Online Poker Tournaments in 2023

Multi-table tournaments (MTTs) are arguably the most popular type of online poker, with both newcomers and seasoned veterans very much attracted to the rolleroaster ride that also brings with it potentially life-changing amounts of money. Every day of the year, and around the clock, you can find all manner of tournament formats, with guaranteed prize pools, across the major online poker sites. With buy-ins to suit all bankrolls and the enormous sums of money on offer it’s easy to see why tournaments are so incredibly popular.

Poker tournaments are indeed a fantastic way to win big money for relatively modest investment. A stake of €10 is enough to win several thousand euros in an online poker tournament. And the higher the entry fee, and – generally – the greater the number of participants, the higher the prize pool…

Every tournament poker fan dreams of winning big. So-called multi-table tournaments attract countless players every day, and the concept is wonderfully simple: if 1,000 players participate in a poker tournament and each pays a buy-in of $10, the prize pool generated will be $10,000 which, after the proverbial smoke has cleared, will be distributed to the winners via a payout structure that tends to offer numerous prizes. How many of the ‘top’ finishers get paid, and how the funds are divided up, depends on the site.

There are tournaments for all kinds of players, with buy-ins ranging from pennies to thousands of dollars for the high rollers. Everyone is catered for, so whichever category of player you fall into, there’ll always be something for you to get stuck into. Some poker rooms might favour this or that format more than other, but they all tend to feature a varied selection, with a wide range of buy-ins and structures – online poker offers a tasty, endless feast of tournaments that can keep you entertained from New Year’s Day until New Year’s Eve.

Most online poker rooms try to host so-called Guaranteed tournaments. The idea is that they are guaranteeing – as the name suggests – that the advertised prize money will be paid out regardless of whether the total buy-ins (and rebuys and add-ons) covers the prize pool. Note that a minimum number of entries usually has to be reached for a tournament but to start. It is not unusual for a Guaranteed tournament to generate more money in buy-ins than the advertised prize pool, and ultimately pay out whatever the eventual total has reached. This is not at all untypical with Rebuy tournaments (see below).

It should be noted that Rakeback is a very important aspect of the modern game, and every player – from those just starting the online poker quest to seasoned grinders – should make the effort to choose a provider that will give you a decent percentage of rakeback without your having to generate a lot of rake. This is where YPD comes in – we’ve compared the leading online poker providers and put together the most important information so that you can make the most out of your time at the tables and keep your all-important bankroll nice and healthy…

The best poker sites for multi-table poker tournaments 2023

Poker Tournaments on the GG Network

GGPoker and Natural8 are a part of the Asia-friendly GGNetwork. The player pool is one of the biggest around, which of course makes it interesting for tournament players. You’ll find many tournaments every day, with juicy guaranteed prize pools and, as an official partner of the WSOP, the GGNetwork also offers special WSOP online tournament series, with millions of dollars up for grabs.

It should come as no surprise, given the all-embracing, ‘everyman’ approach of GG to online poker, that there’s a smorgasbord of tournaments to suit all tastes and bankrolls. Furthermore, you will enjoy a lot of private tournaments from YourPokerDream once you sign up at GGPoker via us as an affiliate.

Register at GGPoker with the bonus code YPD and you will receive our VIP Deal and get access to our exclusive $500 Welcome Bonus, $2,000 GGMasters Freeroll tournament, our $41,500 GGPoker Rake Race and fantastic private tournaments!

Logo GGPoker

600$ Bonus/YPD VIP Deal

9.0/10
Logo Natural8

600$ Bonus/50.000$ YPD GG Race

9.0/10

Poker Tournaments on the iPoker Network

The enormous iPoker network has – as one would expect – a large variety of tournaments running round the clock, with buy-ins to suit everyone. They run qualification tournaments for big live events, and there are numerous online tournaments with guaranteed prize money.

We offer our players exclusive 30%-35% Flat Rakeback Deals at all iPoker skins, plus a fantastic iPoker Rake Chase at Betsson/Betsafe/NordicBet, as well as our BestPoker VIP Rake Chase.

Logo Betsson

1.000€ Bonus/30% Flat+Rake Chase

8.7/10
Logo Betsafe

1.000€ Bonus/30% Flat+Rake Chase

8.7/10
Logo NordicBet

1.000€ Bonus/30% Rakeback

7.8/10

MTTs at the Winning Poker Network (WPN)

The Winning Poker Network (WPN) is a go to place for US players. They provide a solid tournament schedule that also includes many special promotion tournaments. WPN network has great offerings for all players, whether you’re looking for Micro Limits or high stakes action.

As far as rakeback is concerned, our partner PokerKing is the best skin on the WPN network.

