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As the popularity of online poker continues to increase, and more and more games are offered, thousands of players are signing up to play everyday. Eventually, as their skill and knowledge of the game increases, many of these people will end up playing online poker tournaments. Almost all of the major online poker sites now offer online poker tournaments seven days a week twenty-four hours a day. But, of course, as with anything else, it is important to know the game well and have a pretty good idea of how tournaments work and the general rules for each one before you rush out and sign up to play in one.

There really is no set in stone rules applied to poker tournaments. Each tournament may have it's own set of rules and regulations, which is usually determined before the tournament begins. There are a few general rules that can be applied to most tournaments to better help players understand them before play begins.

One of the main rules for online poker tournaments is that each and every player will begin the game with the same number of chips allotted. Some tournaments will allow players to purchase additional chips later in the game, up to the starting amount. These tournaments are called buy-in tournaments. Not all online poker tournaments give players this option, so it is important to find out if it is available before play begins.

Another generally recognized rule of online poker tournaments is that all of the players begin the game at the same time. Some tournaments offer players the chance to just pop into the tournament at any time, but as a general rule of thumb in online poker tournaments that is not an option.

Players are also allowed to play in the tournament until they run completely out of chips, unless there is a re-buy option. The last player left with chips remaining is declared the winner of the tournament. Tournaments with the re-buy option usually will last a lot longer then normal tournaments, and occasionally will offer higher prize pools.

The last general rule for online poker tournaments is that the bid level has to increase at regular times throughout the tournament. Some tournaments will specify certain time frames in which the bid is raised, while others will base it off of a certain amount of play periods.

Online poker tournaments do generally follow these rules, and also have there own set of rules they use as well. It is up to each individual tournament sponsor to determine exactly what they want to happen in that particular tournament. When the online poker tournament has ended, and the final winner has been declared, prizes and winnings will be handed out. The majority of the prize pool will go to the final player left, the top winner of the online poker tournament. This usually breaks down to be about forty percent of all the prizes and money being offered. Twenty percent of the pool will go to the second place winner, and then ten percent will go to the third place winner.

Each online poker tournament will offer different prizes. Certain tournaments offer placement in a higher ranked tournament rather than actual prizes, and as a general rule, the prizes in these tournaments are higher than those of regular tournaments. Players in these tournaments win their right to play in the next tournament without having to pay an entrance fee, which is a bonus in itself.

It is a good idea to research into tournaments and the rules that apply before you sign up to play in one. Most online poker websites will list all of this information, and will also list the prizes to be awarded and how they are distributed among the winners. Once you have looked into the rules and general information on the tournament, you should be well prepared to participate in one.