Multi Table Tournament Poker Online
A Multi-Table Tournament (MTT) allows players to transform a small bankroll into a stash of cash. These poker tournaments are wildly popular with players around the world. All players in an MTT buy in for the same price. As players are eliminated, the existing players are shuffled around to fill the remaining tables. Freezeout Poker Tournaments. Freezeout poker tournaments are the most basic and well known type of tournament. The players simply buy in, play poker and compete for their share of the prize pool. There are no rebuys, special bounties or anything else. Once the tournament begins, each player gets a chip stack and one chance to make it to the end.
Where to Find the Best Multi-Table Poker Tournaments Online in 2020?
These days, just about every online poker site has the same mix of poker tournament types. Rebuys, knockout bounty games, guaranteed prize pools, 6-max games and so on.
Finding the best online poker tournaments needs to answer the question with a question:
What does ‘best’ mean for you?
Here are some common answers:
- Fishiest Fields: The best tournaments could be the ones with the most inexperienced opponents.
- Biggest Prize Pools: Big guaranteed prizes, perhaps for a small outlay will work for many players. Others might be looking for big events with life-changing guaranteed prizes.
- Huge Game Choice: Some sites have multi-table tournaments going off every minute, while smaller sites spread them out, you might like plenty of variations, or a big choice of buy-ins.
- Rewards / Benefits: How well will a site reward your loyalty if you pick them for your tournament needs?
- Multi-Tabling: While most players are happy with a couple of games, some people like to play 10+ tournaments at once – does your site allow the ‘grind’?
I have covered these questions (and many others!) below. It would be easy to say, ‘go to site X!’ and leave it at that… this page is more rigorous – taking each major site and going through a list of questions examining how their tournaments compare.
The table below covers the big international poker sites. It is repeated at the end of the page. By the time you get to there, you’ll have a better understanding of what my bullet points / highlights mean.
A quick note for US based players: I created a detailed guide covering tournaments at the offshore sites… you’ll find in here: Best US Online Poker Tournaments Guide.
Table: Best Site for Multi-Table Tournaments in 2020
| Softest MTTs |
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| Pro Grinders |
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| New Players |
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Detail of the Different Poker Sites for Multi-Table Tournaments
Each of the main sites goes though the same list of questions below. These cover the big events, types of tournament offered, softness of the fields – and so on.
These will show you how I came up with the overall ratings. At the end of the page you will find my number one pick for 2020 (Spoiler, it is Party Poker!).
Planet Mark’s #1 Pick: Best Poker Tournaments in 2020 – Party Poker
Party Poker has really stepped up their game recently and I have zero hesitation putting this site as number one for 2020. It is the combo of easy to beat games (lots of newer / non-pro players), solid though not overwhelming field sizes and multiple events which are the main appeal.
Here are the highlights (below this I have covered the details in Q&A format)
- $6 Million in Guarantees every week
- Power / Monster and Women’s events weekly
- Soft fields all the way up to the mid-stakes ($109 and under)
- PowerFest events are huge, plus qualifiers to live events too.
You can check out the latest events and qualifiers over at www.partypoker.com (You’ll get $22 in tokens with deposit bonus code SNGPLANET)
Best MTTs at Party Poker: The Detailed Version
I have asked the same questions you will see below for PokerStars, 888 and MicroGaming (32Red). After this little Q&A, you will find my overall rating.
How Easy are Tournaments at Party Poker?
Anything $30 and under is as soft as you’ll find online. Party continue to be the first choice of brand- new players and recreational types – with way less multi-tabling pros than PokerStars. While there are some ‘regulars’, overall I rate Party tournaments as the softest at any major poker room.
How Big are the Party Poker Tournament Fields?
This is the biggest positive for me. Instead of battling 2000 opponents in small buy-in evening games at Stars, you’ll find 150 to 400 (more at the lower buy-ins, most in $10 and under games). If you are looking for bigger fields, then Sundays is your best bet as with other sites. The PowerFest and Monster events often attract huge fields. Manageable field sizes not only give you a better chance of making a deep run – they mean that the evening tournaments end at a time that works for those of us with daytime commitments!
What Types of Tournament Can I Find?
