Best Online Poker Tournaments

One of the great advantages of poker tournaments is that they offer massive upside with limited risk. Unlike cash games, the risk in tournaments is known up front. You pay your buyin and you’re done risking money. From that point on, all you have to do is play poker and try to earn a big payout.

Some of the best online poker tournaments have prize pools that rival even the largest land-based tournaments. Million dollar tournaments are not uncommon on the internet. Most poker tournaments are significantly smaller, but a few stand out above all the rest due to their massive prize pools. A first place finish in one of these tournaments will give you a life-changing payout.

I’m going to break this list of tournaments up into two categories: one for USA-friendly tournaments and one for the rest of the world. The legal situation in the US is in a constant state of flux, but right now most poker sites either serve the US market exclusively or the rest-of-the-world (ROTW) market exclusively. So, it makes sense to organize this list into US tournaments and ROTW tournaments.

Best USA Poker Tournaments

The following poker tournaments are all hosted at poker sites that accept players from the United States. If you live in the US, these are the best tournaments on the internet.

Bovada $100K Guarantee

The Bovada $100K Guarantee, also known as The Big Deal, is hosted every Sunday at 4 PM ET. It has a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000. This means that no matter how many people join, the tournament will always have at least $100,000 up for grabs. The first place prize is always at least $20,000.

There are two ways to claim a seat at this tournament. First, you can buy in straight up for $162. If that’s a little much for your bankroll, you can play in numerous satellite tournaments every week for as little as $1. Place high enough in a satellite tournament and you’ll win a free seat to the $100K at Bovada.

One of the greatest things about this tournament in particular is that it frequently has a large overlay. What this means is that there are often weeks in which not enough people sign up to meet the guarantee naturally. Bovada must then add money to the prize pool to meet the guarantee. This is a great value because it means you get more prize money without having to play against more opponents.

Carbon Poker $100K Guarantee

The Carbon Poker $100K Guarantee is hosted every Sunday at 15:00 server time. This one also has a $100,000 prize pool, which means big prizes are guaranteed for all the top finishers. Carbon Poker has a long history as a safe US-friendly poker site and consistently ranks as one of the best sites for players in the USA.

You can buy in directly to this tournament for $215 or play in any of the satellites that are hosted all week long. If you don’t already have an account at Carbon Poker, you qualify for a 200% welcome bonus on your first deposit for up to $5,000 extra.

BetOnline $10K Guarantees

BetOnline Poker eschews one big tournament every week in favor of multiple mid-level guaranteed events. This poker site has a total of $250,000 in guaranteed tournaments every month. This breaks down to at least 2 $10K guarantees every week. One is hosted on Saturdays and the other is hosted on Sundays.

The buyins for these tournaments average at a very reasonable $20. If the above $100K guarantees are too pricey, the tournaments at BetOnline are worth a look. BetOnline also hosts a $20K guarantee at the end of every month.

Best ROTW Tournaments

The rest of the tournaments on this page are open to all players outside the United States. With a much more favorable legal situation and a larger player base, the poker sites that serve this market can offer significantly larger guaranteed prize pools.

PokerStars Sunday Million

The PokerStars Sunday Million has been running for years and is a huge success. Every Sunday, PokerStars gives out at least $1,000,000 in prizes in this one tournament alone. A first place finish in this tournament is likely to net you more than $150,000. Anyone who makes it to the final table in this tournament will receive a very nice payout.

You can buy your way in directly to this tournament for $215 or you can win a seat through the hundreds of satellites PokerStars hosts every week. The Sunday Million is hosted every Sunday at 14:30 ET.

Full Tilt $250K Guarantee

Full Tilt Poker is a long-time favorite among poker players and for good reason. It has a large, active player base and the best software in the industry. Although Full Tilt has numerous $100K+ guarantees, the biggest one every week is the $250K Guarantee.

The $250K Guarantee is hosted every Sunday at 13:30 ET. You can either buy in direct for $215 or win a seat through any of the satellites they host every week. Full Tilt Poker also hosts a variety of other guaranteed tournaments every week with prize pools that range from $10K to $200K.

Bet365 $200K Guarantee

Bet365 is one of the biggest gambling sites on the internet and its poker room is also one of the most popular. The biggest regular tournament at Bet365 is the Sunday $200K Guarantee. This one has a $215 buyin but you can also win seats through any of the numerous satellites they host there every week.

In addition to the $200K Guarantee, Bet365 Poker has a bunch of other guaranteed tournaments that run all week long. These other tournaments boast prize pools that also reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. One other thing Bet365 can guarantee is that you’ll never suffer from a lack of tournament action.

William Hill $200K Guarantee

The flagship event at William Hill is the weekly $200K Guarantee. This one kicks off every Sunday at 4 PM UK time and comes with a $215 buyin. And as you may have guessed, William Hill hosts a variety of satellites tournaments that you can play in to win your way in much cheaper. Some of these satellites cost as little as $0.05.

If you don’t already have an account at William Hill, you can sign up today and get a 200% bonus added to your first deposit. This bonus is worth up to £1200 and is fairly easy to clear. With a wide range of tournaments and a juicy deposit bonus, William Hill is not a bad choice at all.