PokerStars Online Tournament Types

SIT & GO TOURNAMENTS

A ‘Sit & Go’ (also called an SNG or S&G) is a tournament that starts as soon as it sells out. Therefore, there are no specific start times for Sit & Go’s; they simply begin when every seat has been filled. The amount of players in a Sit & Go will vary, but will always be predetermined before registration begins. At PokerStars, a Sit & Go will have as few as two players (‘heads up’) and as many as 990 players, and they can be played for cash prizes or as a satellite to another tournament. To find these tournaments, click on the ‘Sit & Go’ tab in the PokerStars main lobby window.

Lobby Display

Two new columns can be seen in the Sit & Go lobby: ‘Speed’ and ‘Type’. The Speed column indicates if a tourney has a Turbo or Hyper-Turbo blind structure. The Type column identifies Fifty50, Knockout, Heads-up, Satellite and other special tourney types. You can also see icons that identify tournaments with six or fewer seats per table.

More Variety

New combinations of tourney type and game speed are now available. Meanwhile, unpopular tournaments have been removed from the lobby to make it easier for players to find opponents.

Hyper-Turbos

In direct response to player feedback, $5 Hyper-Turbo Sit & Go Tournaments have been introduced for a trial period. The new Hyper-Turbos have starting stacks of 500 chips and blind levels of 2 minutes. These tournaments are great for players with limited time or a desire for lots of action. At present, these tourneys can be played 6-handed, 9-handed, and Heads-up in No-Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha.

Standardized Buy-Ins

All non-satellite S&Gs now have standardized buy-in amounts. For tourneys with less than 45 players, players can choose from $1.50, $3.50, $7, $15, $30, $60, $100, $250, $500, $1000 and $2000 buy-ins. Not all Sit & Go types are available at every buy-in, but the buy-ins offered match player demand for each tournament type. 

Consistent Rake

The rake for Sit & Go tournaments has been made more consistent. The differences in rake for various tournament and game types have been eliminated. With very rare exceptions, single table S&Gs now charge less rake for tournaments with fewer players or faster blind structures. In some cases rake has gone up, while in other cases rake has gone down; however, the rake for Sit & Go’s as a whole is very slightly lower.

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FIFTY50 TOURNAMENTS

A ‘Fifty50’ is a very unique type of single table Sit & Go, in that the tournament ends once half of the players are eliminated. For instance, in a 20-player Fifty50 event, the tournament will end once 10 players are eliminated, and the remaining 10 players will get paid. The first half of the total prize pool is equally distributed among the players who still hold chips, and the remaining half of the prize money is divided in amounts based on each player’s chip count. For example, if you enter a 20-person $10+$1 Fifty50 tournament, the prize pool will total $200. If you still remain after 10 players (half of the field) have been eliminated, you (and all other remaining players) will receive $20 plus a certain percentage of the remaining $100 in prize money. This percentage is dependent upon your chip stack size when the Fifty50 ends, and is explained in detail below.

To explain further, a 10 player $300+$17 Fifty50 would generate a prize pool of $3,000. Each entrant begins the tournament with 1,500 starting chips.

In order to determine how much of the remaining prize pool each player will receive, the following formula is used to calculate each chip stack:

For example, to figure the value of Player 1’s chip stack, multiply their share of the total amount of chips (4300/15000) by half the amount of the prize pool ($1500), which totals $430. Once you add the buy-in amount that has been returned ($300) to this number, you find their total payout of $730.

It should be noted that payout amounts in Fifty50 tournaments are rounded down to the nearest cent, although the prize pool is always paid out to the players in its entirety. Sometimes there will be small rounding variations in the final payouts so that the entire prize pool is distributed. You can find the approximate payout amounts per 100 chips displayed in the Fifty50 tournament lobby. To find Fifty50 events, select ‘Sit & Go’ and then ‘1-Table’ in the main PokerStars game lobby.

Note: Because Fifty50 tournaments have such a unique structure, Tournament Leader Board (TLB) points are not awarded in these events and they are not eligible for Battle of the Planets.

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STEPS TOURNAMENTS

‘Steps’ are also a unique variation of a Sit & Go tournament. Steps are a great way to turn a small buy-in amount into a much larger prize, by making your way up from the lower buy-in Steps to the higher Steps events. These Step ‘tiers’ can be climbed by outlasting your opponents in each Sit & Go and advancing on to the next. Step 1 entries start from only $7.50, €2.20 or 500 Frequent Player Points (FPPs), but can be quite lucrative if you make it to the higher ranks.

