There are various poker tournaments that a player can get into. These vary in relation to the prizes paid out to the winners and also in the number of people. The number of times such tournaments are played will also vary.
Tournament Types
Freeroll games are played very occasionally and could be spotted in multiple rooms all day long. Annual tournaments such as the WSOP and WPT however are only played once a year and as such, the prize money could be as high as $10 million.
Freerolls
Freeroll tournaments are free and as such financial risk free. They also do offer real cash prizes to the winners. Some poker rooms will however expect their members to have played a certain number of raked hands before being able to get access into their freeroll tournaments. Others will require the players to have a minimum amount deposited into their accounts. Though this money may not be used in the freeroll tournament, it may just be a requirements to lure more people into depositing money into their accounts and eventually playing in their poker rooms.
Sit n Go’s
A freeroll may last for more than even 10 hours and as such, one must be ready to commit a lot of time to it. Some people may not be so willing to spend a whole day or more playing poker. Such people have the choice of playing a Sit and Go tournament. Full Tilt Poker offers such a tournament with a higher prize to the winners. The beauty of a Sit n’ Go is that a player can join a smaller game that can take far less time to play in just one sitting and be entered into at a stake that suits the individual’s bankroll.
Guaranteed Jackpots
Guaranteed jackpots are tournaments which have a fixed prize for the winner. For example UK Poker offers a tournament seasonally which has a prize tag of $1,000,000 to the top winners. Out of this $1,000,000 the overall winner is guaranteed to scoop $200,000 without questions. In most tournaments, the top winners end up splitting the winnings and thus one cannot really determine the amount that one will win but as in the case of the UK Poker tournament, the number one player is assured of pocketing $200,000 while the other split their earnings. In the unfortunate event that the number one position is tied between two people, they would then have to split the earnings. The most prestigious poker tournament without doubt is the WSOP which has been in play for over the past 10 years. It has attracted all genres of players. Usually, poker rooms sponsor their top players to the WSOP tournament which is annual. It runs from around October to April of the preceding year. Players may get a shot at joining the WSOP through their poker rooms of choice. For example, pokeronly.com may decide to hold smaller tournaments over the year before the WSOP commences and offer the winners of such tournaments a chance to participate in the WSOP. The WPT and EPT are also favorites of many poker players and all come with very high prizes.
Full Tilt’s Poker After Dark
Full Tilts Poker’s After Dark show is a shown on NBC under Full Tilt Poker which has from the time it started pulled many people to like it. For a chance to get a seat at the After Dark show through Full Tilt Poker, one must first play in their site (though they do allow players from other sites during the After Dark show). After registration, one is eligible to access Full Tilt’s daily poker After Dark Sit and Go tournaments. These are tournaments offered by Full Tilt Poker in order to pick their next players to represent them in the After Dark show. One must play in one of these tournaments and win. The competition is stiff because it has a lot of pros working at a chance at the ultimate tournament. New players have no business trying out their luck in these tournaments. After winning in any one of these tournaments, an access to two weekly Full Tilt 2nd round of tournaments is granted. In other words, Full Tilt Poker holds two weekly tournaments as the 2nd round of qualifying for a spot at the After Dark show. For one to win a seat at the Full Tilt’s Poker After Dark show, he/she must be in the top nine of either of the two 2nd round tournaments to be held. Among other things, Full Tilt Poker sponsors the winners of these games by paying the $20,000 entrance fee to the After Dark show. An extra $5,000 is given for free to the players to spend during their time there. This is awarded as personal expenses fee. The winner ultimately gets to take home $120,000. It’s not easy to compete at the After Dark show and it’s common knowledge that most of the players who end up playing in the show are pros who are known to be the expert players in poker sites the world round.