Start with the most common formats
This guide starts with names you will often see in poker lobbies. One label describes how the event is played, another the rewards, and another the speed. A single event can be an “MTT PKO Turbo Re-entry 6-max.”
If you are still learning the actions and betting rounds, you can start at the free poker table. It uses fixed blinds to help you learn Texas Hold’em without simulating specific tournament structures.
The five dimensions of a tournament
- Competition: multi-table play, single-table play, duels or qualifying rounds.
- Reward: finishing position, knockouts, tickets or a combination.
- Speed: blind level duration, blind increases and starting depth.
- Entries: one entry, re-entries or extra chip purchases where allowed.
- Structure: seats, stages, days, entry caps and special rules.
“No Limit” describes the betting limits. “Texas Hold’em” names the variant. Neither label by itself tells you how many players get paid.
Catalog: how each format works and affects strategy
The catalog covers the main tournament formats and features and how they combine. Operators may add their own rules, so the list is open-ended. Use the filters to study one dimension at a time.
34 formats and features
Regular MTT
How it works: A multi-table tournament with eliminations and payouts based on finishing positions. Tables are balanced until the remaining players reach the final table.
How strategy changes: Plan for changes in stack depth and opponents. Near the bubble and pay jumps, preserving your stack can be worth more than the simple gain in chips.
What to watch for: MTT alone tells you nothing about speed, bounties or re-entry rules.
PKO · progressive knockout
How it works: Part of the prize money comes from knockouts. A share of the eliminated player’s bounty is paid out, while another share increases the bounty of the player who knocked them out. The structure sets the split.
How strategy changes: Pay attention to who covers whom. A knockout only pays when the opponent loses all their chips. Weigh the bounty, hand equity and payout pressure together.
What to watch for: A 50/50 split is common, though other splits exist. A large bounty alone cannot justify every call.
Mystery Bounty
How it works: Knockouts during the qualifying phase award bounties whose amounts are unknown until revealed. Finishing positions also pay.
How strategy changes: Adjust to when bounties become active and to the rewards still available. Before that phase, a knockout does not carry a bounty.
What to watch for: The top envelope does not represent the expected value of a knockout. The start of the phase and the distribution vary.
Turbo
How it works: The blinds rise faster than in the comparable regular format. The label does not specify a universal level duration.
How strategy changes: Short stacks appear earlier. Learn to make decisions in BB, steal blinds and handle all-in spots. A fast pace does not force you to play every hand.
What to watch for: Level duration and the size of the blind increases both matter.
Freezeout
How it works: Each person gets one entry. Losing all your chips ends your run, with no second entry in that event.
How strategy changes: Elimination ends your chance to advance. Adjust risk to your stack, the payout tiers and opponents, while still considering the merits of strong hands.
What to watch for: A freezeout can be regular, turbo, PKO or another permitted combination.
Re-entry
How it works: After being eliminated, a player can enter again within the registration window and the allowed entry limit.
How strategy changes: Count every entry in the total cost. The option to come back does not make a losing play profitable. Measure the new stack in BB at the current level.
What to watch for: There can be more entries than players.
Sit & Go
How it works: It usually starts when all required seats fill. It can use one or more tables and different payout schedules.
How strategy changes: Fewer entrants can bring the bubble and final stages sooner. Learn the payout structure and adjust as the field shrinks.
What to watch for: Sit & Go does not always mean three players or a randomly drawn prize.
Satellite
How it works: A qualifier that awards seats or tickets for another event. Many satellites award the same prize to everyone who qualifies.
How strategy changes: When the seats have equal value, the goal is to qualify. Near the cutoff, survival can be worth more than extra chips. Consider stack sizes and blind pressure.
What to watch for: No single stack guarantees a seat in every satellite. Some use a chip target or other rules.
Freeroll
How it works: An event with no initial entry fee and prizes set by the organizer. It may require eligibility, a password or a free ticket.
How strategy changes: The hand rules stay the same. Adjust to the actions you see at the table and judge each player on their play.
What to watch for: Check for optional purchases and other conditions. Free entry describes only part of the rules.
KO · fixed bounty
How it works: A knockout pays a set reward that does not have to grow as in a PKO. Finishing positions can pay separately.
How strategy changes: Factor the eligible bounty into the spot alongside equity, stacks and pots. A player who still has chips keeps their bounty.
What to watch for: The share allocated to bounties depends on the event.
Hyper-turbo
How it works: A very fast structure, often paired with smaller starting stacks or larger blind increases.
How strategy changes: Study short-stack decisions, all-in frequencies and how payouts affect play. You have fewer orbits to wait for spots.
What to watch for: A short event is still subject to variance.
Deep stack and slow structure
How it works: Deep stack means more starting big blinds. A slow structure means longer levels or smaller increases between them.
How strategy changes: Deeper effective stacks create more postflop decisions and room to bet across several streets. A strong pair plays differently at depth than at ten BB.
