In modern poker, every amateur and professional can find a competition that suits them. The two most popular are cash games and tournaments. The latter are extremely popular, because each is a chance to win an amount many times greater than the entry fee. We’ve talked about tournament types in the past, but this article will focus on freezeouts.
What is a freezeout in poker?
We’ll explain what the definition of a freezeout and what strategy you need to follow in order to play profitably.
What is a Freezeout in Poker?
A freezeout in poker is the classic format of multi-table tournaments and is still widely used today. Players only have “one life,” meaning that when the chips are out, so are you. These strict entry rules are what makes freezeout tournaments so exciting; there are no second chances once you’ve registered.
Freezeouts are the oldest and simplest MTT format. Rebuy and re-entry events appeared later in poker history. We’ll cover those other MTT types later in the article.
Poker sites might switch the terms, but you can make sure a tournament is a freezeout by checking the rebuys. If it is a freezeout event, there will be no rebuying, re-entering, or adding on.
What is Different in a Freezeout Tournament?
The main feature of freezeouts is the lack of room for error. Lose all your chips and the MTT is over for you. You will not be able to purchase additional chips or register again. All there is to do now is work on MTT strategy (like push/folding) and enter future events.
You’ve got one try, meaning you need to play carefully – right? In reality, all players adhere to their own style, regardless of the format. They simply risk chips less often at the beginning, when the stacks are still very deep. And in rebuy formats, there is always the option to play a big hand in the hope of quickly building a big stack – or retrying again if you're unlucky.
Other Types of Tournaments
There are many multi-table tournaments held in poker rooms and offline, which differ from each other. The screenshot below shows the MTT filter from PokerStars, with all of the available variations.
How MTTs Differ From Each Other
- By buy-in. This will include freerolls (free entry, prizes – real money or tournament tickets), for points (they are awarded under the loyalty program) and for real money (there may also be several gradations depending on the cost).
- By speed. Blinds don’t always increase at the same speed.
- By size of stacks. The starting amount of chips can be shortened, standard, or increased (playing with deep stacks). For beginners, we recommend the last option: such MTTs last longer, but the dispersion in them is much lower.
- By the number of players at the table. Tournaments are held in different formats: from two (heads-up) to 10 poker players at one gaming table.
Also, MTTs differ by entry process:
- Freezeout. You already know about this type of MTT. Lose your chips and your tournament life is over.
- Rebuy/add on. There is an opportunity for additional purchases during the rebuy period. It usually coincides with the late registration period, after which, the MTT turns into a classic freezeout.
- Re-entry. After losing all your chips, you can pay the buy-in again and return to the game. You will take a seat at another table, and the MTT will start all over again for you. In a rebuy tournament, you can keep your seat and just refill your stack.
- Multi-Entry. An interesting, but rather rare format. You play in one tournament at several tables. At the late stage, the stacks (if you have more than one in the game) are combined.
MTTs have different speeds that blinds increase with:
Another important factor for beginners when choosing an MTT is the rate at which the blinds increase. The slower blinds increase, the lower the variance will be.
There are several types of tournaments:
- Slow. The blinds increase every 15-20 minutes. MTTs take a long time.
- Regular. The rate of increase in mandatory rates is normal.
- Turbo and hyper-turbo (Turbo, Hyper-Turbo). These are fast events. It is important to know push-fold strategy here, since most of the competition takes place with short stacks.
For beginners, we recommend choosing slow or standard tournaments in the freezeout format. Preferably with deep stacks. Then your immersion in the world of poker will be as comfortable as possible.
Which Sites Have Freezeout Tournaments?
Freezeouts are available in many trusted poker rooms. This is still a fairly popular format, although in recent years, more and more re-entry tournaments have appeared.
It is very profitable to create accounts in poker rooms using links from our website. You will receive the maximum possible welcome bonuses and will be able to participate in exclusive freerolls and promotions.
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