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In our final part of our January Learning Series on popular poker tournaments, we are going to look at multi-day and charity tournaments.
When we say multi-day tournaments, we will have to be specific in terms of what the structure is, as there are many different types of multi-day tournaments, and strategies that you should consider to approach them.
Single Flight - Multiple Day - Money Bubble % Players Left
You typically will see these online as a signature weekly or monthly event such as the pokerstars Sunday Million, or the main event of a series like the Winter Series. Playing live you will encounter these generally as the main event of the wsop Circuit, the Triton Series events, and other live series main events, but at the WSOP in Las Vegas, almost EVERY tournament they run is a multi-day event. Note: the Main Event does NOT fall into this category. These have one flight - one chance to play, and are designed to take place over multiple days, meaning that the tournament pauses after a set number of levels are completed.
These should play like most poker tournaments you are used to playing, but given that the duration will be over multiple days, there are things that you should consider before registering:
Keep in mind that most tournaments set-up in this way will consolidate & mix the tables up for the following day – so if the table assignments are published before the start of play the next day, do your homework!
Multiple Flights - One Entry - Multiple Days - Money Bubble % Players Left
These are typically found online where the tournament offers multiple day 1's, and then combine all players into one tournament on day 2. These tournaments tend to play a set number of levels on day 1, but DO NOT generally enter the money until play is underway on day 2. These can be the hardest to navigate because you may not have a feel for how much play will be required to get to the money until all day 1's are complete. The main event of the WSOP is the most popular example of this type of tournament, because you really won't know what the money bubble will look like until day 3 of the tournament, as it depends on the number of players who enter and the number of eliminations on days 1 and 2. Other WSOP events like the Colossus act in this way, except that tournament will enter the money on day 1.
Along with the pointers noted above with the first tournament type, the biggest call out to make is that the later flights generally will have more players enter. This is especially true online where tournaments have been set with a guarantee, and as you get closer to the last flight, the tournament seems more likely to have an overlay. So, taking into consideration points we have made in previous lessons, expect more chips in play on the later flights - which will provide more opportunities to build bigger stacks than players who played on earlier flights.
Consider the WSOP Main Event from 2024. Let's compare the 4 day 1's:
Day 1A - 915 entries - Chip Leader had 311,900 chips
Day 1B - 830 entries - Chip Leader had 314,000 chips
Day 1C - 2500 entries - Chip Leader had 411,000 chips
Day 1D - 5014 entries - Chip Leader had 496,000 chips
In fact, the top 3 stacks on day 1D had MORE chips than the leaders on day 1A and 1B. This is a huge reason why the later flights tend to be more advantageous to play - more chips in play - more players that advance - and the more likely of a chance that you'll be able to build a bigger stack going into day 2.
There are cons to playing the last flight of a tournament like this - especially live at the WSOP or other venues that could have an upper limit to the number of players that can play that day, but with a plan going into it, there is an advantage to playing the last flights when it comes to the potential stack you can build. Just make sure you register early enough!
Multiple Flights - Multiple Entries - Multiple Days - Money Bubble End of Day 1 (Set % Players Left)
If you dare enter this or the next type of tournament, be warned that these can be some of the wildest swings to your bankroll if you are not careful. I have shared this story before with several people, but I have spoke to a well-known poker pro who told me back in the day, he fired every single flight of a $5300 tournament - twice (they allowed one re-buy per flight) and ended up losing over $40k - and did not make it to day 2 on any bullet. This is not a typical result, but it is a reality of these types of tournaments where those with the bankroll WILL play the earlier flights, knowing that if they bust they can re-buy on the next flight.
There is also a very important distinction that we need to make with this type of tournament as some online sites act differently.
Bankroll management is critical to success in these types of tournaments because with every re-buy, your potential profit changes depending on your finish. For that player that accumulated 20 stacks to day 2, it's not a stretch to say that they may have fired 50 bullets in this tournament to date. A min cash for them will be a heavy loss - and this is where the information that is displayed to you matters.
Make profitable decisions
Generally, if the tournament pays the top 15%, to double your money you probably have to beat half of those that cash, meaning you need to get to the top 7.5% of the tournament to break even on 2 bullets - and maybe more. If your goal is to win - and whose isn't - you should be keeping tabs on what your break even line is, and use that to determine if it makes sense to go at it one more time. Some will not care and fire away, but the likelihood of being profitable goes down with every entry you make. So the decision to fire again is a balance between the buy-in to your bankroll, and how likely being profitable will be given you are paying the buy-in twice, three times, etc.
