Tournament Rules

Tournament rules differ from those in normal ring games in several ways:

If you fail to respond, or suffer a disconnection, there is no All-in protection.
You may not sit out a hand. You may, however, mark yourself as Away From Table.
If you time out due to a lost connection, or fail to respond when it’s your turn, you will automatically be marked as Away From Table.
If you are Away From Table, blinds are paid as appropriate and your hand is folded. When you come back, make sure that you uncheck the Left Table box.

Single Table Tournament rules

As soon as the table is full, the game begins. These tables are fill and go games.
There are no break periods.
You may leave the table any time prior to the start of the tournament without penalty.
Seating position is your choice. You may choose any open seat, and you will remain in this seat for the remainder of the tournament.

Multi-table tournaments are scheduled (the current schedule is available here), and you must register for these tournaments prior to the posted start time. Registration for any given tournament closes a few minutes before the start of the tournament, after which time you can no longer register or unregister. Prior to the tournament start, you will receive audio and visual reminders within the poker client and will be allocated a seat at random. You will be able to view your table and seat a few minutes before the tournament start time.
The software keeps tables balanced in terms of player numbers throughout the tournament. As players go broke and are eliminated from the tournament, different tables can have significantly different numbers of players seated at them. To counter this imbalance in player distribution, you may be reseated at any time to another table. This process is random, and you may be reseated repeated times during the duration of a tournament.
As the number of open seats increases, the software will automatically close certain tables. You will be advised when the table at which you are seated is being closed. The break order is from the highest numbered table for the tournament in descending order.
You may open and watch other tables.
The tournament lobby will show the number of players in the tournament, their current chip count and the prize structure.
Multi-table tournaments have a 5 minute break once per hour after 55 minutes of play.

You should note the following other important differences with Satellite Tournaments:
Only first place in the STT Satellite qualifiers gets a prize; a seat in the MTT final.
If you play and win more than one STT Satellite qualifier, you win the cash value of the seat if you already have a seat in the Final.
You may register directly in the MTT Final, paying the full seat price.
If you have a seat in the MTT Final that you won, you may not unregister to take the cash value. If you directly purchased the seat in the Final, you may unregister and receive a refund for the buy-in and fee prior to the start of the MTT Final.
STT Satellite qualifiers will not begin within 2 hours of the Final. Anyone seated at an STT Satellite qualifier that has not started before the 2 hour cutoff will receive a refund and the STT will be cancelled.
You may purchase a seat in the MTT Final up until 2 hours (120 minutes) before the start of the MTT Final.
Satellite tournament winners must abide by our Terms and Conditions.