Hold’em and Omaha dominate the tournament listings at Party Poker. There are knockout bounty games, turbo speed events and rebuys. While you will find short handed events, there are fewer small structure variations here than elsewhere. Most tournaments are small buy-in, with a guarantee and either freezeout (single entry only) or standard rebuy / add-on.
Do Party Poker Offer Tournament Guarantees?
Oh yes, a huge $6 million per week in regular guarantees, along with huge extra guaranteed events like the PowerFest. This $6 million is spread through a big schedule, through includes $100k for the Sunday main event, high-roller bounty builders and many other bigger guarantees all week. If the number of entries does not match the guarantee – you’ll get an ‘overlay’ of free prize money from Party.
How About Freerolls?
These are on offer, though almost all of them are for depositing players. If you are looking for somewhere to start without a deposit, 888 make a better option. Missions are part of the loyalty rewards at Party. You’ll find a lot of tournaments which you get entry for by completing these missions.
What Poker Events Can I Find at Party?
Online poker events are an area where Party Poker have recently stepped up. Their PowerFest events are the highlight. These offer $45 million+ in guarantees over 10 or so days of tournament action. What I like about these events is that buy-ins are not only for the high-rollers. Instead, they divide the entries into 3 divisions (based on boxing belt divisions). You can qualify for the bigger buy-in events via special satellites.
The PowerFest events are a great opportunity to break through for many players – and hugely popular. Keep an eye on the Party Poker website for the next one!
Can I Qualify for Live Poker Tournaments at Party Poker?
Yes, there are events run by Party all over the world. Naturally, Party want to promote these and so offer plenty of qualifiers online. These include Party Live (were WPT) events as well as many smaller tours.
Summary / My Rating = 8.7 / 10
Party are certainly the softest of the major sites for tournament action – and the field sizes hit that ‘sweet spot’ for me. Big enough to have guaranteed prize pools worth aiming for, yet not so big that you’ll still be playing at 5am the next day!
You’ll get $22 in tokens to start you off with a bang at Party – use bonus code SNGPLANET when you register. Check out the latest events for yourself now at www.partypoker.com
Best Online Poker Tournaments: Pro Players Pick – PokerStars
It is impossible to ignore PokerStars (and the linked Full Tilt Poker) when it comes to tournaments. The selection is not just huge, it is amazing! Because of the size of PokerStars, ‘pros’ (part time and full time) make this their main place to play. This does make the games somewhat tougher than the other sites – though this only becomes a problem at the $50+ levels.
Here are the highlights – full Q&A below:
- Biggest tournement selection by far, thousands of tournaments every day
- More formats than elsewhere, including different poker games and rule variations
- Biggest online tournament events, including the massive WCOOP
- Infamous ‘Sunday Million’ with a million dollars guaranteed every week + many more ‘majors’.
Online Poker Multi Table Tournament Strategy
You can check out the latest events (many run throughout the year) over at www.pokerstars.com
Best Poker Tournaments – PokerStars: The Detailed Version
This section is a detailed Q&A of what to expect from the tournaments at PokerStars.
How Easy are Tournaments at PokerStars?
At the $10 and under level, the games are super-easy here. As you climb, you will find more and more pros. If you are a fresh face in a weekday $200+ level game, you are probably about to donate your buy-in.
PokerStars is the home of every poker pro and his dog. There are swarms of ‘pros’ from lower GDP countries at the smaller buy-ins, though plenty of recreational / fun players too. PokerStars is tougher as you climb the levels compared to other sites – though I would not be too worried at the small buy-ins.
How Big are the PokerStars Tournament Fields?
For me, the big size of the fields (especially at smaller buy-ins) is more of an issue than the pro grinders. Some evening events (think $5 rebuys and so on), literally go on until the small hours of the morning. There are alternatives like the 180 player Sit N Goes.
Of course, the other side of big fields is that the guarantees are bigger compared to the buy-in levels. You will find $30k+ for $10 tournaments is common (with $100k+ on Sundays!).
What Types of Tournament Can I Find at PokerStars?
This is where the biggest online poker site really come into their own. The size of the player pool allows for more poker variations to be run in tournament format – as well as plenty of variations in the structure. Examples include progressive knockout tournaments, big ante games and 1 rebuy / 1 add-on.