It is becoming more popular for online sites to offer mystery bounty tournaments with this set-up – the draw of massive bounties on day 2, plus the ability to draw many more players across multiple flights is resulting in absolutely massive player fields for these tournaments and given the ability to fire every flight & accumulate your stack is a significant reason why a lot of online players will drop their buy-in to play these tournaments and fire every flight if possible.
Multiple Flights – Multiple Entries - Multiple Days - Money Bubble End of Day 1 (Set # Levels)
These tournaments are very similar to those described in the last group except the money bubble will be known once late registration is over and will always be the end of play that day. However, this specific type of tournament will play VERY differently from all the rest because the money bubble is known BEFORE the tournament begins and this changes everything about how the final levels of this tournament will go.
Why is this?
The money bubble being known changes the dynamic of these tournaments and you will see EXCESSIVE stalling leading up to the end of the last level because any surviving players of the last level make the money. This is totally different from most tournaments and gives you information that isn’t available in any other tournament – what stack will you need to advance.
How is this?
You will know the blinds of the last level of day 1 because it’s stated as part of the tournament structure, and knowing that most tables, if not all, are going to stall to no end, and the number of hands that will be played in the last levels will drop dramatically. Let’s dive into that:
Knowing that orbits are going to last roughly a level, it’s reasonable to assume that to survive, you are going to need AT LEAST 1 SB and 1 BB per level for the final two levels, but to be comfortable, you are going to need 250k chips at the end of play.
Players that are short in these tournaments tend not to try and shove but will stall, stall, stall in the hopes of squeaking into the money. Realistically if you find yourself with 40k in chips at the start of the 2nd to last level of the night, you have two options:
Bigger stacks are going to be able to apply MORE pressure though, knowing that the call range of the shortest stacks at the table will be so infinitely small, that they will be able to shove any two cards and induce a fold. We have all heard the term, play the player, not the hand – in the late stages of day 1, you will see the behaviour shift, and others adapt to run their stacks up relatively risk free. That said, the table chip captain has the beautiful position of being able to shove almost any hand at any time, knowing that they will get it through almost every time. Other stacks at the table will impact the frequency they will shove, but most players are going to play a tighter range knowing that a fold could guarantee them a cash – which they will know roughly how many hands they need to survive to make the money in this format.
Charity Tournaments
We wanted to add a blurb about charity tournaments simply because these are becoming more popular as sports teams, organizations, etc, look to fundraise in more creative ways and a poker tournament could be a way to achieve this. If you choose to partake, you have to take the following considerations into account BEFORE stepping foot!
We hope you have enjoyed our this series on popular poker tournaments. Share your experiences on the tables with us utilizing the tips and information provided in all four of the lessons!
You can find the rest of this series right here:
Popular Poker Tournament Formats
Coming up in February, we are going back to school on lessons on studying the game of poker! Be on the lookout for the first part to drop next week!
When we say multi-day tournaments, we will have to be specific in terms of what the structure is, as there are many different types of multi-day tournaments, and strategies that you should consider to approach them.
Single Flight - Multiple Day - Money Bubble % Players Left
You typically will see these online as a signature weekly or monthly event such as the pokerstars Sunday Million, or the main event of a series like the Winter Series. Playing live you will encounter these generally as the main event of the wsop Circuit, the Triton Series events, and other live series main events, but at the WSOP in Las Vegas, almost EVERY tournament they run is a multi-day event. Note: the Main Event does NOT fall into this category. These have one flight - one chance to play, and are designed to take place over multiple days, meaning that the tournament pauses after a set number of levels are completed.
These should play like most poker tournaments you are used to playing, but given that the duration will be over multiple days, there are things that you should consider before registering:
- Expect the blind structure to be the best of the best: longer levels, more chips in play, and blinds that escalate slower.
- Note the time of breaks and their durations. Playing live, this will include a longer dinner break but if the tournament is large, then lines will be extremely long for food so try and plan to either beat the line, find a place with shorter lines, order food ahead of time, or pack enough food to sustain yourself until the day is done.
- Note the start time of the next day - it won't always be the same as day 1. A late night could turn into a short sleep if day 2 starts earlier.
- Be sure to take breaks from the table. While you won't want to miss information, these tend to be the longest types of tournaments so you will want to stretch your legs, give your eyes a break, and keep your body moving.
- Mistakes early can be recovered - if you lose a big pot early, know that you have the runway to recover. There is no need to panic or change your game.
- Big wins early don't always convert to big wins late - if you pick up a large stack of chips early on, remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint. Don't lose focus on the next hand by thinking ahead.
