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TOURNAMENTS
Sportbet Poker offers the most true-to-life online poker tournaments on the Internet. Whether you're a tournament expert or novice, the poker tournaments at Sportbet Poker will provide you with hours of challenge and entertainment. Click here for tournament schedule.
What is a tournament
Online poker tournaments are friendly competitions involving 10 to 1000+ players, all of whom start playing at the same time (at one or more tables) until one person -- the winner -- remains. All players start with the same amount of chips, called "tournament chips", used during the course of each poker tournament. As time progresses, the stakes rise, making it more and more difficult to stay in the game.
Players who fall behind will ultimately "bust out" (lose all their chips) and be removed from the table. Games are typically played until only one person remains. Players are awarded prize money based on their finishing position in the group.
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How and when to sign up
Each tournament has a "registration period". Registration periods are between 2 and 30 minutes, and typically immediately precede the tournament start time. To sign up in a tournament in Sportbet Poker, click the "Trny List" tab in the Poker Rooms window. (The Poker Rooms window lists all poker rooms at Sportbet Poker and can be accessed via the Rooms button in the upper left of the display.)
Each upcoming poker tournament in the list shows a time (to the right side) when registration starts: i.e. "reg starts in X mins". Simply wait for the time to arrive, and then click once on the tournament to get a Pop-up menu. The menu offers you the option to register. You will also notice that the time now shows "reg ends in X mins" which lets you know when registration will end and the tournament will start.
You are free to play in other games, or even leave the site while registration is underway -- your place is reserved. You will be automatically placed into your seat when the poker tournament starts (even if you're not online; more on this below).
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Details of each tournament
To see details of any tournament on Sportbet Poker, locate a list of all tournaments under the "Trny List" tab on the Poker Rooms window. (If the Poker Rooms window is not visible, click once on the Rooms button in the upper left of the display). Click ONCE on any listed poker tournament and then choose Properties to see all details of the chosen tournament.
Some of the more significant tournament factors include:
- Buy-in: how much does it cost to enter
- Entry fee: how much does Sportbet Poker charge
- Prize money: how much prize money will be given to winners
- Number of winners: how many winners (and what % does each get)
- Times: registration, and tournament start
- Stake changes: how long before stakes change
- and much more ...
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Costs and prizes
The cost to enter a poker tournament can range from zero, to a nominal amount, to amounts as high as $100 or more. Sportbet Poker offers both Real money and play money tournaments. When you register, the entry cost is deducted from your account. If you un-register before the tournament starts, the cost is refunded.
Entry costs typically involve a Buy-in, which is put towards the prize pool. There is also an entry fee, which is Sportbet Poker's fee for hosting the games. For example, a tournament might involve 30 people, each of whom buys in for $10 plus a $1 entry fee. Each player's $10 goes towards the prize pool, which in this case would equal $300. The $300 prize would be split, likely between the top 4 players.
Separate from the entry fee or buy-in, each tournament has a "starting chip amount" -- the amount of chips you will be given at the start of the tournament. Chips are often set relative to the buy-in, but not always. (For example, a $10 buy-in for a tournament with a $1000 starting chips amount.)
Some poker tournaments (called free roll) will have no cash buy-in or entry fee but may require True Points, but still offer a prize, funded by the house. Other poker tournaments might require you to place in the top 10 of a prior tournament -- called a satellite.
And, it goes on and on. There is an endless combination of possibilities -- and that's part of what makes it so much fun!
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The tournament starts
As registration ends and the tournament starts, you will automatically be seated at a table with your previously allocated starting chips. If you're in a game at the time, you will be moved as soon as you exit the hand (either at the end, or by folding). If you are disconnected or offline at the start time, your avatar is still seated at a table. All poker tournaments have a designated "seating" time or "pull in" time to accommodate players in another game when the start occurs.
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Ballancing and collapsing tables
Sportbet Poker offers multi-table poker tournaments. Tournaments with more than 10 players will therefore have more than one table. A 60-person tournament will start out with 6 tables of 10 players, and finish with just two players at one table. So in order to keep the games fair, tables are "balanced" as players are eliminated.