What to watch for: Measure depth against the blinds, even when the chip count looks large.
Shootout
How it works: Tables play separate rounds. The qualifiers at each table advance, usually after winning their table.
How strategy changes: Play becomes short-handed as opponents leave. Know how to play with fewer people and heads-up, and check the qualification rules.
What to watch for: An automatic all-in shootout works differently.
Heads-up
How it works: Two players compete against each other. An event can use a bracket of duels to determine the winner.
How strategy changes: Ranges usually widen because there is only one opponent. The button is the small blind and acts first preflop and last after the flop.
What to watch for: Byes, bracket format and the number of wins needed vary.
6-max and 4-max
How it works: They limit each table to six or four seats. They can be part of MTTs or Sit & Gos.
How strategy changes: The blinds come around more often. Adjust a starting-hand range designed for early positions at a nine-handed table.
What to watch for: Seat count does not determine how quickly the blinds rise.
Full ring
How it works: Tables with more seats, often eight or nine, depending on the event.
How strategy changes: From early position, more players act after you. Position and previous action matter more for hand selection and multiway play.
What to watch for: The tournament still becomes short-handed as tables empty.
Jackpot Sit & Go / Spin
How it works: Sit & Go format with a prize or multiplier drawn before play, often with few entrants and a fast structure.
How strategy changes: Short stacks, fewer players and the multiplier table change the decisions. Study the specific format and check which places it pays.
What to watch for: The multiplier distribution and number of paid places depend on the product.
Rebuy
How it works: Players can buy more chips early in the event if they meet the stack requirements and limits.
How strategy changes: Potential costs include rebuys. Track how stacks change and what happens when the rebuy period ends. Factor in the price of the additional chips.
What to watch for: Rebuys follow their own rules and may let you keep your seat. Re-entry is a new entry.
Add-on
How it works: An optional purchase of additional chips at a set time, usually at the end of the rebuy period.
How strategy changes: Compare the number of chips offered, the cost, the stack depth and the payouts. Decide within your planned event budget.
What to watch for: Eligibility and the number of add-ons allowed vary.
Total KO and bounty-heavy formats
How it works: All or most of the prize pool is tied to knockouts. The percentages depend on the event.
How strategy changes: Knocking out opponents and covering their stacks become central. Reassess the payout model and ICM assumptions you use for a traditional MTT.
What to watch for: Check the exact split between bounties and paid places in the event rules.
Double or Nothing
How it works: A set number of remaining players receive the same prize. Typical structures stop before a single champion is crowned.
How strategy changes: A bubble with equal prizes puts a premium on survival. Extra chips may be worth little compared with the risk of elimination at that point.
What to watch for: Fees can reduce the net profit below 100% even when the advertised prize is double the buy-in.
Fifty50
How it works: The usual format ends with half the entrants remaining. One part of the payout is equal for survivors and another depends on their final stacks.
How strategy changes: Survival matters, but accumulating chips can also increase your payout. Unlike a Double or Nothing, the prizes can differ.
What to watch for: Check the organizer’s payout formula and any differences in the product.
Winner-take-all
How it works: The winner takes the entire prize pool allocated by finishing position. There are no other paid places or pay jumps between them.
How strategy changes: With no intermediate prizes, the relationship between chips and payouts differs from a multi-place payout table. Equity and structure still matter.
What to watch for: It can appear in duels, Sit & Gos or special events.
Flights and multi-stage tournaments
How it works: Different starting days or times feed into a later stage. The event rules determine what happens to the stack or qualification.
How strategy changes: Plan your availability for the next stages. Qualification rules, multiple stacks and chip carryover can change the goal of the opening stage.
What to watch for: Some events carry forward the largest stack. Others combine stacks or restrict further attempts. Read the event rules.
Multi-day
How it works: The event spans more than one day, with breaks and play resuming with the qualifying stacks.
How strategy changes: Your end-of-day goal depends on the structure and payouts, beyond bagging chips. When play resumes, reassess the blinds, antes, table and current stacks.
What to watch for: A multi-day event can have just one starting flight.
Fixed-time tournament
How it works: Play ends at a set time or after a set duration. The announced formula determines the payouts for the remaining players and may take chip counts into account.
How strategy changes: The time left and the payout formula matter. Check what it takes to get paid and adapt any strategy you would use in a regular MTT.
What to watch for: The payout formula is the deciding factor.
Target stack
How it works: Reaching a target chip count can qualify a player or award the stated prize, depending on the structure. Some satellites use this format.
How strategy changes: The target changes the value of accumulating more chips than required. Check when qualification is confirmed and how shorter stacks can still reach the goal.
What to watch for: An official target differs from an estimate of a “safe” stack in a regular satellite.
Steps
How it works: A sequence of stages that can award tickets to higher levels or another attempt at the same stage.
How strategy changes: Each stage has its own payout distribution. Aim for the prize of the current stage, which may not require finishing first.
