Multi Table Tournaments, or MTTs, are one of the main contributing factors to the success of many real online poker players, for others of course, they’re a way to donate money dead money into the player pool.
Few poker formats can recreate the excitement of an MTT, an opportunity to risk very little in comparison to the possibility of the large payout. Online poker is a format that can expedite this process, making it possible to play multiple MTTs in a short time frame.
As a result, many online providers have significant MTT offerings. Since so many sites offer MTTs to their players, a number of things should be looked at when selecting a site for tournament play.
It seems like a simple process really, find a good bonus offer, sign up for it, and get ready to play, however, serious players are going to want to ensure that they get the best value out of their initial deposit, as well as the best possible projected future income opportunities.
Tournament Selection
Depending on a player’s bankroll and level of skill, different MTT choices are going to be more attractive than others. For example, players who are just starting out in the bankroll building process, without much of a personal investment might find themselves in search of a site that offers a lot of freeroll tournaments as well as low cost tournaments.
Freerolls are just what they sound like, in that they offer players a free chance to win. Step tournaments which offer players opportunities to win a seat in much larger tournament events.
Poker Stars offers both of these in large quantities, and even offers a unique structure in their Weekly Round 2’s. These are tournaments where the only way to get a seat is to win a free tournament earlier in the week. They all have a prize fund of $2,000. Structures such as this allow beginning poker players a chance to move up without risking a large percentage of their bankroll.
For more experienced players with larger bankrolls, large weekly events and guaranteed prize fund tournaments are more important. These types of MTTs offer players a chance to compete for a guaranteed prize fund regardless of the number of entries. The price of these tournaments ranges from $10 to $100 typically, and are fantastic for people who desire consistent action at a certain price level. Bet365 poker, for example, has three of these tournaments on their schedule in a 45 minute time span. This type of selection ensures that a player can play the type of game they want at the price they need, no matter when their playing time falls in the day.
Promotions
For high volume players, promotions are something to consider when looking for the best site for MTTs. Poker Stars, which prides itself on being an internet destination for MTT players, has a diverse leader board structure. Depending on a player’s performance in tournaments at all buy in levels, they place on a leader board. At the end of a specific length of time, people on the leader board receive a prize. These prizes can be quite substantial, with the leader of the yearly MTT leader board earning a prize worth $50,000. For serious tournament players, this can be valuable in terms of additional prize money, and also in terms of gauging their performance.
Another type of promotion is often linked to poker destination tournaments. For example, a player can win a prize package at Betfair Poker that allows players to spend the month of November playing in Caribbean poker tournaments. The package includes tournament buy in fees and lodging. Since there are a number of low cost satellite entry options and even a guaranteed package payout tournament, these can be both fun and valuable tournament options for certain players.
In summary, while there is no single best place for MTTs in the online poker world, certain sites definitely stand apart from the others with their dedication to varied tournament offerings and promotional considerations for their players. It is important for a player to accurately assess their MTT interest and bankroll before deciding on a site. Whether bankroll building or a jackpot payday is a player’s goal, there are online offerings to meet every player’s need.