For example, suppose there were three tables with 10, 9, and 9 players respectively. If 2 players were eliminated from one of the tables of 9, that would leave three tables with 10, 9, and 7 players. In such a situation, we would move a player from the table of 10 to the table of 7, resulting in a better balance of 9, 9, and 8 players at the three tables. Generally, we will move a player to another table whenever there is a difference of 3 or more players between tables. In some rare cases, we will move a player when there is a difference of 4 or more players.
Deciding which player to move is based on their position relative to the dealer button. We try to move the player who has just been passed by the button, into a seat at the destination table that has also just been passed by the button. But since this is not always possible, we move the person who is closest to this situation, into a position that is also as close to his current one as possible.
Collapsing is a natural extension of balancing. Once there is a total of 10 open seats among all tables, the smallest table is broken up, and its players moved to all remaining open seats. Here again, each player's position relative to the button is considered in the moves.
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Re-buys and add-ons
Some poker tournaments offer you the option of getting more chips during the tournament. A re-buy is an option to purchase more chips at any time up to a certain stake level. For example you might have the option to get an additional $500 worth of tournament chips at a cost of $5, until the games reach 200/400 stakes, after which you'll no longer have the option. (Note: you cannot re-buy if your chips amount is more than the original starting chips.)
An add-on is very similar to a re-buy except it is offered at a specific time to all players who choose the option. For example, just before the stakes rise to 150/300, you'll be offered the choice of getting $200 worth of tournament chips for an additional cost of $2.
All add-on and re-buy amounts are added to the prize pool.
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What if you get disconnected
In a live tournament, if you've registered and don't show up, or if you leave mid-game, your seat is still dealt cards and your blinds are paid by chips from your stack. The same occurs when you're disconnected at Sportbet Poker -- your character will become translucent (and green) to others in the game, and you will fold each hand, even those where your character bets the blinds. This is called being "Blinded-off".
When you register for a tournament, you must accept this risk in order to play.
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Blind-off mode
As noted above, if you get disconnected, your player will continue playing and be Blinded-off until all your chips are gone. You also have the option to set your game into this mode manually by clicking the Blind-off check box in the upper left area of the display while you're in a tournament game. This affords you the option of leaving your machine for a while during the tournament. But be warned: blinds will still be taken when your turn arrives.
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Interrupted games
While rare, it is possible that a technical problem will stop or abort the poker tournaments in progress. In the instance that a tournament is aborted, all players are automatically re-seated at their respective table and play will resume either at the hand preceding the problem, or even at the same point in the game. No money will be lost as a result of Interrupted games.
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Rules and regulations
When you register for a poker tournament on Sportbet Poker, you must accept the following rules and conditions:
- If you are disconnected or leave the game, your character will continue playing by folding each hand and paying the blinds.
- All-in Protection does not apply in Tournaments.
- While in an online poker tournament, your account cannot play in another game.
- You can only be registered for one tournament at a time and can only register for a tournament while not in another.
- Once the tournament starts, you cannot withdraw or receive a refund for any buy-in, re-buy, or add-on used -- unless the tournament is aborted by the house.
- Site hosts can revoke chat privileges if deemed appropriate.
- All other Sportbet Poker site rules apply.
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POKER RULES AND POKER BETTING BASICS
Here's where you can learn how to play poker, how to bet poker, and what wins in poker. You can even learn the lingo!
The Poker Games
Poker is a card game where two to ten people sit around a table, deal cards from a deck of 52, and place poker bets that accumulate into a pot as the game progresses. The best poker hand wins the pot.
Below are detailed poker betting rules and descriptions of how to play the three games of poker offered at Sportbet Poker. If you'd like an animated tutorial, you can download Sportbet Poker -- it's free! Just log on and watch live games. The built-in hints feature will tell you what's happening at each event.
The three games currently offered by Sportbet Poker are:
- Texas Hold'em Poker
- Omaha Poker
- Omaha Poker Hi/Low Games
- Pot Limit
- No Limit
These are the games most commonly found in card rooms around the world. All three are quite similar in concept and easy to grasp, but each demands a very different strategy. That part's up to you.
Texas Hold'em is the base from which the other three are derived. Below is a detailed description of Texas Hold'em, followed by explanations of the other games.
1. Texas Hold'em Poker: Rules and Description
Sit down
Up to 10 players plus a dealer are seated around a table.
