For New Zealand poker player’s tournaments are a great way to enjoy a different version of this very popular game and the prize money is often very generous, often going into the six-figure mark. A poker tournament will have a fixed schedule, which means everything is planned beforehand such as the buy-ins, structure, time limit and antes. Poker tournaments range from free games known as freerolls to $100 000. The online casino or poker room will take a percentage and the amount will be posted online.
Types of Tournaments
Once a player has signed up for the poker tournament they will log in when the tournament is about to begin. There are two types of poker tournaments that New Zealand players can sign up for, the sit and go (SNG) or the multi-table tournament (MTT). With the SNG the tournament will begin when the table is full and for MTT’s there is a scheduled time. Players online will be seated randomly at a table. Players must then buy their chips and everyone begins with the same amount except if the casino offers add-ons or re-buys. The poker tournament is very similar to a cash game and once the cards are dealt the game begins and is played according to the rules of whichever poker variant is being played. Best online poker tournaments have different levels each with their own length of play.
The tournament will continue until there is one player left and the players are then paid out according to the playout schedule. The amount paid out will be dependent on how many players are taking part in the tournament. The payouts for SNG are fixed. For New Zealand online poker players the money gets paid directly into their account.
Texas Hold ‘em is the most popular variant of poker when playing tournaments and since poker became so popular many more tournaments are being played. When playing poker tournaments the betting limits are varied and New Zealand players will find betting options of between 0.5 to about $500. There are also free poker tournaments. There are a few bigger SNG tournaments and the Sunday Majors are the largest tournament of the week with betting between $200 and $500.
Poker Tournament Options
The most common tournament options for New Zealand players includes the freeze out, and this is the way most online tournaments work and once players have lost all their money they are no longer in the game. The rebuy is similar to a freeze out, but with this option players can buy back into the tournament after they have lost all their money. The turbo and super turbo option are much faster as the name suggests and so instead of it being 20 minutes they are between 3 and 10 minutes with this option. The guarantee tournament offers players a guaranteed payout no matter how many players sign up to play. Satellite tournaments have higher payouts which means the buy in is often larger.
Knowing where to play poker tournaments can be a difficult task. It is advisable for New Zealand players to look at the more established online casinos where many people play as they will usually offer regular tournaments with a range of variations. Most importantly New Zealand player should pick a variant of poker that they are familiar with and that they enjoy.