Understanding Poker Game Formats
In addition to the many forms of poker and different betting variations there are also different game formats, and it’s important that you understand the differences. The two main formats of playing poker are either cash games or tournament play. Here are the main differences between cash games and poker tournament play:
| Cash Games: | Tournament Poker: |
| Cash games are played on one table. | Tournaments can consist of multiple tables. |
| Players exchange money for chips, and there is usually a minimum and maximum buy-in amount, depending on the stakes. | Players buy-in to a tournament for the same amount, and are all usually given the same amount of tournament chips. |
| A player has the option to quit the game at anytime, and can then exchange any chips for cold, hard, cash. | Tournaments end when there is one winner who has all the chips. Players are paid based on where they finished in the tournament. |
| The blinds stay the same for each hand, depending on the stakes (e.g. $1/$2). | The cost of the blinds escalates during a tournament, (e.g. increase every 15 mins). |
| If you lose your chips/money then you may buy-in again and continue playing. | If you lose all your chips, you’re done and are out of the tournament. |
As you can see from the above table, there are some fundamental differences between cash games and tournament poker. There are also differences within the types of cash games that can be played, and there are many different tournament formats, which we’ll get to soon. There are also differences depending on where the games are played, such as in a casino/cardroom, at home with friends, or when played online. One thing about poker – there are so many variations you’ll always have plenty of variety to choose from! We’ll now take a look at each of these main formats, explaining a bit more about how they work, starting with cash games.
Cash Games
This is the format where most players are first introduced to poker, many times played around the kitchen table. As the name implies it is played for cash not matchsticks, coupons, or any other medium other than cold, hard cash. This type game is played regularly all around the world in homes, clubs, lodges, casinos, cardrooms and on the internet. Depending upon the stakes of the game there is normally a minimum buy in to get started. Many times in no limit play there is also a maximum buy in as well. This is actually a form of protection for the players.
Hold’em, as a full cash or ring game (cash games are often called ring games), is normally played with nine or ten players. With the advent of online poker short handed play has become very popular. Short handed means the tables are usually limited to a maximum of six players. These games have developed a large fan base because they are action packed. Players get to play more hands than in a full game and play their hands more aggressively. This is due primarily to the fact that strategically one cannot just sit back and wait for premium cards as the blinds come around much more quickly. Starting hand values go down and players really mix it up.
Whether played online or in a public cardroom or casino, what I’ll call public cash games can be very different and more structured than home or private games. The potential differences are worth reviewing. Public games are normally limited to the predominant forms of poker such as hold’em, stud, and Omaha. While private games may play the same list of games many times, they offer very exotic variations including wild cards, extra cards and different board configurations. While some of these hybrid games can be very confusing most of the regulars in home games around the world wouldn’t have it any other way. While the following is not intended to be a complete list because that would require quite a tome, here is a sampling of some of the home games I’ve played over the years; Criss Cross, Double Reno, Follow the Queen, Baseball, Red & Black, Bonus Omaha. I won’t even attempt to describe the rules that govern these hybrid games as they vary from one location to the next. Let’s just say that the home poker community has been a whole lot more creative over the years. One thing is for sure – you either love these unique games or hate them.
Tournament Poker
There are many different types of tournament formats and we will review each of them. As with cash games, tournaments can and are played in casinos, in private clubs/homes and on the internet. The major differences between cash games and tournament play were mentioned at the beginning of this lesson. But now let’s look a several different formats in which tournaments are typically offered. Since we are in the beginning section of the Pokerology.com lessons I will make the assumption that this is not your primer to enter the World Series of Poker championship for a $10,000 buy-in and focus rather on lower stakes tournaments in which you will most likely be playing.