Dealer Button
In front of one of the players is a round disk or button. This dealer button determines the order of betting (explained later) and moves to the left one player at a time, after each hand.
Post Blinds
Before the cards are dealt at the beginning of each hand, the two players directly to the left of the dealer button must post "blinds". To post a blind is to place a bet before getting cards. The player to the immediate left of the dealer button posts the "small blind," equal to half of the minimum bet (e.g. $5 for a 10-20 game). The player to the left of the small blind posts the "big blind," equal to the amount of the minimum bet (e.g. $10 for a 10-20 game).
Pocket Cards
Once the blinds have been posted, the first round of cards are dealt. These consist of two cards face down to each player and are called the "pocket" cards. Each player can see their own pocket cards. Then the first round of betting takes place, beginning with the player immediately to the left of the big blind and continuing in a clockwise direction around the table.
Betting
Bet amounts are fixed by the table stakes. For example, in a 3/6 table, bets are $3 in the first two rounds and $6 in the last two. The bet amount can climb a maximum of 3 times in each round of betting. In other words, there can be one bet and three raises in each round.
The Flop Cards
Next, three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. These cards are called the "Flop". All three cards are "community" cards and can be used by all the players at the table to make up their hand.
After the flop is dealt, a second round of betting takes place -- again, beginning with the player immediately to the left of the dealer button. (All subsequent rounds of betting begin with the player to left of the dealer button).
The Turn Card
Following this, a fourth "community" card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. This card is called the "Turn card" and can also be used by all players. It is followed by a third round of betting.
The River Card
Finally, a fifth and final "community" card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. It is called the "River card" and is followed by a fourth and final round of betting.
Showdown
Once all betting is complete, players determine the best five-card hand that they can make using any combination of their "pocket" cards and the "community" cards. The player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot.
Start again!
After a hand is completed and the pot taken by the winner, the dealer button is moved one player to the left, and the next hand begins.
2. Omaha Poker: Rules and Description
Omaha poker follows the same play sequence as Texas Hold'em poker, but with two differences: a) players are dealt four "pocket" cards instead of two; and b) players must use two "pocket" cards and three "community" cards to make your best high hand. (If anyone tells you that Omaha is just like Hold'em, they are not discussing strategy.)
3. Omaha Hi/Low Games: Rules and Description
Hi/Low Omaha plays the same as regular Omaha, except that there is an additional way to win a share of the pot.
As in a regular game of Omaha, the Hi winner has the best poker hand. There is always a Hi winner. But, in addition to a Hi winner, there can be a Low winner. The Low winner has 5 different cards below a 9. For example, if between your two pocket and three community cards, you had a hand consisting of a 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8 of mixed suits, you would have a Low hand. If your qualifying Low hand is the best (i.e. lowest) you would be entitled to the Low share of the pot. Your share depends on how many other players won and there may not be a Low winner every hand. You may play 2 different or the same pocket cards for Hi and for Low, along with any three community cards.
4. Pot Limit
We offer Pot Limit Hold'em and Pot Limit Omaha table games and tournaments. The progressively higher bets make pot limit very exciting and different from a limit game.
General betting rules for Pot Limit Poker
The mechanical difference between regular limit games and Pot limit games are the betting amounts; in Pot-Limit, a player is permitted (assuming he has enough chips in front of him at the start of the hand to do so) to raise any amount within a certain range, up to the pot size at the time it is that player's turn to act.
Minimum eligible raise: The minimum allowable raise amount must be at least as much as the previous bet or raise in the same round. As an example, if the first player to act bets $10 then the second player must raise a minimum of $10 (total bet of $20).
Maximum eligible raise: The maximum allowable raise is the size of the pot. The size of the pot is defined as the total of the pot in the middle plus all bets on the table plus the amount the active player must first call before raising. Let's consider an example where the blinds are $1-$2. The next player to act can fold, call the $2, or raise by placing any amount between $4 and $7 in the pot. If the player bets $4, he has raised the minimum, because the previous bet was $2, and he is doubling that. If the player bets $7, he is betting the maximum, because he is first calling the $2 blind bet, creating a total pot size of $5, and then raising the size of the pot. The $2 call plus the $5 raise yields the $7 bet. Computing maximum raises can get tricky and we suggest you practice computing maximums before playing (our poker software will calculate the proper raise range allowed and will not allow a player to make a raise too small or too large).