What to watch for: Check when the tickets expire and how you can use them.
Flip & Go and formats with an automatic phase
How it works: An opening phase may determine who qualifies automatically by dealing cards. Depending on the product, normal play with decisions resumes in a later phase.
How strategy changes: Treat the automatic phase separately from the hands you play. In the playable stages, reassess depth, bounties and the payout table.
What to watch for: The mechanics depend on the poker room. Similar names can have different rules.
All-in Shootout
How it works: Players are automatically put all-in until the required result is reached. Typical structures have no betting decisions during play.
How strategy changes: Once the automatic phase begins, players make no bet, raise or fold decisions. Check eligibility, prize distribution and how the cards are dealt.
What to watch for: A conventional shootout has normal poker decisions.
Multi-stack
How it works: An entry may provide several stacks or reserves released under the event’s rules.
How strategy changes: Effective depth and the use of reserves change how the game plays. Know when reserves become available and what triggers elimination.
What to watch for: Having reserves does not give you general permission to buy chips mid-hand.
Limited-field, private and invitational events
How it works: These limit seats or access by capacity, invitation, password or eligibility. The limits apply to entry and leave the hand rules in place.
How strategy changes: Knowing the field size helps you estimate the path to the money. Strategy still depends on stacks, opponents and payouts.
What to watch for: A private event can still be tough, and the players may be strangers to each other.
Ante Up
How it works: In some special structures, the blinds stay fixed while antes increase from level to level.
How strategy changes: The cost of playing relative to the blinds differs from a standard tournament. Look at the starting pot, mandatory contributions and stacks as well as the size in BB.
What to watch for: Check the event rules. This differs from simply adding a big blind ante.
Omaha, Hi/Lo and mixed games
How it works: These labels describe the variants played or rotated during an event. The payouts are specified separately.
How strategy changes: Learn how to form hands and how betting works in each variant. Omaha requires two hole cards. Hi/Lo can split pots under different criteria.
What to watch for: A change in variant can matter more than a turbo, PKO or freezeout label.
Payouts, bounties and ICM
In a traditional MTT, more chips improve your chances of advancing, but payouts do not convert at a fixed rate per chip. ICM estimates shares of the prize pool based on stacks and the payout table.
Your approach to risk can change on the bubble, near pay jumps and at the final table. Bounties add value to knockouts. In equal-prize satellites, extra chips may add little when they do not improve your chance of qualifying. Blanket advice to “be aggressive” or “just survive” cannot cover every situation.
PKO: example bounty split
If a 100-unit bounty is split 50/50, eliminating that player can pay you 50 now and add 50 to your own bounty. The added amount is not an immediate payout. Check the event’s actual rule.
In a Mystery Bounty, consider the distribution of the envelopes still available. A huge top prize does not make every knockout worth that amount.
Speed takes more than a label
Look at the starting stack in BB, level duration, blind increases, antes and expected depth in the current phase. A nominal deep stack with lots of chips can still be shallow if the starting big blind is large.
Turbo and hyper formats usually give you less time to play deep. Short-stack spots become more frequent, and position, hand selection and payouts still matter. A regular event can also end with a very shallow final table.
Buy-in, fee, entries and guarantee
An entry can be split between prizes by finishing position, bounties and the fee. Under the 20 + 2 convention, one entry costs 22 in total and three cost 66.
Re-entry, rebuy and add-on purchases add to your costs. A guarantee commits the organizer to a total prize pool subject to its terms. It applies to the event as a whole.
Add the prizes and bounties you received and subtract all entry fees and additional purchases. You can finish in the money and still have a net loss after those costs.
What to check before entering an event
- Variant and betting structure.
- Total buy-in, fees and split between finishing prizes and bounties.
- Starting stack, blinds, antes and level duration.
- Registration deadline and re-entry limits.
- Rebuy and add-on conditions.
- Payout tiers or the rules for winning tickets.
- When bounties become active.
- Break times and the schedule for subsequent days.
- Rules for qualification, deals and ties.
The demos on this site are free and use play chips only. The catalog explains event formats and offers no tournament registration.
Frequently asked questions about tournament types
Are PKO and turbo mutually exclusive?
An event can have both features. PKO describes knockout rewards and turbo describes speed.
Is a freezeout always slow?
A freezeout limits each player to one entry. The blind structure determines speed.
Are rebuy and re-entry the same thing?
Re-entry is a new registration after elimination. A rebuy buys chips under its own stack requirements and time window. Check the details for each event.
Does the biggest stack always win more in a satellite?
Many satellites award the same prize to all qualifiers. Others use targets or different payout tables.
Does every tournament end with one player holding all the chips?
That is the traditional model. Satellites, Double or Nothing, Fifty50 and fixed-time events can end differently.
Is there strategy in an automatic all-in shootout?
The automatic phase has no betting decisions. A conventional shootout has normal play at each table.