If you like to play poker tournaments, you will of course know where to find the best ones for you and at which ones you can play successfully. But what advice should an online poker beginner give on which criteria to choose the tournaments?

The different poker tournaments for every type of player

Single Table, Multi Table, Sit and Gos, Satellites and Freerolls, these are the five most common and popular types of poker tournaments.

In the end, it always depends on what you personally like best and what you value. Below we show the five main tournament types with all their advantages and disadvantages.

Single Table Tournaments

Single table poker tournaments are, as the name suggests, tournaments played on one table. Once a certain number of players are seated at the table, the game begins. This variant of Sit and Gos is very popular because you know from the start how many opponents you will be playing against and the duration of the tournament is also predictable.

Cash prizes are awarded to the first three places. So if you are a patient player and don’t want to play against countless opponents, this variant is something for you. Single table tournaments are also good for beginners, as they offer an excellent opportunity to better understand the game of poker.

Advantages:

• Single table tournaments last a maximum of 30 to 60 minutes.
• Beginners can build up a good bankroll in the process.

Disadvantages:

• Payouts are low compared to multi table tournaments and only the first three places receive cash.
• The game is often too short to try out new strategies.

Multi Table Tournaments

If you want to turn a small amount of money into a large sum of winnings, multi table tournaments are the place to be. This poker tournament variant is certainly one of the most popular tournament forms of all, as many players win money here and only have to accept a small risk.

Of course, it is annoying if you are eliminated again shortly after the start, but there is always a new tournament that starts soon.

Advantages:

• The multi-table tournaments run around the clock at the big poker rooms.
• Players have enough time to test new strategies.

Disadvantages:

• MTTs can last a long time, some even up to 12 hours.
• The number of opponents can also be very high here.

Sit and Gos

Sit down, play and get up again, that is basically the principle of Sit and Gos, which is already in the name.

Sit and Gos can be played at one table, but also at several. There are also Sit and Gos with 18 players or with 180, even 360 participants. As soon as the necessary number of players is seated at the table, the poker game begins.

Advantages:

• Sit and Gos run around the clock at large poker rooms.
• Most of the time you can play Sit and Gos for as little as a small bet.

Disadvantages:

• Sit and Gos with 360 players can take a while to start.
• The largest selection of Sit and Gos can be found at PokerStars. Since this poker room has a high player traffic, you can always find a table here that starts quickly. But there are also many others.

Satellites

Big poker rooms like PokerStars, PartyPoker have in their repertoire big live poker tournament series like the EPT, or PartyPoker Millions. If you want to play in a big live event but the buy-in is too high for you, you can win tickets at a very reasonable price at the satellites.

Advantages:

• Players can earn a ticket to a big event at a fraction of the price.
• If you manage to win a ticket, you can play against well-known names at the big event.

Disadvantages:

• The number of opponents is very high in satellites.
• Many satellites are played in turbo mode, where the blinds increase quickly.

Freerolls

Feerolls are probably the most popular type of poker tournaments and the best way to win money without having to break your bankroll.

A freeroll is a poker tournament that doesn’t require a buy-in, but still has a cash prize pool. So you can win money without paying anything for it.

This is ideal not only for beginners, but also for players who like to try out a new poker room and don’t want to invest any money yet to see if you like the poker casino and what it has to offer.

Advantages:

• Players can build up a bankroll without spending anything.
• You can try out a new poker room without having to wager anything.

Disadvantages:

• The prize pools are usually not very high.
• The number of opponents is very high in freerolls.
• Often they are played very loosely and aggressively.

Freezeout, rebuy, re-entry or knockout?

Poker tournaments are also divided into freezeouts and rebuy or re-entry tournaments. If you lose your entire stack in a freezeout, you are eliminated. In rebuy or re-entry tournaments you can buy in again and take your second chance.

There are also knockout tournaments where you receive a “bounty” for each player you eliminate from the tournament.

Summary

As you can see, there are many different ways to choose a poker tournament. If you are a beginner, the best way to build up your bankroll is to play freerolls and then play poker tournaments with buy-ins.

If you are short on time, single table tournaments are ideal. If you want to win big prizes, we recommend multi table tournaments where you can play for large prize pools. Satellites are always a good way to win a ticket to a bigger tournament at a cheaper price.

Since every player has different preferences, you should always choose the game that best suits your needs. No matter which poker tournament you choose, it should not exceed your bankroll and you should have fun playing. We hope you have fun trying it out!