Players have the option to enter Steps at any level. For example, you can increase your chances of advancing to the next Step level by buying into a Step 2, 3, 4, etc. While these higher tiered Steps demand larger buy-ins, they offer better structures to the players.

If you do not advance on to the next Step level, you may get the chance to repeat the same Step again for free, or try your hand at the previous Step. Players can also opt out of the Steps system at certain levels and use their tickets for other PokerStars tournaments. Steps are very convenient because you can use your earned tickets at any time you chose. Steps can be played for cash prizes as well as Satellites into larger PokerStars tournaments.

To start playing Steps tournaments, visit the PokerStars lobby and click ‘Sit & Go’ > ‘Satellite’ > ‘Steps’.

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MULTI-TABLE TOURNAMENTS

Multi-table tournaments (MTTs) are exactly what they sound like; poker tournaments consisting of multiple tables. A multi-table tournament typically has a very large cap on the number of entrants allowed and so they rarely sell out. Each player begins with the same amount of chips at the start of the event, with the goal to eventually accumulate all of the chips in play and emerge as the tournament winner. If you find yourself without any remaining chips, you will be eliminated. As more players get knocked out of a tournament, the tables are consolidated by moving players to new seats. The prize pool is distributed among the top finishers in the tournament. The number of winners as well as their prize amounts depends on how many people played the event.

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SHOOTOUT TOURNAMENTS

A Shootout tournament is a unique type of multi-table event, in which players essentially first play a single table tournament until one player emerges as the winner and moves on to the next stage of the event. This differs from a traditional tournament in that no tables are consolidated or balanced by moving players. When you are seated at a table in a Shootout tournament, you must win all the chips at your first table in order to advance to the next table, where you repeat the Shootout process against opponents who also beat their original table.

When you play a DOUBLE SHOOTOUT, players only need to beat 2 tables to win the entire tournament, but all players who reach the final table will often collect a portion of the prize pool. Once you beat your original table in a Double Shootout, you advance to the final table where the sole tournament winner will be determined.

A TRIPLE SHOOTOUT requires you to beat three tables in order to win the tournament, although several other players will also receive a portion of the prize pool, depending on the structure and size of the event. The regular Shootout process is followed; the winner of the original table advances to another table with other first-table-winners, who then compete again for a chance to advance. They will then converge at the final table where the tournament winner will be determined.

Shootouts can also be extended and played as quadruple shootouts and up. It should be noted that because there are not always an even amount of entries to fill each table, some starting tables may not be completely full but will be balanced as evenly as possible. Sometimes, PokerStars will also offer shootouts that have shorter tables, like a four-player table shootout. Please note that registering late is not permitted in shootouts.

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HEADS-UP TOURNAMENTS

A Heads-Up tournament is a form of shootout in which there are only two players seated at each table, where they play one-on-one to determine who will advance. The player who eventually wins all the chips from their opponent will move on to the next heads-up match, where they will again compete against a single opponent in an attempt to advance in the tournament.

Because there are often not a perfect number of entries to make a Heads-Up tournament play out properly, some players will receive a ‘bye’, which means they will automatically advance to the second Heads-Up match without having to compete in an original match. PokerStars offers Heads-Up events with and without byes, and this will be clearly marked in the tournament lobby under ‘Tournament Info”. If there are no byes in a tournament, the last few players who have registered may be returned their buy-in amount and will not be included in the event.

In several Heads-Up tournaments, you can click on a ‘Show Bracket’ option (found in the tournament lobby) so that you can view how the event will be played out. Please note that like all PokerStars Shootout events, late registration is not permitted in Heads-Up tournaments.

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SATELLITE TOURNAMENTS

In a Satellite tournament, players compete for an entry into a larger buy-in tournament instead of cash prizes. Satellites are a good way to play an expensive event for a smaller price. At PokerStars, Satellites are offered in several different variations; Sit & Go’s (single, multi-table and Steps) and Multi-table Satellites, which are played similarly to a regular MTT. The main difference between satellites and regular tournaments is that they are only played down until the number of players remain who will claim an entry to the larger event. This number is determined by the amount of entries to the satellite.

For example, if the target tournament (that players are attempting to win seats for) costs $1000 to enter, and there is a Satellite with a prize pool of $10,000, then 10 players will receive entries to the larger event. Once only these 10 players remain, the satellite is over and the larger tournament entries are awarded. There will often be an odd number in the prize pool, meaning that there is not enough money to award an additional seat to the target tournament. In this case, the extra cash is awarded to the player or players who are eliminated just before the satellite ends.