Keep in mind that most tournaments set-up in this way will consolidate & mix the tables up for the following day – so if the table assignments are published before the start of play the next day, do your homework!
- Look them up. Pull everyone’s Hendon Mob profiles or Sharkscope profiles at your new table – search up information about them online to see who the shark at your table might be, and who is vulnerable.
- Understand everyone’s chip situation. Questions to answer include where are the big stacks, where are the short stacks, and who is in your blinds when you have the button? Likewise, who will be on the button when you are in the blinds?
- Know where to go. Ensure you know where your table is if you are playing live; the WSOP for example plays in multiple rooms, so you may not be in the spot you were today. Knowing the layout and where tables are will help you not rush the next day to find your seat.
- Plan ahead. Finally, re-confirm the starting time and work backwards to when you need to get up, shower, eat, and transit to your table.
Multiple Flights - One Entry - Multiple Days - Money Bubble % Players Left
These are typically found online where the tournament offers multiple day 1's, and then combine all players into one tournament on day 2. These tournaments tend to play a set number of levels on day 1, but DO NOT generally enter the money until play is underway on day 2. These can be the hardest to navigate because you may not have a feel for how much play will be required to get to the money until all day 1's are complete. The main event of the WSOP is the most popular example of this type of tournament, because you really won't know what the money bubble will look like until day 3 of the tournament, as it depends on the number of players who enter and the number of eliminations on days 1 and 2. Other WSOP events like the Colossus act in this way, except that tournament will enter the money on day 1.
Along with the pointers noted above with the first tournament type, the biggest call out to make is that the later flights generally will have more players enter. This is especially true online where tournaments have been set with a guarantee, and as you get closer to the last flight, the tournament seems more likely to have an overlay. So, taking into consideration points we have made in previous lessons, expect more chips in play on the later flights - which will provide more opportunities to build bigger stacks than players who played on earlier flights.
Consider the WSOP Main Event from 2024. Let's compare the 4 day 1's:
Day 1A - 915 entries - Chip Leader had 311,900 chips
Day 1B - 830 entries - Chip Leader had 314,000 chips
Day 1C - 2500 entries - Chip Leader had 411,000 chips
Day 1D - 5014 entries - Chip Leader had 496,000 chips
In fact, the top 3 stacks on day 1D had MORE chips than the leaders on day 1A and 1B. This is a huge reason why the later flights tend to be more advantageous to play - more chips in play - more players that advance - and the more likely of a chance that you'll be able to build a bigger stack going into day 2.
There are cons to playing the last flight of a tournament like this - especially live at the WSOP or other venues that could have an upper limit to the number of players that can play that day, but with a plan going into it, there is an advantage to playing the last flights when it comes to the potential stack you can build. Just make sure you register early enough!
Multiple Flights - Multiple Entries - Multiple Days - Money Bubble End of Day 1 (Set % Players Left)
If you dare enter this or the next type of tournament, be warned that these can be some of the wildest swings to your bankroll if you are not careful. I have shared this story before with several people, but I have spoke to a well-known poker pro who told me back in the day, he fired every single flight of a $5300 tournament - twice (they allowed one re-buy per flight) and ended up losing over $40k - and did not make it to day 2 on any bullet. This is not a typical result, but it is a reality of these types of tournaments where those with the bankroll WILL play the earlier flights, knowing that if they bust they can re-buy on the next flight.
There is also a very important distinction that we need to make with this type of tournament as some online sites act differently.
- Players can only advance their biggest stack to day 2
- Players can COMBINE all stacks that make it to day 2
Bankroll management is critical to success in these types of tournaments because with every re-buy, your potential profit changes depending on your finish. For that player that accumulated 20 stacks to day 2, it's not a stretch to say that they may have fired 50 bullets in this tournament to date. A min cash for them will be a heavy loss - and this is where the information that is displayed to you matters.
Make profitable decisions
Generally, if the tournament pays the top 15%, to double your money you probably have to beat half of those that cash, meaning you need to get to the top 7.5% of the tournament to break even on 2 bullets - and maybe more. If your goal is to win - and whose isn't - you should be keeping tabs on what your break even line is, and use that to determine if it makes sense to go at it one more time. Some will not care and fire away, but the likelihood of being profitable goes down with every entry you make. So the decision to fire again is a balance between the buy-in to your bankroll, and how likely being profitable will be given you are paying the buy-in twice, three times, etc.
It is becoming more popular for online sites to offer mystery bounty tournaments with this set-up – the draw of massive bounties on day 2, plus the ability to draw many more players across multiple flights is resulting in absolutely massive player fields for these tournaments and given the ability to fire every flight & accumulate your stack is a significant reason why a lot of online players will drop their buy-in to play these tournaments and fire every flight if possible.