You will also find Zoom Poker (fast-fold) tournaments at PokerStars.
Other sites are simply not big enough for mixed game tournaments, 7-2 Triple Draw and so on…
Do PokerStars Offer Tournament Guarantees?
You’ll find more guarantees on a Sunday than the other poker sites offer for a full week! These are huge, with the $1 million of the ‘Sunday Million’ topping the list. With big fields, the guarantees extend to lower buy-ins than elsewhere.
How About Freerolls?
Yes, plenty of them. The loyalty club (VIP Club) freerolls have big guarantees and many smaller events run which you can exchange your points for. The options for players who have not deposited are limited, though there are qualifier games which can get you tickets for the tournament events covered below.
What Poker Events Can I Find at PokerStars?
There are a lot of events spread over the year at PokerStars, these include live ones (the January ‘PokerStars Caribbean Adventure’ is hugely popular – and online ones. Here are the biggest online tournament events:
- WCOOP: This is the granddaddy of them all, the single biggest online poker tournament event each year. Games include high-roller events ($25k entries) and smaller events for us mere mortals. With $60 million+ in guarantees, the size of this is immense. The ‘World Championship of Online Poker’ takes place each fall.
- SCOOP: The ‘Spring Championship’ pioneered the 3-tier buy-in system to keep everyone involved.
- TCOOP: PokerStars occasionally run ‘Turbo’ championship events, with a series of super-fast tournaments with big guarantees.
- MicroMillions: These events are aimed at the smaller bankroll players; the fields are huge and there is a smaller buy-in $1 million guarantee added too.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, expect plenty of one-off and scheduled tournament events. Your best bet is to keep an eye on the blog / promo pages over at www.pokerstars.com
Use Marketing Code PSP3018 when you register!
Summary: Planet Mark’s Rating 8/10
It is impossible to ignore PokerStars when it comes to tournaments – though you’ll need to keep in mind that your opponents will be more experienced (on average) compared to the other sites.
For many players, taking their first shot at the ‘Sunday Million’ is a rite of passage for online poker. If you can’t afford to buy-in direct, there are plenty of qualifiers available.
Check out the impressive tournament schedule at www.pokerstars.com for yourself!
Best Site for Online Poker Tournaments #3 – 888 Poker
888 came roaring back from many years in the doldrums a couple of years ago - and are now a decent pick when it comes to finding the best online poker tournaments. There are some issues with the small stakes games being infested with ‘regulars’ from Eastern European / Russian ghettos, though on the whole the games are entertaining and easy enough to beat.
Here are the highlights:
- You’ll get $88 in tokens (£10 bonus for the UK) to try the tournaments without depositing.
- Soft games from $10 to $30 (micro-stakes games are full of Russian / Ukrainian nits), bigger games are naturally a little more competitive… in between, plenty of recreational / fun players!
- Super XL Series Events: Big buy-in tournaments with huge guarantees
- Sponsors of the WSOP – tons of qualifiers on offer
Grab your free play (no deposit needed) and see if you can run up a tournament bankroll over at www.888poker.com now!
Best MTTs at 888Poker: The Detailed Version
Here is a deep-dive into the credentials of 888… the best for online poker tournaments for you?
How Easy are Tournaments at 888 Poker?
This brand attracts a lot of recreational / fun type players, and the lower buy-ins are as soft as you’ll find anywhere. As I mentioned in the summary, the tables can get overwhelmed by players from lower GDP countries – especially the $5 and under versions. They can kill the action compared to other sites, though are still beatable.
Once you get over $10 buy-ins, the fields are mixed and there are plenty of players splashing around in the tournaments and having a good time. Pros come out for the ‘Whale’ (Sunday Major) and the Super XL Series events.
How Big are the 888 Poker Tournament Fields?
A big reason for choosing 888Poker is the manageable poker fields. If you have ever played a $10 on PokerStars, sat up half the night battling your way through 1000 opponents, only to miss out on the big money at 4am… well, you’ll know that the 200 to 300 player evening fields are a lot better!
As you get to the $30 and over regular tournaments the fields are more like 150. Bigger numbers on Sundays naturally.
What Types of Tournament Can I Find?