Sit & Go Satellites can be found under ‘Sit & Go’ > ‘Satellite’ in the PokerStars Lobby, while Multi-table Satellites can be found under ‘Tourney’ > ‘Satellite’.

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FLIGHTED TOURNAMENTS

A Flighted tournament is one tournament that is played in sections. Players can chose from different starting flights that play at different times. Each starting flight will play the same amount of time, and then all remaining players will later combine in the tournament in a single final section. Flighted tournaments allow players to start a big tournament at a time or date that better suits them. Chip counts at the end of each flight will be carried over into the next round.

For example, a tournament might have Flight 1A on Friday at 12:00, Flight 1B on Saturday at 12:00 and Flight 2 on Sunday at 12:00. Players would play for six hours on Friday or Saturday, and all the players that survive would combine to finish the tournament at 12:00 on Sunday.

When you enter a flighted tournament you must ensure that you will be available to play in the future flights. You cannot unregister from Flight 2 (or beyond) in flighted tournaments.

Some flighted tournaments may allow for multiple entries into the first flights. For example, if you play Flight 1A and are eliminated, you may be able to enter Flight 1B and start again at the beginning. You cannot qualify for the next round more than once, so if you survive Flight 1A, you will then be unable to enter Flight 1B in the same event.

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REBUY TOURNAMENTS

Rebuy tournaments differ from traditional events in that players have an opportunity to purchase more chips if they run out. Instead of being eliminated when your chips are taken by an opponent, you can buy more and remain in the tournament, and the money you paid for the additional chips is added to the prize pool. This often makes for large prize pools and a good deal of action during the rebuy period. These are some important facts to understand about rebuy events:

• Players may only rebuy chips during the specified ‘rebuy period’ that occurs during the early levels of the event. Typically, the rebuy period is until the first break of the tournament, often lasting roughly an hour. Once the rebuy period is complete, players may not purchase more chips in the subsequent tournament levels.
• Sometimes, there is a restriction on the number of rebuys you may purchase, although many tournaments offer an unlimited amount during the rebuy period.
• If you lose all of your chips during the rebuy period, PokerStars will automatically offer you the option to rebuy. If you have any chips in front of you but would like to buy more, click on the image of the dealer tray at the top center of your table and then click ‘Add More Chips’. You will not be eligible to add more chips if you have more than a starting chip stack in front of you, but you can rebuy if your stack is equal to what it started. Usually the rebuy is the same cost as the tournament’s buy in, and gives you the same amount of chips as you originally received.
• At the completion of the rebuy period, there is typically an optional ‘add-on’ available while players are on the first break. Put simply, add-ons are extra rebuys that every player is usually eligible to purchase, no matter their stack size. Usually an add-on is the same price as the rebuys and will give you either the same amount of chips you started with or sometimes even more. Like rebuys, the money used to purchase add-ons are added to the tournament prize pool.
  
  Add-ons will become available once the action on each table is complete and the tournament break officially begins. Rebuys are also still usually available during this break if a player is eligible. Purchasing add-ons is done the same way as rebuys; simply click the dealer tray and select the ‘Add More Chips’ button.

Please note that the rules listed above are standard but not always used. In order to be completely aware of the rules of a specific tournament, you may read the details in the tournament lobby under ‘Tournament Info’.

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BOUNTY TOURNAMENTS

In a bounty tournament, players are awarded cash prizes for knocking out predetermined opponents who have bounties on their heads. For example, in a PokerStars bounty tournament, certain players will have bounties assigned to them. Therefore, if you are the one who takes their remaining chips and eliminates them from the event, you will receive a cash prize automatically, no matter how you finish in the tournament.

There are three different types of Bounty tournaments offered at PokerStars:

• Fixed: Certain players are ‘marked’ with a symbol to indicate they have a bounty on their head. You can view which players are ‘marked’ by viewing the event lobby, and you will receive a bounty if you eliminate any one of them.
• Team Pro: All members of Team PokerStars Pro who have entered the tournament will have a bounty on their head. These Pros all have red spades on their avatars and next to their names in the lobby. Knock out a Team Pro member and receive a bounty.
• Every single player in the event has a bounty on their head. To learn more about Knockouts, read below.

Bounty tournaments can be easily found in the PokerStars lobby and the different bounty types are identified by their symbol. Knockouts are signified with a black ‘crosshair’ symbol, a black ‘target’ signifies a fixed bounty event, and those tournaments with a red ‘target’ symbol are Team PokerStars Pro bounty events.

