PokerStars.net Tournaments - Frequently Asked Questions*

On desktop, select the ‘Tourney’ tab from the main lobby and click ‘Tourney Lobby’ on a tournament to see information about said tournament. Look for tournaments which are registering, and hit 'Register', and log-in if you have not already done so. On mobile, look under the ‘Tourney’ tab, choose your search criteria and select ‘Show Games’. You may then register to a tournament by tapping on your chosen tournament, then on the ‘Register’ button.

At any point during play, participants can check the Tournament Lobby for information about the tournament's progress. The lobby will show the current limit level for the tournament, information about players' stack sizes, and the breakdown of the prize pool.

In the desktop client, each Tourney Lobby has a player search function. You can find other players by entering their username into the search field provided, or by scrolling through the list of all players on the right-hand side of the lobby. Double-click on any player's username to open the player’s table.

Final tournament information, including total prize pool and finishing places, will remain in the Tourney Lobby for a while - usually a few hours after the tournament's conclusion.

Yes. You can observe any table during a tournament by double-clicking on that table in the list under ‘Tables’ in the Tournament Lobby, and then clicking ‘Observe Table’. Players who are not participants may also observe any table of a tournament.

Late Registration allows players to buy-in to a tournament after it has started, for a limited time. If Late Registration is available, it will be until the first tournament break. However, registration will terminate if all tables allocated at the time of seating are full, or once the first player is eliminated.

In most tournaments a player can unregister up to 10 minutes before the start of a tournament.

A play money tournament uses your play money chips as a ‘buy-in’, with prizes awarded to those who finish ‘in the money’. These prizes amount to more play money chips, which will be credited to your Stars Account. A ‘freeroll’ tournament is free-to-enter and the top finishers are awarded real prizes, including dollars and tournament tickets.

In a multi-table tournament, players start with a fixed number of chips. As players are eliminated, tables are ‘broken’, meaning players are re-assigned to keep tables full and even with one another. Prizes are awarded to top finishers on the basis of number of tournament entries.

Satellites are smaller tournaments in which the prize is entry into a larger tournament. You can find satellites in the main lobby of the desktop client, under the ‘Tourney’  tabs.

No. Players’ seats are assigned at random and changes are not permitted.

The tournament ends when one player accumulates all the chips in play. If the tournament is a satellite event, the tournament will end when all players have qualified for the target event (ie, if the tournament awards five seats, the tournament will end when there are five players left).

If two or more players are eliminated on the same hand, the player with more chips at the beginning of the hand is placed higher. If players started the hands with an identical amount of chips, both players tie for that rank, and any prizes due to those players will be equally distributed between them.

We use a ‘forward moving button’ rule in its tournaments. According to this rule, no player ever receives the button twice; at the completion of every hand, the button is moved clockwise to the small blind. When players are eliminated, there may be players who get a reprieve from one or both blinds. At the start of a tournament, the button will be positioned at Seat 1. When two players remain in the tournament, the button will post the small blind, and act first on the opening round.

Soft playing or chip dumping is grounds for disqualification from the tournament. Any unethical play may result in the termination of the offender's account.

Players and ‘railbirds’ (people observing a table) are expected to use the chat feature in a courteous manner. Players, whether in the hand or not, may not discuss the hands until the action is complete and are obligated to protect the other players in the tournament at all times. Discussing cards you have discarded or hand possibilities is not allowed. A penalty may be given for discussion of hands during the play.

At stages of the tournament where the play money prize jumps significantly with the next player eliminated, and when there is more than one table remaining, the tournament may be played ‘hand-for-hand’. This means that if one table finishes its hand before the other table(s), that table waits for the other table(s) to finish before the next hand is dealt.

See below for general rules in our tournaments.

1. All tournaments will begin promptly at the scheduled time stated in the Tourney Lobby.
2. The button will be positioned at Seat 1 to start play.
3. There is no rule against choosing to sit out; a player doing so will continue to have blinds and antes posted and cards dealt.
4. A bet and three raises are permitted in structured limit tournaments. There is no raise cap in pot-limit and no-limit tournaments.
5. Time Bank:
   • Each player will be allocated a time bank which allows the player extra time to make a decision. The time bank depletes as it is used throughout the tournament. If a player elects to use his or her time bank, other players at the table will be notified.
   • If a player fails to act in time, the time bank will be activated automatically if the following conditions are met:
     • The player is connected to the system when his or her time expires
     • The player has play money invested in the pot
6. As players are eliminated from the tournament, the software may balance tables to ensure all tables have an equal number (or as close as possible) of active players. The balancing of tables is done randomly and, although rare, may result in a player having to post several big blinds in a row. When nine players remain in games such as Hold'em or Omaha tournaments or eight players remain in a Seven Card Stud tournament, all players are brought together at the "final table".
7. In case of disputes, management’s decision will be final.

No. By participating in a tournament, a player accepts the risk of internet disconnection, due to the problems with the connection between their computer and the servers, lag or freeze or some other problem in the player's computer. We do not accept any responsibility for a player disconnect except in the case of a server crash.

While each user is responsible for his or her own Internet connection, we make an effort to protect players who are disconnected during the final stages of a tournament (with a buy-in), by allowing you time to reconnect, known as disconnect extra time (DET).

For regular multi-table tournaments, the DET is available only at the final table. The DET is as follows:

• First action: 240 seconds
• Second action: 120 seconds
• Third action: 60 seconds
• Fourth (and subsequent) actions: No extra time added, but as the player is "sitting-in", he/she will get the regular time to act before being folded.

For one- and two-table Sit & Go tournaments, the DET is available when you are down to four players. The DET is as follows:

• First action: 120 seconds
• Second action: 60 seconds
• Third (and subsequent) actions: No extra time added, but as the player is "sitting-in", he/she will get the regular time to act before being folded.

For heads-up tournaments, the DET is available throughout the tournament. The DET is as follows:

• First action: 120 seconds
• Second action: 60 seconds
• Third (and subsequent) actions: No extra time added, but as the player is "sitting-in", he/she will get the regular time to act before being folded.

Note: The rules described above may vary between tournaments; therefore not all tournaments will necessarily behave exactly as described. DET may not be provided for each tournament; we reserve the right to change these rules without prior notification.

If a player times out during a hand, whether connected or disconnected, his or her hand will be folded. If a player is not connected before a hand starts, he or she will be dealt cards, and a blind and/or ante will be posted.

The Time Bank allows players extra time to decide on a course of action during a tournament (when not disconnected), and will slowly deplete as it is used throughout the tournament. See ‘Are there any other general tournament rules I need to know?’ section above for more.

Prizes will be awarded as stated in the Tourney Lobby.