Much the same as on all the big sites. One slightly different format which I like is the ‘Turbo Deep Stack’ variants. These start you off with 5,000 chips – though the blinds rise fast. You get a lot of play early on, though things catch up after the first break!
You’ll find rebuys, turbos, knockouts (though not progressive knockouts), SNAP! Tournaments (fast-fold), PLO and PLO8 formats also run.
Do 888 Poker Offer Tournament Guarantees?
Yes, many of them. I was not able to find a weekly total, though would estimate several million. There are ‘fish’ themed games with ever increasing guaranteed prize pools. These start with the lower buy-in ‘Goldfish’ tournaments, through to the Whale, Twister and other high-rollers.
When the Super XL Series events start, you can expect millions in guarantees for those events.
How About Freerolls?
Yes. You can get started right away, as new players (depending on your country) get up to $88 completely free to try the tournaments. This starts with $8 in tokens and you’ll get more as you collect points. No deposit needed, and if you run out of tokens before hitting more points you can continue to collect points after depositing too.
Check out www.888poker.com to see the offer for your country.
What Poker Events Can I Find at 888?
The biggest events are called the ‘Super XL Series’. This is a 3-tier event, with different buy-in guaranteed tournaments for big money players and smaller bankrolls. There are also smaller ‘XL’ themed events and one-offs bigger buy-in tournaments throughout the year. 888 ‘go large’ with the extras for these kind of events – I do recommend keeping an eye on their website.
Can I Qualify for Live Poker Tournaments at 888 Poker?
As main sponsor of the WSOP, there are plenty of opportunities to win a trip to Vegas. This can be for the Main Event or one of the smaller ones. 888 Poker have their own event ‘Crazy 8s’. This is 8 handed, costs $888 to enter and guarantees $888,888 to the winner.
Summary / My Rating = 7.7 / 10
Soft games, a good variety and generous promos at 888. My one concern is that there never quite seem to be enough mid buy-in tournaments at once in the evening… I always seem to end up adding one or two from other sites.
With up to $88 free with no deposit (country dependant), you can check out the tournaments at 888 Poker and decide for yourself.
See the details at www.888poker.com now!
Tournaments at MicroGaming (MPN) and iPoker Sites
This page is already 3,000 words long, so instead of the full Q&A for MPN and iPoker, I’ll do a quick summary – before my big wrap-up at the end of the page.
MPN: MicroGaming are growing once again in 2020 after a few years of decline. They have just started to run online tournament events, and have a decent selection of lower buy-in games. A lot of the sites are attached to sports betting brands, which does keep the games soft. I recommend Red Kings Poker as your best starting point.
iPoker: This network is declining, in terms of the number of players in the games and the quality of the promotions / tournaments. Their ‘iPoPs’ events stopped as have many live event qualifiers. Even though the games are soft, I’d look elsewhere… Will update here if any life comes back to this network! If you are interested in a general overview, see my NetBet Poker Review.
Best Site for Online Poker Tournaments: Planet Mark’s Pick
Unless you are an online poker pro – Party Poker are an easy pick in 2020.
Recreational fields, plenty of guaranteed prize pools, big events and generous rewards that don’t take 200 hours a month to benefit from!
Keep an eye out for the next PowerFest (many players break through to a big score each time), and grab $22 in tokens (bonus code SNGPLANET)… I’ll see you at a final table!
See www.partypoker.com now!
Here is the table from the top of the article once again – I’m sure that after reading the overviews above, the bullets will now make a lot more sense!
| Softest MTTs |
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| Pro Grinders |
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| New Players |
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More Detailed Poker Site Comparison Articles:
- Best Site for Sit N Goes
- Best US Poker Site
- Best Online Poker Bonuses (updated Monthly)
- Softest Poker Site (Fish-o-Meter Widget)
When you first try out multi-tabling online tournaments you
shouldn’t start by playing ten or more at once. The temptation
will always be there to do that, but, if you stick to one or two
at first you’ll learn them better, and be able to move forward
from there. If you start by playing one, in a few days you
should be able to handle two. After two in a week or so you
should be able to handle four. After about two months or so of
increasing your knowledge of multi-tabling tournaments you
should be able to find your threshold for how many you can play
at a time.
