Tournament
A poker competition where all players start with equal chips and play until one player has all the chips.
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What Is Tournament?
Tournaments feature increasing blind levels over time, which forces action and eventually eliminates players as their stacks are depleted. Unlike cash games, tournament chips have no direct cash value until a player either busts out or the tournament pays out based on final standing.
Examples
A $100 buy-in tournament with 500 entrants and a top-heavy payout structure.
The World Series of Poker Main Event, the most famous poker tournament in the world.
Strategy Tips
Understand that tournament chip value is non-linear due to ICM, meaning chips are worth progressively less as your stack grows relative to the field. Adjust your strategy through distinct phases: play solid, standard poker early, tighten up and prioritize survival near the bubble, and shift to push-fold as stacks shrink relative to the blinds. Pay close attention to blind level increases and stack depth throughout the tournament, since optimal strategy changes significantly as the effective stack-to-blind ratio shrinks. Study payout structures in advance, since flat, top-heavy, and winner-take-all structures each call for different late-stage strategic adjustments.