example, a Knockout tournament might have a total buy-in of $20+$5+$2, of which $20 goes into the regular prize pool, $5 is each player’s bounty, and $2 is the tournament fee.
Deep Stacks
In Deep Stack events players start with more than the usual amount of chips. Typically in PokerStars Deep Stack events, players start with 5,000 chips. In addition the length of each level is also extended, normally from 15 to 30 minutes. Both of these changes mean that Deep Stack tournaments feature more play than regular tournaments.
6-Max and 4-Max
The names 6-Max and 4-Max refer to the total number of players permitted per table. In 6-Max tournaments, the maximum numbers of players per table is six, rather than the usual eight or nine at most other PokerStars tables. PokerStars also offers 4-Max tourneys, with 4 seats at each table.
Turbo
Turbo tournaments feature shorter levels than regular tournaments, normally five minutes rather than the PokerStars standard 15 minutes, which encourages faster play and shorter tournaments.
2X-Turbo
A 2x-turbo tournament is a special kind of turbo rebuy tournament (usually a satellite) in which the levels increase at turbo speed, but the rebuy time is twice as long as it would be in a normal turbo rebuy. Be sure to check under the ‘Tournament Info’ button for detailed structure info on 2X-Turbos.
Guaranteed Tournaments
In many of our cash tournaments, the prize pool is guaranteed to reach at least the amount stated. Regular guarantees range from $1,000 to $1,500,000 or more! To see the full range of guaranteed tournaments, go to the lobby and select ‘Tourney’ and then ‘All’, or enter the word ‘guarantee’ in the tournament filter.
Read more information on all tournament types, including tournament rules.
COLOR SCHEME
The following key describes the colors used to identify different types of tournament on PokerStars.
- Live Events - tournaments in purple are generally satellites to a major live poker event, such as a tour stop on the European Poker Tour (EPT).
- Satellites to Online Tourneys - this dark blue color is used to identify satellites to online tournaments, such as the Sunday Million, Nightly Hundred Grand, etc.
- WCOOP / SCOOP Events / Satellites - some major online events, like the World Championship Of Online Poker (WCOOP) and SCOOP, and their satellites, are identified in bright orange.
- Freerolls and Play Money - if you're looking for an opportunity to play for free while still having a chance to win something, then look for these brown colors in the PokerStars client.
- Special Tournaments - bright, bold red is used to identify special events throughout the week, such as the Sunday Million, Sunday Warm-Up, and Nightly Hundred Grand.
The color scheme listed above is for information only and subject to change.
Tournament Leader Boards
PokerStars is the home of the best poker tournaments online, and the Tournament Leader Boards are an excellent way to prove your skills. Each time you finish in the top 15% of a regular multi-table real money tournament you will be awarded Tournament Leader Board Points, which will be ranked on the three following Leader Boards:
Weekly Leader Board
This Leader Board collates your best ten results for all the tournaments you have played between 00:00:00 ET Sunday and 23:59:59 ET Saturday. Each Weekly Tournament Leader Board winner plays a heads-up match against a member of Team PokerStars Pro with at least $1,000 up for grabs.
Monthly Leader Board
The Monthly Leader Board takes into account your best 20 results from 00:00 ET on the first day of the month and 23:59 ET on the last day of the month. Players that finish in the top 200 share $30,000 in cash prizes, and the top 1,000 players will each receive a ticket to a $20,000 Monthly Tournament Leader Board freeroll.
Yearly Leader Board
This Leader Board offers the biggest prize of all, the chance to win a five-stamp PokerStars Passport. This includes buy-in, hotel accommodation and spending money for five major PokerStars-sponsored live tournaments as well as the World Series Of Poker*. The players that finish second and third will have the chance to win three- and two-stamp PokerStars Passports respectively. The Yearly Tournament Leader Board takes into account tournament results from 00:00 ET on the first day of the year and 23:59 ET on the last day of the year.
*WORLD SERIES OF POKER and WSOP are trademarks of Caesars License Company, LLC ("Caesars"). Caesars does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with PokerStars or its products, services, promotions or tournaments.