You have to find the balance where you can keep track
of everything that is going on, and make consistent informed
decisions. Most players don’t play more than 14-20 even
after hours upon hours of tournaments played because the amount
of money you lose can get very high if you don’t cash in them.
Also, playing more than that won’t allow you to make the
correct progressions throughout tournaments at the correct
times. If you are clicking non-stop and not thinking so much it
will hurt you in the long run. Tournaments are all about
consistency in play and making the right moves. If you are
playing too many you’ll lose that grasp on the game.
Deciding on Types of Tournaments
Online tournaments come in different variations as well. You
can play super turbo tournaments, turbo tournaments, regular
tournaments or slow blinds tournaments. You should choose the
one that best suits you, and the ones that you’ll have enough
time to play. If you enter super turbo tournaments it will come
down to gambling, and these will be hit or miss almost every
time. You’ll either run good or run bad, and that will
determine if you make money or not. You should stay away from
this style, because money can go very quickly and there’s less
strategy and play involved in them. Especially, if you decide to
multi-table these, money can almost evaporate from your bankroll
within minutes.
Avoiding tournaments with slow blind structures will make a
big difference in the long run. Often times these will take
around 20 hours or more to complete, even with a small field of
players. These will be profitable in the long term, but, not too
many players play them and very few people have the kind of
patience it takes for them. There are less fish playing these
and even if there are a number of fish it will take longer to
exploit them because the blinds go by so slowly.
The two types of tournaments most and almost all players will play are the
turbo tournaments and the regular blinds level tournaments.
These two types of tournaments won’t take forever and if you
employ the right strategies, you’ll be able to turn profits
when multi-tabling in poker.
Setting Up Your Tournaments
When multi-tabling a turbo tournament or regular blinds level
tournament you should try and start all of the tables around the
same times. If you can play 6-20 of them within an hour or two
of each other, you’ll have the right mindset on what needs to
be done at specific times. Often times the best time to play
these are on Sundays.
No matter what poker sites you play on, almost
every site will have a big Sunday guarantee tournament that
starts around the same time. This is the best time where you can
practice multi-tabling at lower up to higher level buy-ins. Many
online poker players will play throughout the entire day on Sunday
simply because the most fish will sit and play and you can make
the most money. The prize pools will be worth the time and money
invested. Also, if you choose Sunday to test out multi-tabling
you’ll have more options as far as turbo or regular
tournaments. If you don’t cash in a few of them you can play
more of them. On weekdays if you play tournaments, you won’t
have the option to play more of them.
Getting Comfortable and Maximizing Profits
Finding a comfort zone that’s best suitable for you is the
most important thing when multi-tabling. If you multi-table
tournaments and choose it as a full time job, you want to
maximize your profits and minimize losses. If you are playing
more tables than you can handle you’ll always maximize your
losses. If you are playing too few tables you won’t
maximize your profits.
The ability to know what you are able
and not able to do is hard for most to comprehend, but, with
practice you should be able to figure it out. It will take two
months or so of playing every day until you’ll be able to find
your comfort zone. For some it will be four or five tables at
once, and for others it will be more. To become a winning
multi-table tournament player online it takes a lot of hard work
and dedication. If you don’t put in the time, in the long run
you won’t see the results you want.
Multi Table Tournament Poker Online Casino
Once you get used to multi-tabling tournaments you should be
able to make money doing it. Most times even if you are one of
the best players you won’t cash in 80% of the games and that’s a risk you should be willing to take when playing these. The
reason is because when it comes to cashing or winning
tournaments you have to be able to persevere and fight
throughout them. Once you can grasp a never say die attitude
when playing tournaments you’ll be able to win and possibly
win a lot of money.
The first or any tournament you end up
winning you could have lost 90% of your stack in the first ten
minutes, you never know. It’s worth it in the end because the
more time you put in and the better you get at multi-tabling,
eventually you’ll win. Even if you were breaking even for a
long stretch of time one win can change everything from the
stakes you are playing to the money you are making.
If you choose to multi-table you need a lot of focus for long hours
grinding away. One win will give your bankroll a big boost and
give you confidence. Once you have been there, won a tournament,
and know what it takes you can get back there and do it again.