Kiwi’s Pokies Tournament Handbook

It is no surprise that online pokies are any Kiwi player’s favourite pastime, however sometimes gamers just need that bit more excitement and danger than an average game. This is where online pokie tournaments come in! In this article, I will be running through what tournaments are, how they work, and some of the best ones that are available currently for all Kiwis to enter.

What is an Online Pokie Tournament?

Online pokie tournaments are held by different operators and online casinos to entice more players to join their dedicated platform. These tournaments are set games where many gamers can join together and play to rack up points; the player with the highest points wins whatever the jackpot is set to by the operator or online casino.

How Online Tournaments Work

Players compete in a highly rewarding and thrilling pre-determined pokie, racing to the top of the leaderboard to win the highest prize. The pokies in the tournament are set into a specific mode that enables players to freely play without needing to deposit money or withdraw winnings. Instead, players are granted an equal amount of ‘credits’ to use within the game. 

Often, tournaments are for VIP members only, depending on the casino itself. Tournaments can be either free-to-play or paid; this information is crucial, as being surprised with a surcharge is not ideal! The amount of time set for the tournament is entirely dependent on the operator; some have 24-hour resets, and some may have week- or even month-long tournaments to bring in new players. 

The player with the highest number of points takes home a bigger percentage of the prize pool, along with however many other players the operator chooses to provide winnings to. Generally, it is the top 5 winners who receive a percentage, however some tournaments give cash to the top 10, 20, 50, or even 100 players, depending on the cash prize size and the casino’s decision.

Types of Online Pokie Tournaments

Much like with normal online pokies, there are different types or categories of virtual pokies tournaments. Below, I run through each of the different types and provide a brief description of what they are:

Freeroll

This type of online tournament is the best for pokie players as there is no commitment for players to deposit any of their own cash! Players must enter prior to the tournament beginning to receive their credits and enter successfully. The chips allocated are specifically for the tournament and are not able to be withdrawn for real cash. Each win from a pokie contributes points to the player’s overall score, and – like with most competitions – the player with the highest score wins! Prizes from Freeroll tournaments can be anywhere from cash to merchandise or other additional bonus perks. Freeroll tournaments are the best place for beginners to start as there are not too many rules, they can be found quite easily, and are on more frequently throughout the year.

‘Sit and Go’

‘Sit and Go’ tournaments are tournaments that have limited available space where players are told in advance. Players are urged to sign up to the tournament as seats usually go quite quickly; they are a very popular pastime! These types of tournaments are not limited to only pokies, but can include table games like Baccarat, Roulette, and Blackjack. ‘Sit and Go’ tournaments begin as soon as the final spot is filled, so players need to be aware of the timeframe of when this could happen. There is a leaderboard that shows up, and some also work in a process of elimination style where each round’s winners play against each other until a final winner is decided. These types of tournaments also only last a singular round; no continual playing this time! Some of the most popular games within this category include Thunderstruck and Avalon.

Buy-In

Buy-In tournaments are mostly a land-based casino thing, however some online casinos also choose this type for virtual tournaments. As the name suggests, players need to pay a fee in order to access entry to the tournament – similar to joining a normal Blackjack tournament. Generally speaking, each fee from the players are added into the overall prize pool, however this is not always the case. There is no additional bonus for participating in a Buy-In tournament; paying a fee simply grants a player entry to participate.

Scheduled

Scheduled tournaments are by far the most popular category of online pokie tournaments. These types are promoted early on with the start and end dates, along with the time limit for the actual game. Scheduled tournaments can last from several hours, a single day, week, or month; the time frame is set by the casino and changes depending on their personal choice. These tournaments allow players to leave and come back into the game without any penalties in order for players to maintain or increase their ranking on the leaderboard. However, coming back into the game will cost you and the amount of additional credits a player can purchase can be limited depending on the tournament rules.

Why Compete in Tournaments?

Tournaments are a fun, exciting, and risky pastime; nothing sounds better than that! Tournaments can also benefit players, both new and experienced, in allowing them to hone in their pokie playing skills to become better at games and understand the mechanics better. These opportunities also allow players to try out new pokies in a different environment to see if they like the title; this can be for free or a small fee depending on the tournament type! Online pokie tournaments provide a higher chance of a sum of cash since most tournaments have a small amount given to all participating players, no matter the leaderboard positioning. Tournaments, as I have mentioned earlier, are beginner-friendly, so Kiwis looking to get into online pokies can start right here and work their way up.

Conclusion

Online pokie tournaments are a great way for Kiwis to gain more adventure, danger, and competitive spirit without spending much of their own cash. For beginners, the best place to start is at a Freeroll tournament, which can be found at many online casinos within New Zealand.

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