Multiple Flights – Multiple Entries - Multiple Days - Money Bubble End of Day 1 (Set # Levels)
These tournaments are very similar to those described in the last group except the money bubble will be known once late registration is over and will always be the end of play that day. However, this specific type of tournament will play VERY differently from all the rest because the money bubble is known BEFORE the tournament begins and this changes everything about how the final levels of this tournament will go.
Why is this?
The money bubble being known changes the dynamic of these tournaments and you will see EXCESSIVE stalling leading up to the end of the last level because any surviving players of the last level make the money. This is totally different from most tournaments and gives you information that isn’t available in any other tournament – what stack will you need to advance.
How is this?
You will know the blinds of the last level of day 1 because it’s stated as part of the tournament structure, and knowing that most tables, if not all, are going to stall to no end, and the number of hands that will be played in the last levels will drop dramatically. Let’s dive into that:
- Last level of day 1 is going to be 7500 and 15,000 from a 20k starting stack
- 150 players entered the tournament
- 10 min levels
Knowing that orbits are going to last roughly a level, it’s reasonable to assume that to survive, you are going to need AT LEAST 1 SB and 1 BB per level for the final two levels, but to be comfortable, you are going to need 250k chips at the end of play.
Players that are short in these tournaments tend not to try and shove but will stall, stall, stall in the hopes of squeaking into the money. Realistically if you find yourself with 40k in chips at the start of the 2nd to last level of the night, you have two options:
- Attempt to stall yourself and squeak in – knowing that the 2nd to last level will most likely have blinds at 5k and 10k, meaning you’ll need 15k + 22.5k - 37.5k in chips to pay the blinds on the last two levels
- Attempt to double up
Bigger stacks are going to be able to apply MORE pressure though, knowing that the call range of the shortest stacks at the table will be so infinitely small, that they will be able to shove any two cards and induce a fold. We have all heard the term, play the player, not the hand – in the late stages of day 1, you will see the behaviour shift, and others adapt to run their stacks up relatively risk free. That said, the table chip captain has the beautiful position of being able to shove almost any hand at any time, knowing that they will get it through almost every time. Other stacks at the table will impact the frequency they will shove, but most players are going to play a tighter range knowing that a fold could guarantee them a cash – which they will know roughly how many hands they need to survive to make the money in this format.
Charity Tournaments
We wanted to add a blurb about charity tournaments simply because these are becoming more popular as sports teams, organizations, etc, look to fundraise in more creative ways and a poker tournament could be a way to achieve this. If you choose to partake, you have to take the following considerations into account BEFORE stepping foot!
- These tend to NOT be licensed events - it may be run by a third party that specializes in hosting poker tournaments, but the organizers usually aren't poker players and don't always consider the finer details that a tournament in a casino do constantly. Ask questions beforhand like:
- What is the blind structure and level length - typiclly you'll find these play like a hyper turbo
- What is the buy-in; how much goes to the "charity" and how much goes to the prize pool
- How many players will be paid? Don't be surprised if it's less than 10% as most only pay the final table
- What is the re-buy and add-on policy? Most of these tournaments offer a lower buy-in to get you in the door, hoping that you re-buy A LOT! Example: the buy-in might be $120 ($50 to the prize pool; $50 to the charity, $20 to admin fees like a dinner, the poker organizers, the room rental, etc) but re-buys and add-ons might only be $20 or $40
- Is the tournament self dealt? Many are - so be prepared to pay attention at the tables
- Expect players to be of all skill levels - very good to very, very bad and some may not have ever played before because they are supporting the charity Pack patience when you sit down and know that you may have to help players at the table
- Because the skill level is all over the place and a faster structure...don't expect to cash! If only the final table makes the money, don't expect the min cash to cover the buy-in either. These also tend to be VERY top heavy so to profit, you'll need a very deep finish
- Know what you are willing to spend going in - and if you are not expecting to re-buy, there may not be a point in playing.
We hope you have enjoyed our this series on popular poker tournaments. Share your experiences on the tables with us utilizing the tips and information provided in all four of the lessons!
You can find the rest of this series right here:
Popular Poker Tournament Formats
- Popular Poker Tournament Formats - Part 1: Satellites
- Popular Poker Tournament Formats - Part 2: Bounty and Progressive Knockout Tournaments
- Popular Poker Tournament Formats - Part 3: Mystery Bounty Tournaments
Coming up in February, we are going back to school on lessons on studying the game of poker! Be on the lookout for the first part to drop next week!