|
Welcome to the Poker Forums.
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!
Click here to register.
Members get :
- Access to all discussion rooms
- A Chance to participate in our private member only freerolls.
- A chance to improve their poker skills and pass on their knowledge to others.
 |
Author : Kevin Muldoon
Article Written : 19th April 2006
An introduction to ladder games
Nearly every poker site now has a varation of a ladder tournament. They're sometimes called steps tournaments and sometimes they're called something completely different. However, they all operate in the same way.
Most ladder tournaments have about 4 or 5 levels. Level 1 is usually a low buy in like $5+$0.50 or $10+$1 and hosts about 9 or 10 players (usually 9). The top 2 or 3 finishing players in each table usually progress to the next level. It is possible to buyin at any level however the buyin increases with every level. For example, buying in at level 2 might cost you $25 and you can jump in at level 3 for $60. Most sites give a token to the player who bubbled (ie. just short of progressing) to play in the same sit and go for free.
As i said, every site sets it up differently though they all operate in a similar way to the above. In this article i will be looking at the ladder tournaments of two poker sites - namely Party Poker and the UK biased poker site Ladbrokes.
Pros & Cons of playing ladder tournaments
For me, i think ladder tournaments are good for most online poker players because
- It gives you a chance to play many more games at a relatively low cost
- It allows newer players to get a lot more sng experience without worrying about their bankroll
- It allows some players to progress to a level which they normally wouldnt play at (ie. they might reach the $100 buy in level but wouldnt ever buyin at that level themselves)
It could be argued though that these games will lose some players more money than they'll win. It can be pretty hard finishing in the top 3 positions in 3 or 4 consecutive games. Some players might be at a level where they might finish in the money now and then but aren't good or consistent enough to do it 3 or 4 games in a row. Perhaps any loss to these players is worth it for the number of games they will get under their belt. I can see both sides of the coin myself.
Party Poker Mini Steps
Party Poker has two types of ladder tournaments. Steps and mini steps. In this page we will look at the mini steps which costs $5+$1
----------------------------------------------------------------
Step 1 : Buy in = $5+$1
Finishing Positions :
1 = Progress to Step 2
2 - 5 = Ticket to Try Step 1 Again
6 = $4
7 - 10 = Out
----------------------------------------------------------------
Step 2 : Direct Buy in = $20+$2 or Step from Step 1
Finishing Positions :
1 & 2= Progress to Step 3
3 - 5 = Ticket to Try Step 2 Again
6 = 9 = Ticket to Try Step 1 Again
10 = Out
----------------------------------------------------------------
Step 3 : Direct Buy in = $50+$5 or Step from Step 2
Finishing Positions :
1 & 2= Progress to Step 4
3 & 4 = Ticket to Try Step 3 Again
5 & 6 = Ticket to Try Step 2 Again
7 & 8 = Ticket to Try Step 1 Again
9 = $4
10 = Out
----------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
Step 4 : Direct Buy in = $150+$15 or Step from Step 3
Finishing Positions :
1 & 2= Progress to Step 5
3 - 5 = Ticket to Try Step 4 Again
6 - 7 = Ticket to Try Step 3 Again
8 = Ticket to Try Step 2 Again
9 = Ticket to Try Step 1 Again + $1
10 = Ticket to Try Step 1 Again
----------------------------------------------------------------
Step 5 : Direct Buy in = $400+$30 or Step from Step 4
Finishing Positions :
1 = $2,000
2 = $1,000
3 = $500
4 = $300
5 = $200
----------------------------------------------------------------
Due to the size of Party Poker you very rarely have to wait long for a game to fill up. The fee of $1 is pretty steep (ie. 20% of the money going into the pot instead of 10%) however this effects all $5 tournaments at Party
Ladbrokes Treble Chance
Ladbrokes currently has two ladder tournaments. Once is called treble chance and the other is called turbo (and is is about a third more expensive than treble chance).
There are 4 levels in total. The money is paid out to the top 3 players in the level 4 game.
Level 1 : Buy in = $3+$0.30
Finishing Positions :
1 - 3 = Progress to level 2
4 - 10 = Out
----------------------------------------------------------------
Level 2 : Direct Buy in = $10+$1 or progress from Level 1
Finishing Positions :
1 - 3 = Progress to level 2
4 = Token to play level 2 again
5- 10 = Out
----------------------------------------------------------------
Level 3 : Direct Buy in = $30+$3 or progress from Level 2
Finishing Positions :
1 - 3 = Progress to level 2
4 - 10 = Out
----------------------------------------------------------------
Level 4 : Direct Buy in = $100+$10 or progress from Level 3
Finishing Positions :
1 = $500
2 = $300
3 = $200
With only 4 levels and a low level entry of only $3+$0.30, its no surprise these tournaments are quite popular.
Conclusion
I hope that this article has been helpful for some of you. If you would like a rundown of how ladder tournaments work at some other poker sites please let me know and i'll update this review with the details
Thanks,
Kevin
Click here to return to the THF Articles Page.
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 05:32 AM. |
Latest THF threads :
     | |  |
