Types of Poker Tournaments | Bounty, Turbo, Deepstack & More

When you look at a tournament schedule, you'll see names like "Bounty," "Turbo," "Deepstack," and "Tag Team." It's not always obvious what each one means, especially if you're new.

This article organizes tournament types by category and explains how each one works.

For tournament terms like rebuy, add-on, and re-entry, see our separate guide.

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What Are the Different Types of Poker Tournaments?

Poker tournaments come in many varieties, differing in prize structure, blind speed, starting chip count, and match format. At events, these types are usually listed by their English names, so knowing them makes choosing the right tournament much easier.

What You'll Learn

• The difference between bounty, PKO, and mystery bounty
• How turbo and hyper-turbo differ
• Deepstack, double stack, and other stack-based formats
• Special formats like AoF, heads-up, tag team, and Spin & Go
• How to read common abbreviations on tournament schedules

Tournament Types at a Glance

Bounty Tournaments

In bounty tournaments, you win a prize every time you knock out another player. In a regular tournament, you get nothing unless you finish in the money. In bounty events, every knockout earns you something.

There are three main types.

Standard Bounty

Every player has a fixed bounty on their head. When you knock someone out, you collect their bounty chip and receive the fixed prize.

For example, in a tournament with a $50 buy-in where$10 goes toward the bounty pool, you receive $10 for each player you eliminate. Knock out five players and you've recovered your buy-in — even without finishing in the money.

Progressive KO (PKO)

In PKO, you win half of the bounty held by the player you knock out. This is the most popular bounty format today.

The key difference from standard bounty is that the reward reflects the bounty value your opponent has accumulated. When you knock someone out, you instantly receive half of their bounty, and the other half is added to your own bounty.

For example, if you knock out a player whose bounty is worth $20:

• $10 → you receive immediately
• $10 → added to your own bounty

Players who have knocked out many opponents carry bigger bounties. Eliminating them means a bigger payout, so knockouts become increasingly valuable as the tournament progresses.

Mystery Bounty

In mystery bounty tournaments, the bounty amount is random — you don't know how much it's worth until after the knockout.

In standard bounty events, everyone has the same fixed amount. In PKO, each player's current bounty is displayed. Mystery bounty is different: the amount is revealed only after you eliminate someone. It's like opening an envelope — the prize could be small, or it could be huge.

Bounties are split into several tiers. Most are modest, but occasionally a very high-value bounty appears. Major events like JOPT also run mystery bounty side events.

Speed Tournaments (Turbo & Hyper-Turbo)

Speed tournaments have shorter intervals between blind increases. They finish faster, making them a good fit when you're short on time.

Turbo

Blind levels are roughly half the length of a standard tournament. Where blinds might go up every 15–20 minutes in a regular event, turbo events increase blinds every 7–10 minutes.

With blinds rising faster, there's less time to wait for premium hands. You'll need to build your stack more aggressively from the start.

Hyper-Turbo

An even faster version of turbo. Blind levels last just 2–3 minutes, and you'll quickly find yourself in all-in-or-fold territory.

This format is most common online. A single tournament can wrap up in under an hour, making it popular with players who want to play many events in a short time.

Stack-Based Tournaments (Deepstack & Double Stack)

Stack-based tournaments give you a different starting chip count than usual. More chips mean more room to play in the early levels.

Deepstack / Megastack / Superstack / Monsterstack

These are all tournaments where you start with more chips than normal. The names differ, but the concept is the same — it's just a matter of degree.

BB (big blind) is the larger of the two forced bets. A standard tournament typically starts around 100 BB. The numbers above vary by event, so treat them as rough guidelines. When you see one of these names, just know it means "more chips than usual."

With deeper stacks, postflop skill matters more in the early stages. The high chip-to-blind ratio means you have more time to play patiently.

Double Stack

In a double stack tournament, you start with two single stacks (two portions of the normal starting chips).

You can choose how to use them:

• Use both right away → Start with twice the normal chips
• Use one now, add on the other later → Add chips at a time of your choosing
• Use one now, rebuy with the other if you bust → Essentially one free rebuy

For example, if one stack is 15,000 chips, you can play with all 30,000 from the start, or begin with 15,000 and add the rest later.

Special Tournament Formats

These formats differ significantly from standard tournaments in rules or structure.

AoF (All-in or Fold)

AoF is a format where your only options are all-in or fold. Once your cards are dealt, you either shove everything in or fold. There is no postflop play.

The simple rules make for quick decisions and fast-paced action, and the format is primarily popular online. Don't let the simplicity fool you, though — choosing which hands to shove is everything. Your decisions depend on position and stack size, making hand strength judgment the key skill.

Heads-Up Tournament

A one-on-one (heads-up) tournament where the winner of each match advances to the next round, just like a bracket in sports.

For example, with 32 players, round one has 16 matches, round two has 8, and so on until one player wins.

Heads-up play is very different from a full table, requiring specialized skills.

For more on heads-up rules and strategy, check out this guide.

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Tag Team

A tournament where you enter as a two-person team. Also called a "tag match."

Team members sit at the same table in diagonal positions and take turns (or play simultaneously) hand by hand. Teams are allowed to share hand information and discuss strategy — as long as other teams can't overhear.

The biggest draw is being able to enjoy a tournament with a friend. Major events like JOPT regularly feature tag team events.

Shootout

A winner-take-all format where only the table winner advances to the next round.

In a standard multi-table tournament (MTT), tables are consolidated as players bust out. In a shootout, each table plays down to a single winner (or a set number of finishers), and only they move on.

Since you play against the same opponents throughout each round, reading and adapting to their play style is especially important.

Spin & Go

A 3-player hyper-turbo SNG (Sit & Go) where the prize pool multiplier is random. PokerStars popularized the format, and other platforms offer similar versions (GGPoker calls theirs "Spin & Gold").

Before the game starts, a spinner determines the prize multiplier. It could be as low as 2x the buy-in — or, on rare occasions, hundreds or even thousands of times the buy-in. The hyper-turbo structure means each game takes just a few minutes.

Flip-Out

A pure-luck event where everyone goes all-in on the very first hand. There's no strategy involved — it all comes down to card strength.

Flip-outs are typically run as low-cost side events at tournaments, serving as icebreakers. They're a fun, lighthearted format you can jump into without any pressure.

Bonus — Common Tournament Schedule Notation

Tournament schedules are full of abbreviations and numbers. Here are some of the most common ones you'll see.

Satellite Odds Notation

Notations like "1/16" or "1/8" indicate the pass rate in a satellite (qualifier tournament).

For example, "1/16 Satellite" means 1 in every 16 players wins a seat in the higher-level event. The smaller the number (e.g., 1/4), the easier it is to qualify. The larger (e.g., 1/32), the harder.

Event Name Numbers (GG500, etc.)

At events like JOPT, you'll see tournament names like "GG500" or "GG1000." These numbers indicate the buy-in tier.

For example, "GG500" is a tournament with a ¥50,000 buy-in, and "GG1000" is ¥100,000. Higher numbers mean higher buy-ins and larger prize pools.

Game Format Abbreviations

If a schedule says "NLH Bounty Turbo," it means a No Limit Hold'em bounty tournament with turbo blind levels.

Summary

For information on how to enter tournaments, costs, and major events, check out this guide.

What Is a Poker Tournament? | How to Enter, Costs & Major Events

A beginner's guide to poker tournaments — how they work, how to enter, costs, and an overview of major events in Japan and worldwide.

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