Logo PokerKing

2.000$ Bonus/Up to 55% Rakeback

8.2/10

Tournament Poker at partypoker/bwin

PartyPoker is clearly one of the best places for online poker tournament players; whatever your bankroll, you can enjoy well-structured, good value tournaments 24/7. Party Poker also holds impressive tournament series every few months, with the likes of PartyPoker POWERFEST, for example, being deservedly popular. These typically guarantee millions of dollars in prize money.

In addition, PartyPoker has a very good rakeback program and, should you open your account through YPD, you can receive a lot of extra rakeback through our special VIP deals for tournament players.

Attention: If you have an existing player account at PartyPoker, please contact our Support Team. In many cases we can link your player account to us or help you open a new one so that you can qualify for extra rakeback as well as take advantage of our exclusive promotions.

Logo Partypoker

600$ Bonus/Up to 60% Rakeback

7.7/10
Logo Bwin

500$ Bonus/Up to 60% Rakeback

8.2/10

Player-friendly tournaments at Unibet Poker

Unibet also stands out as an excellent venue for Cash Games. also offers tournaments, of course. As far as the range of tournaments is concerned, Unibet is behind some of the competition. Their offering consists mainly of small tournaments with low buy-ins, with high guaranteed prize pools being rather rare (unless there is a special tournament series).

Unibet is a good choice for beginners who do not yet have a sizeable bankroll and who are in the earlier stages of their poker quest. Unibet tournaments tend not to have as many experienced player as some of the major sites, and the comparatively smaller fields can feel more user-friendly, with lower variance.

Logo Unibet

200€ Bonus/Up to 65% Rakeback

7.2/10

Freezeout Poker Tournaments

At the start of a tournament, players receive an equal amount of tournament chips for their buy-in and, in the case of the Freezeout format, it is not possible to buy any more. Once a player loses all of their chips they are simply eliminated from the tournament; there are no second chances. It is this ‘single bullet’ feature that can either put off or attract players to Freezeout tournaments – some believe that having to play with a more circumspect, cautious approach calls for more quality play, while others find that they feel restricted.

Rebuy Tournaments

In a significant contrast to Freezeout tournaments, Rebuys afford players the option of paying for additional chips – in the form of a rebuy – should they lose their initial starting stack. It is also possible to buy more chips during the specified rebuy period when a player’s current chip count numbers less than the starting stack amount. Compared with Freezeouts, this feature of the Rebuy format allows players to effectively have double the standard stack at their disposal during the early stages of a tournament, which many players find useful for various reasons.

Many tournaments offer both unlimited rebuys plus the option, at the end of the Rebuy period, to buy yet more chips in the form of an add-on. Note that an add-on can be for a higher amount of chips than the initial starting stack and rebuy amounts, and can also be bought at a discount price.

Knockout Tournaments

Mainly taking the form of Progressive Knockout (PKO) Bounty tournaments, these are relatively new to online poker, but have proved to be so popular that they have become the norm for many players. Part of the buy-in goes to the usual prize pool and part goes to the bounty pool so that knocking out an opponent has the bonus of winning a cash bounty. This is an attractive feature because it means that it’s not necessary to make the prizes to win money.

How bounties are paid depends on the particular format. When Knockout tournaments were originally introduced a player might receive a set amount for each opponent they eliminated, but during the last few years the format has evolved, and the aforementioned PKO is now the norm. The ‘progressive’ idea is that, for example, after knocking a player out of the tournament, the victor receives half of the bounty as a cash reward, while the other half is then added to their own bounty, in turn making them a more profitable target for everyone else. As a PKO tournament continues, then, the remaining players’ bounty values increase as the field decreases, thus introducing the possibility of earning a big payout just by virtue of eliminating a single opponent.

Satellite Tournaments

Satellite tournaments serve as qualifiers for events that have buy-in levels that might be beyond the budget of most players. By affording everyone – regardless of the status of their bankroll – the opportunity to qualify for a $100 buy-in tournament, for instance, via a satellite or a series of satellites that can cost mere pennies, online poker rooms cater for the whole poker community. It’s thanks to the concept of satellite tournaments that countless poker fans find themselves winning considerable – even life-changing – sums in tournaments in which they otherwise would not have been able to participate.

Final Table Deals

For a while now, online poker rooms have given players the same opportunity to make Final Table deals that we see in bricks & mortar casinos and card rooms. Sometimes, for one reason or another, the remaining players at a final table are happy to carve up what’s left of the prize pool by each agreeing to accept a specified amount that’s typically commensurate with the respective chip counts.

Poker rooms such as our partners Party Poker and GGPoker offer such final table deals. In fact the software can be quite sophisticated, with the poker room even automatically suggesting a percentage distribution of the remaining prize money depending on the current chip status, thus allowing all concerned to be on an equal footing at the start of any negotiations. Players have the option to accept or decline proposed deals, of course, and everyone must agree on the terms for play to cease and the tournament to end at that point.

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· Published 28.12.2020 · last updated 01.09.2023