As you can see, if several players in a row decide to make pot-sized raises, the size of a pot can escalate rather dramatically and we do not recommend Pot limit games for beginners or players not comfortable with large betting amounts.
Our pot limit and no limit tables have a betting "slider" which allows you to bet many amounts between the minimum and maximum bet size. You can customize the location of the "slider" bet feature in the game.
5. No Limit
The rules of No-Limit Holdem are very similar to the rules for Limit Holdem, but again the main difference are the betting amounts permitted.
In No-Limit, any player is allowed to raise any amount he or she has in front of him at any time. If the blinds are $1-$2, and the first player to act has $200 in front of him, and wants to put all $200 in (a raise of $198), he is entitled to do so.
Minimum eligible raise: The minimum size of raises that are allowed must always be at least the size of the previous bet or raise. As an example, in a game with $5-$10 blinds, the first player into the pot could not bet a total of $15, because that would only be a raise of $5. The minimum bet in this situation would be a bet of $20, which is a raise of $10.
In the more likely case that the first raiser makes a somewhat larger bet, for example, a bet of $40 (which would be a raise of $30), the next player could fold, call the $40, or raise. If he raises, he would have to place at least $70 in the pot, because his raise would have to be at least as much as the previous raise. The only upper limit on the size of his raise is the number of chips he has in front of him when the hand begins.
Maximum eligible raise: The total amount of chips you have at the table!
All games are table stakes.
Players may not buy additional chips in the middle of a hand, but can always (unless they exceed their daily, weekly, or monthly limit) decide to buy more chips in between hands.
If a player bets more chips than you have in front of you, you are not forced out of the hand. You are allowed to call for whatever number of chips you have. If no one else is in the pot, the bettor simply takes back his excess chips, and the hand is played to conclusion without any additional betting. If there are other players remaining in the pot, it is possible that a side pot may be created.
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Order of Bets
First to Act
Each round of betting begins with the player to the left of the dealer button (the small blind) and proceeds around the table in a clockwise fashion, ending with the player at the dealer button. (One exception to this is the opening round of betting, which begins with the player to the left of the big blind.) At each turn, a player chooses between the following options: check, call, bet, raise (if a bet has already been made), or fold.
Check
If no one has bet previously in the round, a player may simply "check," which means he does not wish to bet or fold. Instead of betting, he wishes to let his turn pass without adding any bets to the pot.
Call
If a bet has already been made in the round, a player can no longer check. He now must either call the amount previously bet, raise, or fold. If he calls, he is matching the previous bet. If he does not wish to match the bet, he must fold.
Fold
If a bet has been made previously in the round, and the player does not wish to at least match the bet to stay in the hand, he must fold. To fold means to withdraw from the remainder of the hand and forfeit all amounts invested in the pot up to that time.
Bet or Raise
If a player wishes to increase the amount of the pot, he bets or raises. The first time the pot is raised in a given round, it is called a bet. The second time, it is called a raise, and all subsequent times are called re-raises. The amount that a player can bet, raise or re-raise is determined by the game limits. For example, in a 10-20 limit poker game, players can bet or raise $10 in the first two rounds of betting and can bet or raise $20 in the last two rounds of betting. The maximum number of times a pot can be raised in a given round of betting is three. This means that up to, but not more than, four bets (including the initial bet) can be made in a given round.
Sit out
Sitting out is the act of choosing not to participate in a hand of poker while remaining seated at the table. Players who sit out and miss the blinds, must post both blinds to rejoin the game. Players missing two rounds of the blind (two circuits of the Dealer button) are removed from the table to free their seat for other players.
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Rank of Hands
From strongest to weakest hand.
Royal Flush
Straight flush to the ace.
Straight Flush
Straight with all five cards the same suit.
Four of a Kind
Four cards of the same value.
Full House
Three cards of one value together with two cards of another value. When more than one full house is competing, the one with the highest ranking group of three wins.
Flush
Five cards of the same suit. When more than one flush is competing, the one with the highest card wins.
Straight
Five cards in sequence (e.g. 9,10, J, Q, K). When more than one straight is competing, the one with the highest card wins. An ace can be taken as either high or low (but not both high and low in the same hand).
Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same value.
Two Pair
Any two cards of one value together with two cards of another value. When more than one hand has two pairs of the same rank, the hand with the highest card outside the paired cards wins. This also applies to hands of one pair.
One Pair
Two cards of the same value.
Highest Card
When players have none of the above, the hand with the highest card wins.
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Glossary
All In
A player who runs out of chips during the course of a hand is said to be "all-in." He may be entitled only to win that portion of the pot which existed at the time he went all-in (see also Main Pot and Side Pots).
Betting Limits
The amount a player may bet or raise on any turn is set by the betting limits of the game. For example, a 3-6 table requires bets or raises to be $3 for the first two rounds of betting, and $6 for the last two rounds of betting. Likewise, a 4-8 table requires bets or raises to be $4 and $8 for the first two and last two rounds respectively.
Betting Round
One round of betting. There are four betting rounds in a given hand: before the flop, after the flop, after the turn, and after the river.
Big Blind
The big blind is made by the player immediately to the left of the small blind, and is equal to the minimum bet. For example, the big blind in a 3-6 game is $3, and in a 4-8 game, $4.
Blinds
The blinds are required bets made by the two people to the left of the dealer button before any cards are dealt, and serve to get money into the pot initially.
Burn Cards
In a live game, the dealer is required to deal one card off the top of the deck face down into the muck immediately prior to dealing the flop, the turn card, and the river card. These are called "burn cards."
Buy-in
When a player first sits down at the table and buys chips, it is called a "buy-in". The minimum buy-in for Sportbet Poker is 10 times the small bet or small blind in Pot/No limit. For example, in a 3-6 game, the minimum buy-in is $30. After a player has bought his initial chips and wishes to buy more, he can then purchase any quantity of chips provided it is $10 or greater. However if a player goes all-in and runs out of chips, they must purchase a full minimum buy-in amount.
Call
Once a bet has been made in a given round, if a player matches the bet (i.e. does not raise or fold), it is a "call."
Check
If there has not been a bet made in a given hand, a player can "check," which means he is not betting and is letting his turn pass without increasing the amount in the pot.
Chips
Circular color-coded discs used for betting, chips are available in denominations of $1, $3, $5, $25, $100, $500.
Fold
If a player elects to fold, he withdraws from the hand and forfeits all bets he has placed up to that point in the hand. Typically a player will fold when he does not want to call a bet in order to stay in the hand.
Hand
One complete game beginning with the posting of the blinds and concluding with one or more players winning the pot.
Main Pot and Side Pots
If a player runs out of chips in the course of a hand, (i.e. he goes "all-in") the pot is split into a "main pot", which is the pot that existed up to the point any players went all in, and a "side pot", which is that portion of the pot to which the all-in player does not participate, and cannot win.
Muck Cards
All discarded cards lying face down in front of the dealer, consisting of all folded cards and all "burn cards."
Pot
The total number of chips that are bet in a given round and any prior rounds. Once betting in a round is complete, the total chips bet are moved into a pile near the center of the table.
Raise
Once a bet has been made in a given round, any subsequent increases to the amount bet is called a raise. If the bet is increased after it has been raised, this is called a re-raise.
Rake
The house charges a commission -- the "rake" -- as a percentage of the total pot won at the end of most hands. This represents the only source of revenue for the house, since all winnings go to the players. The rake amount is never more than $3 and is determined by the number of players at the table, and the amount in the total pot. For more information on the rake amounts, please visit about money.
Small Blind
The small blind is made by the player immediately to the left of the dealer button and is equal to half of the minimum bet, rounded down to the nearest dollar. For example, the small blind in a 3-6 game is $1, and in a 4-8 game, $2.
Split Pot
If two or more players have the same hand at the showdown, the pot is split equally between them. If the pot cannot be split equally, the odd dollar is paid to the player next in line for the Blinds.
Table Stakes
A convention of poker, followed in most card rooms including Sportbet Poker, which dictates that a player can only play with those chips he has at the beginning of the hand. In other words, a player is not allowed to buy more chips during the course of a hand nor may they remove chips from the table during or between hands, unless they exit the game. (A player similarly may not exit and quickly return with out less chips.)
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