Standard Tournament Format
In a standard tournament format all players enter for the same amount of money which also carries a fee which the entity running the tournament keeps. As an example, "Casino Pokerology" might offer a no limit hold’em tournament that has a $50 entry cost plus a $5 fee to play. Once you post the $55, $50 of which goes into the prize pool and the other $5 is the fee to run the tournament, you may get $2,000 in non negotiable tournament chips. The blinds might start at $10 and $20 and escalate every twenty minutes. The continual escalation of the blinds forces the players to “gamble” more versus just playing conservatively and waiting for premium cards. This format is how the attrition of players whittles the number of starting players down to the eventual winners.
The number of winners is normally dependent on the number of starting players but typically in a tournament with a $50 entry fee, if there were 100 starting players providing a prize pool of $5,000 it may pay the last nine or ten players at the final table. First place might be in the neighbourhood of 30 to 50 percent of the total prize pool, with less for second, third, forth, and so on. This example is meant to demonstrate how a tournament can work, not to state as fact how they all work. The number of your starting chips, beginning blind levels, the length of time at each blind level and the prize pool distribution is at the discretion of the tournament organizer and can vary significantly. Always make sure you understand just what is being offered for your tournament dollar.
Remember that the values of the chips used in a tournament are only relevant to the tournament itself. You may have the more chips than anyone else after an hour, but you can’t walk away and exchange the chips for real money. The chips only related to your position in the tournament, and to get paid you must finish in the positions that get paid. For example, if a tournament plays the top 10 players out of 100, then you’ll get nothing for finishing 11th-100th. You might have the most chips with 50 players left, but it doesn’t count for anything unless you make the top 10.
In addition to the standard tournament format explained above wherein for one cost you’re in it and several players, such as ten, share in the prize pool there are a few other ways tournaments can work. We’ll highlight several formats.
Freeze Outs
A freeze out refers to any tournament format in which you cannot rebuy or add to your chip stack – aside from winning pots. The cost of entry and the amount of starting chips is set in advance as explained above. If you lose all your chips, you’re out. Freeze outs are the antithesis of rebuy tournaments, which are explained next.
Rebuy Tournaments
Under the list of how tournaments are different from cash games the first difference listed was – if you lose all of your chips, you’re done and are out of the tournament. Well, not so in a rebuy tournament. This tournament format allows you to buy-in again if you lose all your chips. Depending on the format, you may be able to rebuy as many times as you wish, normally within a predetermined time limit, such as an hour or two. Many of these tournaments also offer what is termed an “add-on” which is just the ability to purchase additional chips, until a certain point such as before the first break. This format changes much of the normal strategy of tournament play as the participants are not as fearful of being busted out since they can rebuy. These players play significantly looser until the rebuy period expires. Once the rebuy period is over the tournament becomes a freeze out with no further chips added to play.
Satellites
Using our WSOP reference once again, a one table satellite tournament to qualify for the $10,000 buy-in championship would require each of the ten players to post $1,000 (don’t forget the fee of $100) with the winner gaining free entry into the World Championship. “Free entry” actually means he would have put up $1,100, won $9,000, and gained a seat into the tournament for a total cost of $1,100.
Satellites offer a potentially cheap way of gaining entry into high buy-in tournaments. There are also satellites which win you a seat into another satellite, and so on. There are some that start with a free entry (referred to as "freerolls"), or just a couple of dollars. If you play online poker you will notice complete sections for satellite tournaments, for all sorts of events, such as the WSOP, WPT, and other special events and high buy-in tournaments.
Sit & Go Tournaments
This type of tournament was started by the online poker sites but has now spread into the bricks and mortar cardrooms. They are played both one table as well as multiple tables. The name comes from the fact that to sign up all you need do is sit down. When the players in the tournament have all sat down – it "goes". As an example, you enter an online poker site and select a one table sit & go (SnG), pay your entry fee, sit down and wait. The tournament starts when the last player who will complete the table sits down. These type of tournaments on the internet have become extremely popular, so much so that sometimes you need to be very “quick to click” in order to get in before the table fills up. One table sit & goes normally pay the top three finishers.
As you can see there are many forms this intriguing game of poker can take. Not only that but many of the different forms of poker have their own unique strategies.
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