These are a great way to enjoy plenty of action for a very low risk. If you get lucky and play well, you might win a big prize. Played in clubs, casinos, on line and even, sometimes, in home games, a tournament can have four entrants or ten thousand.

Each player pays a small entry fee - say $10 (although some on line events are free to enter) - and gets, say, 1,000 chips. Everyone plays, in whatever betting style the tournament may be, until there is only one player left. Traditionally, the winner usually receives between one quarter and one third of the total entry fees, with lower places being paid out on a descending scale.

Online, there are tournaments every minute of the day and night. In clubs and casinos, there are often several scheduled each day. Depending upon the number of entrants, a tournament may take an hour or a week to complete.