Slots Tournaments FAQ

Many of our dedicated readers have lately sent us questions regarding the nature of slots tournaments. These tournaments have been around for some time, and can be found both online and offline. Since this is a gambling activity that is lately gaining much attention and popularity, the expert writing team at GamblingPlanet.org feels it’s a good time to answer some of your questions.

Q: What are slots tournament?
A: New technology allows slots to be played as a competitive game, amongst a number of gamers who are playing simultaneously against each-other. Of course, most people still consider slots to be a solitary activity, but that no longer has to be the case. Thanks to the popularity of table games such as poker and blackjack, slots have now also become communal.

Q: How does it work?
A: There are different types of slots tournaments, but they mostly follow the same basic logic: each player starts off with the same amount of coins (or credits), and all players are given the same amount of time to use up those coins. The player who ends up with the most coins by the time the tournament ends – wins. There are, however, two main approaches as to how the tournaments are carried out. Here are the rules:

“Designated chips, designated machines”

• Players enroll by paying a buy-in fee (typically between $5 and $100).
• Each player is given play money chips to be used only at the machines designated for the tournament. These chips will not work at other (“normal”) slot machines.
• Players are given a predetermined amount of time, during which they can use these chips on any designated machine they choose, and the betting takes place.
• Designated machines use the same play money chips for payouts.
• Whoever comes out with the most chips after the time is up is declared the winner. Runner up will take 2nd place, etc.

“Designated machines, no chips”

• Instead of play money chips, players are given virtual credits on machines that were designed specifically for tournament play. These credits should be used up before the time limit is over.
• As soon as the player has taken his or her first spin, the clock starts ticking.
• Players receive “winning credits” from the machine, but these are stored separately and can not be used for playing again. This is the main difference between the two tournament types.
• Once the time is up, the machine locks up.
• Once all participants have finished playing, the winners are determined by counting the winning credits only.

Q: What is the main difference between the two types of slots tournaments?
A: The main difference is that the first type allows players to reuse their winnings (the designated chips) and recycle them into the machine again and again. The second type of tournament allows only for the virtual credits to be used. The winnings are set aside (virtually, of course) by the machine. With this type of tournament, the betting credits are not counted at the end of the tournament, so if they have not been used up – they are lost.

Q: Is there a guaranteed prize-pool
A: Again, different tournaments have different rules, but you can generally expect guaranteed prizes for players who finish at the top. This gives tournament slots players a great edge. When slot players go solo against the machine, no one is guaranteed a win. When a tournament is taking place, you compete against other players, so someone must finish with the lead and take home the winnings.

Q: Are players eliminated during the tournament?
A: No, and that is another elementary difference between poker and slots tournaments. With slots, each player gets to use all his credits or time (whichever runs out first), and then the results are compared.

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