Fri, 09/16/2011 – 04:27 – PokerPages Staff

If you’ve mastered the cash ring games at PokerStars, you’re probably ready to get started on some tournament play.  In tournaments there can be some very serious money up for grabs, sometimes with very little outlay.  Freerolls and satellite tournaments even allow players to win seats at big money events without even spending a cent.

Your Entry Fee is All You Pay

On entry to a tournament you will pay a single entry fee, also known as a ‘buy in’.  Your buy in gets you a chipstack, from which all of your bets will be taken.  Each player entering the tournament will be given the same amount of chips, ensuring everyone starts off on an even footing.  Chips have no monetary value in a tournament; players are awarded prizes based on the order in which they are eliminated.  This could be if you finish in the top five for single table tournaments, or a hundred players or more in larger tournaments.

Rakes Explained

The buy in from each tournament will have a rake specified, which goes to the house.  This will be the case in live poker as well as online poker.  A $10+$1 tournament will cost you $11 to enter, with $10 going to the prize pot, and the $1 rake going to the house to cover costs and overheads.

Seating Plans

Whether playing online or live, your seats throughout the tournament are allocated at random.  As players are eliminated, new tables are created until there are only enough players to fill a single final table. When playing any scheduled tournament, be sure to arrive on time, as your buy in may not be refunded if you miss the start.

For more advice on poker tournaments and other poker information, visit PokerSchoolOnline.

Tue, 09/13/2011 – 07:41 – PokerPages Staff

When playing online poker at PokerStars there are two main ways in which you can play the game.  Both ways offer a fantastic poker experience, but with major differences between the formats it is important that beginner poker players are aware of what they are getting themselves into before they sit down at the virtual table.  If you’ve ever wondered what the differences are, read on and be illuminated.

Cash Ring Games

Cash ring games are the sort of games that people play around kitchen tables up and down the country.  Likewise, if you’ve ever walked into a casino and just started playing poker at a table, the likelihood is that you are playing a cash ring game.  All poker bets at cash ring tables are for real money, with the possibility on some tables of playing for some seriously high stakes.  It is important to be aware at all times that each bet you place is for your money from your account.

Tournaments

Whether playing a single or multi table tournament, the premise remains the same: your entry fee, or buy-in, buys you a stack of chips from which all of your bets are taken.  Other than your buy-in, no more of your money is at risk, as every other bet is for ‘imaginary’ money.  Chips have no monetary value, with the prize structure of tournaments dictated by the number of players participating and the size of the buy-in.  Unlike a cash ring game, where you can choose to walk away and cash up after any hand, in a tournament players only leave the table when they are out.

Want to learn more? PokerSchoolOnline is the internet’s number one source for poker related learning.