Casino tournaments are perhaps the most thrilling events in the gambling industry. Why do staking rooms organize the tourneys? These contests are also the most profitable for both operators and competitors. During these events, the players rival with either the staking room or with other gamers. Thousands of people take part in the largest competitions.
They are arranged internationally, thus the scale is just massive. And so the rewards are. For instance, the WCOOP (world Poker championship) by PokerStars accumulates millions for the minimum prize pool. These tourneys attract high rollers. The winner earns not only millions of dollars but also fame and respect. Very often the operators donate the revenues from such competitions to charities.
Tourneys Bankrolls
How much does a high roller take to the tournament? The sum is tremendously large – beginning with $50,000 and around $100,000 on an average. You may say it is ridiculous to spend so much on a one-day gambling competition. You can buy a two-storey detached house somewhere in sun-drenched California. And $50,000 may be an annual salary in some firm. On the other hand, most of the whales consider these amounts pocket money. And, they know what they do. They are professionals and will come at least in the second or even first place. And they will benefit.
Types of Championships
Generally, there are several types of tournaments. They differ by games. For example, betting rooms arrange competitions where the participants are supposed to play slots and gain maximum points by just spinning the reels. The tourneys can be free or paid. Free competitions mean very low rewards and thus the payer will likely to spend more than win.
The contests requiring buy-ins, to the contrary, are far more expensive. The audience consists of primarily high rollers and professional gamers. And they prefer the skill-based games such as Poker or Blackjack. They come there to exercise their professionalism and win thousands or millions of dollars. We will describe the types of competitions and the reward distribution.
Buy-In
Buy-in is the competition entry payment. It consists of the investment to the prize pool and the casino charge. For instance, you paid $1,000. $900 will go to the reward pool and the rest to the betting room. Typical entry investment during high roller tournaments can reach $5,000 or $10,000 or even $25,000. Imagine 1,000 players deposited $10,000. The reward will reach 8-10 million dollars. The gamers wager thousands as well. At the end of the competition, these millions go to the first 7 or 8 players. For instance, the first place gets 10 million; the second one gets 8 million, the third one – 4 million.
Satellite High Roller Tournament
In most cases, you cannot simply pay the required buy-in and enter a world championship. You have to take part in several less valuable tourneys to qualify for the largest one. Satellite contests are the qualifying ones. Usually, you need to climb from low-stake to high-stake competitions.
These stages allow less experienced players to develop skills investing relatively small amounts. Moreover, in case you completed these stages, you are guaranteed to compete with the world’s most successful players. And, the top gamers actually want to see rivals with exceptional skills. That is why these tourneys are essential in the industry.
Turbo and Super Turbo
For some players, the common tournaments may become boring. Well, if you want to feel some adrenaline rush, you can try turbo and super turbo contests. As it is clear from their name, you need to make stakes extremely fast. The blind levels increase much faster and thus you have less time to bet.
Such competitions require extreme reaction and mad skills. On the other hand, luck matters more with the growth of speed. Moreover, you can quickly lose all the cash because of a hurry. The advantages are:
- You can become a winner much faster.
- You can rapidly increase your bankroll.
- You can complete several less significant tourneys literary in an hour.
Freezout Tourney for Whales
This type of championships is the most common one. Freezout also means the maximum and minimum bankroll allowed to use during the tournament. As we mentioned before, the typical amount for the high roller is $100,000. Thus, you can buy chips with this money. You will not be allowed to buy more of them if you spend everything. If you lost this sum before the tourney ends, you must leave the competition.
Most of the largest tourneys are organized according to this principle. Thus, fewer players stay in action closer to the end. The contest ends faster. On the other hand, the prize pool is usually fixed. However, still, there may be a chance to reenter the competition under the specific circumstances. For example, you can return only before the break. After the gamers had some rest, this feature is forbidden.