Online Poker Tournaments
If you’re no longer content with simply playing against the computer, it’s time to pull up a chair at the table alongside other poker enthusiasts from all over the US in any of the thousands of poker tournaments taking place online right now.
The best US-facing poker sites offer online poker tournaments varying in size and format from small “sit and go’s” to massive multi-table tournaments. The internet is the birthplace of the sit and goes, which usually features just one or two tables, beginning once all the seats have been taken with the top three players generally each taking a portion of the pot.
Multi-table tournaments come in several varieties and can feature thousands of players at venues all over the world. Like all poker tournaments, multi-table tournaments require players to pay a buy-in fee for a stack of chips and a seat at the table. They are held across multiple tables by a specified number of players, starting at a set time. As the number of players dwindles, the remaining participants are redistributed at random until only a single table remains where the winner emerges. Some of the myriad other types of live poker tournaments include turbo tournaments, bounty tournaments, satellite tournaments and weekly guaranteed tournaments.
Part of the initial appeal of multi-player poker tournaments is that with so many players, a relatively small buy-in has the potential to yield thousands of dollars in prize money. More cautious players have the option of playing in several low-stakes tournaments to accumulate prize money. For those who want to take larger risks for larger rewards, high stakes poker tournaments featuring enormous pots often amounting to millions of US dollars are also available.
Players can also enjoy other special rewards such as those offered by satellite tournaments, which, instead of cash, offer their winners a place in a larger tournament. World Series of Poker champion, Chris Moneymaker famously won his place at the WSoP via a small satellite tournament. To make things even more interesting, bounty tournaments offer rewards to participants who bust certain players such as celebrities and poker pros.
| Rank | Poker Site | No Deposit Bonus | Play | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | BetOnline |  | 5/5 | 200% Bonus | Play now |
| 2 |  | Tiger Gaming | | 4.9/5 | 100% Bonus | Play now |
Variety of Poker Games
The most popular games chosen by players of online poker tournaments include Texas Hold ‘em, Omaha and Seven-Card Stud.
Texas Hold ‘em, perhaps the most well-known of all the poker varietals, is even more popular online than in real-life – owing largely to World Series of Poker tournaments broadcast live on television. These fast-paced poker tournaments feature two face-down cards per player plus five community cards to be used by all players at the table along with their own cards to make the best five-card hand possible.
Omaha, a subtle variation on Texas Hold ‘em popular with experienced Hold ‘em players in search of a little variety, features four face-down cards per player and five community cards for players to create the best five-card hand possible, using two of the former and three of the latter.
For players in search of a more classic form, Seven-Card Stud is a common favorite in online poker tournaments. This highly strategy-based type is suited to players who enjoy honing their skill over time and variations such as Seven-Card Stud High-Low offer exciting alternatives.
We have identified and reviewed the best US-facing sites offering poker tournaments so you can start playing right away and enjoy all of these exciting games and massive rewards alongside other online US poker players from all over the US!