Play Hard, Win Big: Ignition Casino’s Greatest Online Poker Tournaments
Some say that the “beautiful game” is soccer. But if you ask us, poker is the most beautiful game around – and many people are starting to agree with us. Poker has boomed in popularity over the years, both online and in person. There are heaps of tournaments revolving around the game, including the epic World Series of Poker (WSOP).
You’ll see all kinds of poker played here, but one of the most profitable (and the most fun) is Texas Hold’em, particularly the “No-Limit” variation. For the last 20 years, Texas Hold’em is the go-to casino game for countless online gamblers and has been for a while, with No-Limit Hold’em becoming the star of the show in the 2000s.
So, are you sold yet? We figure – after all, we can pretty persuasive. So, what’re you waiting for, legends? Let’s explore the greatest online poker tourneys available right here at Ignition Casino that you can enter yourself. With the help of our handy guide, you’ll know exactly which tourneys to set your sights on for a mad jackpot. Before you know it, you’ll be mopping the floor with your opponents and lining your pockets with their cash.
How Do Online Poker Tournaments Function? What Can I Expect?
Maybe you’re super well versed in cash games, but have limited experience in tournaments. Well, mate, you’ll be happy to hear that the transition couldn’t be easier. You’ll quickly see the similarities between tournament poker and casino poker. The only real difference? Rather than playing a single hand at a time, you’ll play ‘til you reach one of two outcomes: you win or you run outta chips. Every player at the table submits a buy-in and entry fee. The buy-in money goes into the prize pot and the casino collects the entry fees as a commission. The longest-standing players will get a share of the prize pool, with the winner taking home the largest sum of real money. Pretty simple, right?
If you’re still a little lost, don’t sweat it. We’ll give you a hypothetical scenario to flesh it out even more. Here at Ignition, we recently hosted a No-Limit Texas Hold’em tournament with a guaranteed prize of $500 that attracted 144 participants. Each player paid a buy-in of $5 and a 50₵ entry fee. As the name suggests, the prize pool was guaranteed to be at least $500, even if fewer than 100 players signed up. Of course, because we’re legends, we surpassed that mark, which meant that prize pool was boosted to $720. The first 27 players received prizes, with $8.28 going to the players who came out in the 19-27 slots. As the dog-eat-dog tournament progressed, more and more players were weeded out. In the end, there was one lone survivor who walked out with $151.20 of cold, hard cash.
Where Can I Locate Poker Tournaments?
We get it – you wanna dive right into it, don’t you? That’s the kind of eager spirit we love to see – and honestly, we’d expect nothing less from ya.
To find the complete list of Ignition Casino online poker competitions, enter the poker lobby and click on “Scheduled Tournaments”. Playing on your desktop? To get started, you’ve gotta download the Ignition poker software and then install the poker client. If you’re playing on your mobile, log into the Ignition Casino home page, and the web app will do the rest for you.
If you’re new to our close-knit but epic community, let’s get two things out of the way. Firstly, welcome – we can already you’re gonna fit in well with our true-blue crew. Secondly, you’ll need to create an Ignition Casino poker account. Simply complete the form and finish logging in after you’ve been approved. Once you’re feeling ready enough to online poker for real money, make your first deposit. Remember to collect our Casino and Poker Welcome Bonus, which offer a 200% match. If you deposit with Bitcoin, you can even get a match bonus of 300% (to a maximum of $3,000). These kickass bonuses will keep your head in the game for longer, giving you heaps of chances to boost your bankroll and become a poker champ.
After you’ve chosen the “Scheduled Tournaments” option, you’ll see all our online tourneys in the upper section of your screen. Take a glance to the right and you’ll find the various buy-ins for each competition. On the lower end, you’ll see microstakes ($5 or less). On the other end of that spectrum, there are high stakes (over $50). So, whether you’re rolling in cash or pinching your pennies, we’ve got something here for you.
You’ll also find the three types of poker games available to explore here at Ignition Casino – Texas Hold’em, Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo – as well as the tournament types.
What Types of Poker Tournaments Are on Offer?
Let’s talk about the kinds of tournaments available at Ignition. Find the “Tournament Type” section and you should see a minimum of five options:
- Regular
- Special
- $100K Guaranteed
- Satellites
- Private
Regular tourneys are exactly what they sound like; these are your standard tournaments. A Special tournament is any one that belongs to a larger series, including our $100K Guaranteed tournaments, which we host every Sunday.
Satellite tournaments are competitions that give you the opportunity to win a one-way ticket into a bigger tournament featuring a bigger buy-in. So, if you don’t have the budget to enter big-ticket tourneys yourself, this is an awesome stepping stone for you. These larger tournaments often feature heaps of different structures, including Turbos, Super Turbos and Hyper Turbos, which are fast-paced and action-packed. Others, like Knockout tournaments, have the added feature of a “bounty” prize that you’ll win every time you eliminate a player.
Examples of private tournaments include our Exclusive series of freerolls. To play for real money in these epic competitions, you’ll need a specially issued tournament ticket.
And since we’re on the subject of playing for real money, you may even see a sneaky sixth tournament type in the Ignition poker lobby. Look, we don’t want to brag, but we host the most epic annual poker events you’ll find anywhere online. One of our favourite examples? The Super Millions Poker Open (SMPO). When it’s on, you’ll find a box specifically for SMPO competitions. The Main Event features a buy-in of a cool $425 along with a $25 entry fee. Don’t have that kind of spare cash lying around? Remember – you can always “satellite” into a bigger tourney possibly for just $1.
Ignition hosts a wide range of tournaments types, with each one taking its own spin on the traditional tournament structure. Each type is also unique in its strategy requirements, but we’ll get to that later.
What Are Some Specific Online Poker Tournament Rules?
You also need to remember the blinds in these poker tourneys. In cash games, you’ll have the same blinds; for example, a $1/$2 Texas Hold’em game has a small blind of $1 and a big blind of $2. But in poker tournaments, the blinds rise every few minutes. It’s all part of keeping the game as exciting as possible! After all, that’s why we play, isn’t it?
In poker tournaments, antes are usually introduced after a handful of rounds, prompting every player to toss in some chips before the round kicks off. The more antes there are, the larger the prize pool. And as you can imagine, that motivates the hell out of players to fight to the death for those chips.
Another difference to note is that, in cash games, you can jump in and cash out whenever you want. Tournaments, on the other hand, follow a pre-established schedule and typically take hours (or even days) to finish. Relax – you get breaks! Every hour, you get a rest for five minutes, so use them well!
What’s the Best Strategy to Use in Online Poker Tournaments?
Look, we could talk your ear off about poker strategy all day. It’s literally our calling. But don’t worry, we’ll keep things short and sweet here.
Our most important advice of online poker strategy is to prioritise longevity over the number of chips. Sure, in any given cash game, getting all the chips mid-round will give you a nice little advantage over your opponents. But in tournaments, that edge probably isn’t worth it, especially considering the fact that there’s a hefty 48% chance you’re gonna get knocked out. Plus, once you’re eliminated from tournaments, there’s no clawing your way back in.
But those chips do need to get scooped up, though, so keep an eye on everyone’s stacks. If your opponents have a minimum of 40-45 big blinds, the competition will play out very similarly to a cash game. On the other hand, if your competitors have closer to 25-30 big blinds, things get a lot trickier. Cut it down to 10-15 big blinds and you’ve got two choices: fold or go all-in.
Want to learn more about online poker tournament strategy? Take a peek at our online strategy archive here at Ignition Casino. Playing for real money in tournaments makes for heaps of fun, excitement, and maybe even profit. Discover it all for yourself today!