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KNOCKOUT BOUNTY TOURNAMENTS

In a Knockout tournament, every player in the event has a bounty on their head. Therefore, you will receive an extra cash prize every time you eliminate an opponent.

Knockout tournaments require each player to pay an extra amount that serves as their bounty. For instance, if a knockout tournament has a buy-in of $30+$10+$3, $30 would go to the prize pool, while $10 is the player’s bounty (awarded to the player that eliminates them) and $3 is the rake.

Knockout tournaments are easily found in the PokerStars lobby. You can also use the tournament filter by typing in ‘knockout’ to find what events are coming up.

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DEEP STACK TOURNAMENTS

Deep Stacks are tournaments in which all players receive more starting chips than a typical event. Usually, the initial starting stack in a Deep Stacks is 5,000 chips. While the stacks are clearly much deeper, the blinds structure is typically identical to a normal PokerStars event, and the levels are longer, which provides players with much more play in the tournament.

Deep Stacks tournaments are easy to find in the PokerStars tournament lobby, as ‘Deep Stack’ will appear in the tournament’s title.

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6-MAX and 4-MAX TOURNAMENTS

A ‘6-max’ tournament is played with a maximum of six players at every table, as opposed to the typical 7 to 10 players. There are also ‘4-max’ tournaments available, which seat up to four players at all tables.

Please note that in 4-Max tournaments, the final table will form when 5 players remain. This is done to remove the inequity of having one table play 3-handed and the other one heads-up.

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TURBO TOURNAMENTS

In a Turbo tournament, the blinds increase more quickly than in a typical PokerStars event, and thus make them play out much faster. Turbo events typically offer 5 minute levels instead of the usual 10 or 15 minutes. Some turbo tournaments have six minute levels.

In a turbo rebuy event, the first break usually occurs only 30 minutes after play begins, rather than the usual 60 minutes.

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HYPER-TURBO TOURNAMENTS

Hyper-turbo tournaments have very extremely fast levels. Even quicker than a turbo tournament, hyper-turbo events typically offer 3 minute rounds and significantly less starting chips than other PokerStars tournaments. Because these events play out so quickly, they are a good chance to win an entry to a larger event just before it starts.

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2X-TURBO & 3X-TURBO TOURNAMENTS

2x-Turbo tournaments are unique rebuy events. The levels are very quick because it is a turbo, although the rebuy period lasts two times as long as a typical turbo rebuy event. 3x-turbo’s have a rebuy period of 3 times the usual turbo rebuy time. Starting stacks, as well as rebuys and add-on amounts vary for each event. This information can always be found by clicking ‘Tournament Info’ in the event’s lobby.

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TIME TOURNEYS

A Time Tourney is a special kind of tournament which has a pre-set duration. The time for the event is indicated in the tournament name and in the tournament lobby. At the end of the set amount of playing time, the event will stop and all remaining players will receive a distribution of the prize pool based on their ending chip count. Time Tourneys are indicated by a ‘clock’ symbol in the tournament lobby.

Time Tourneys are offered throughout the day in durations of 15, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 minutes of playing time.

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GUARANTEED TOURNAMENTS

Many PokerStars tournaments offer a guaranteed amount to be in the total prize pool by the time registration closes. If this amount is not met, PokerStars will add money to the prize pool to meet the guarantee. Guarantees on the site can get up to $1,000,000, and sometimes more! You can enter ‘guarantee’ into our tournament filter to find these events.

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POKERSTARS TOURNAMENT COLOR SCHEME

These colors are used to easily identify the different PokerStars tournaments:

• Live Events - Satellite tournaments to live poker events, like the European Poker Tour (EPT) or Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) are signified in purple.
• Satellites to Online Tournaments - Satellite tournaments to larger online events like the Sunday Million or the Nightly Hundred Grand are easily identified in dark blue.
• Steps – Steps satellites played in USD are written in a dark green color, while Steps played in Euros are signified in light blue.
• WCOOP / SCOOP Events / Satellites - Some of the major PokerStars online tournaments, like the World Championship Of Online Poker (WCOOP) and Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), and satellites to these tournaments, are easily found written in orange.
• Freerolls and Play Money - Free tournaments and play money cash games are signified in these two brown colors.
• Special Tournaments - You can easily spot several special events marked in red, such as the Sunday Million, Sunday Warm-Up, and Nightly Hundred Grand.

Please note that the color key above is for informational purposes only and is may change at any time. Other colors may be used for special tourneys or events.

Find out more information on playing in PokerStars tournaments.