Tournament Poker with Vee
"Tournaments are where dreams are made. A single buy-in can turn into a life-changing score. But success requires understanding ICM, stack dynamics, and the art of survival. Let me show you how to navigate the tournament landscape."
Multi-Table Tournament (MTT) Basics
Buy-In Structure
Every tournament has a buy-in that determines your starting stack. The buy-in consists of two parts:
- Entry Fee: Goes to the prize pool
- Rake: The house fee (typically 5-10%)
Example: A $10+$1 tournament means $10 to the prize pool and $1 rake. You'll receive a standard starting stack (e.g., 10,000 chips).
Blind Structure
Blinds increase at set intervals, creating pressure to accumulate chips or risk being blinded out.
- Regular: 10-15 minute levels
- Turbo: 5-6 minute levels
- Hyper-Turbo: 3 minute levels
Vee's Tip: "Longer levels favor skilled players. Shorter levels increase variance and favour aggressive play."
Payout Structure
Tournaments pay a percentage of the field, typically 10-20%. The payout is top-heavy:
- 1st place: ~20-25% of prize pool
- 2nd place: ~12-15% of prize pool
- 3rd place: ~8-10% of prize pool
- Min-cash: ~1-2% of prize pool
Tournament Stages
Each stage requires different strategy:
- Early: Build stack, play tight-aggressive
- Middle: Accumulate, exploit weakness
- Bubble: ICM pressure, target short stacks
- Final Table: Maximize pay jumps
Tournament Types
Freezeout
Classic FormatThe traditional format. Once you lose your chips, you're eliminated. No re-entries or rebuys allowed.
Rebuy / Re-entry
Second ChancesBuy back in during the rebuy period (usually first hour). Re-entry tournaments allow new entries after elimination.
Turbo / Hyper-Turbo
Fast-PacedAccelerated blind structures mean faster action. Turbos have 5-6 min levels; hypers have 3 min levels.
Knockout / Bounty
Hunt PlayersPart of the buy-in becomes a bounty. Eliminate players to collect their bounty instantly. Progressive knockouts (PKO) grow bounties.
Sit & Go vs MTT
Sit & Go (SNG)
- Fixed number of players (6, 9, or 10)
- Starts when table fills
- Quick format (30-60 minutes)
- Flatter payout structure
- Great for practicing push/fold
- Lower variance than MTTs
Best For: Players with limited time who want consistent, shorter sessions.
Multi-Table Tournament (MTT)
- Unlimited field size
- Scheduled start times
- Can last many hours
- Top-heavy payouts
- Bigger prize pools
- Higher variance, bigger scores
Best For: Players seeking life-changing scores willing to accept higher variance.
Spin & Go / SPINS Jackpot Tournaments
Spin & Go (PokerStars) and SPINS (partypoker) are 3-player hyper-turbo SNGs with randomized prize pools. A wheel spin before the game determines the multiplier.
How It Works
- 3 players, winner-take-all (usually)
- 500 chip starting stacks
- Hyper-turbo blind structure
- Prize multipliers from 2x to 10,000x+
- Games last 5-7 minutes on average
Multiplier Distribution
| 2x Multiplier | ~75% |
| 3x-5x Multiplier | ~20% |
| 10x-25x Multiplier | ~4% |
| 100x+ Jackpot | <1% |
Vee's Take: "Spins are high-variance lottery games. Fun for quick action, but serious grinders should focus on regular MTTs for better ROI."
Major Tournament Series
World Series of Poker
The most prestigious poker tournament series in the world. Held annually in Las Vegas with online bracelet events on WSOP.com and GGPoker.
- Main Event: $10,000 buy-in
- 90+ bracelet events
- Online bracelet events available
- Satellites from $1
European Poker Tour
PokerStars' flagship live tour visiting major European cities. Online qualifiers available on PokerStars.
- Main Events: $5,000-$10,000
- Multiple stops across Europe
- Platinum Pass satellites
- Side events from $500
World Poker Tour
Historic tournament circuit with events worldwide. WPT Online runs on partypoker and other platforms.
- Championship events globally
- WPT Online Series
- Televised final tables
- ClubWPT for qualifiers
Online Series
Major online poker rooms run flagship series with massive guarantees throughout the year.
- SCOOP/WCOOP: PokerStars
- WSOP Online: GGPoker/WSOP.com
- PowerFest: partypoker
- XL Series: 888poker
Best Sites for Tournament Poker
partypoker
Best MTT schedule with PowerFest series and WPT events. Great for tournament grinders.
888poker
XL Series and affordable buy-ins. Perfect for building a tournament bankroll.
Unibet Poker
Recreational-friendly with great promotions. Softer tournament fields.
Play Tournaments for Free
Freerolls are free-to-enter tournaments with real prize pools. Perfect for building a bankroll from nothing or practicing tournament play risk-free.
View Freeroll ScheduleFrequently Asked Questions
ICM (Independent Chip Model) is a mathematical model used to calculate the real-money value of tournament chips. Unlike cash games where chips equal money, tournament chips have varying value based on stack sizes, payout structure, and remaining players. ICM influences decisions, especially near the bubble and at final tables, where chip preservation can be more valuable than chip accumulation.
Due to high variance in tournaments, a bankroll of 100-200 buy-ins is recommended for your average buy-in level. For example, if you play $11 MTTs, you should have $1,100-$2,200 dedicated to tournaments. This accounts for the reality that even winning players can go 50+ tournaments without a significant cash.
In a rebuy tournament, you can purchase additional chips during the rebuy period (usually the first hour) while still seated. In a re-entry tournament, if you bust out, you can buy in again as a completely new entry. Re-entry tournaments typically allow entries until late registration closes, while rebuys are only available during the designated period.
Spin & Go games have higher rake than regular tournaments (typically 6-8%) and rely heavily on hitting high multipliers for profitability. While skilled players can maintain a small edge in the 2x-5x games, the format is designed as a recreational product. Serious grinders typically earn better ROI in regular MTTs and SNGs.
Online satellite tournaments offer the most accessible path to live events. Sites like PokerStars, GGPoker, and partypoker run satellites to major events (WSOP, EPT, WPT) starting from just $1. You can also win packages through freerolls, promotions, and leaderboard competitions. Many players have turned small online investments into live tournament seats worth thousands.