How to Play Online Casino Tournaments in 2023

We have all the insights and recommendations you will need to begin playing online casino tournaments with confidence. We break down the various tournament types, which casino games are available, and the best bet settings to maximise your chances of taking home the crown. We also list the best online casinos offering cash tournaments ranked and reviewed by our experts.

Top Pick
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Fairspin Casino
9.8

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Win Rate
98%
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Numerous best casino awards by Gaming Awards.

Extensive collection of games from multiple providers.

Quick and effective customer support, including live chat.

Options to cash out quickly.

Accepts multiple deposit methods, including Bitcoin.

Instant play games available.

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Mr. Pacho Casino
9.8

100% Match Bonus up to $500 + 200 Free Spins

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Payout Speed
1 hour
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Excellent reputation since the casino was established.

Live dealer blackjack, baccarat, and roulette.

Live chat and email customer support.

Good monthly withdrawal limits.

Accepts Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Ability to play without spending or signing up.

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3
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PowerPlay Casino
9.7

Up to C$1000 + 100 Free Spins on your first 3 deposits

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Win Rate
96.31%
Payout Speed
1 - 2 Days
Benefits

Excellent reputation since it was established.

Live dealer games include Sic Bo and Dragon Tiger.

Fantastic customer service offered.

Fast banking methods allow for instant withdrawals.

Simple free play mode to test gameplay and discover new games.

Mobile casino on Android and iOS devices.

Payment Methods
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888 Casino
9.6
Payout Speed
1 - 2 Days
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Up to C$1500 on your first 5 deposits

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Vulkan Vegas Casino
9.6
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97.8%
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1 - 2 Days
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Up to C$1500 + 150 Free Spins on your first 3 deposits

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Leon Casino
9.6
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96.7%
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24 hours
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100% Match Bonus up to $300

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Casino Mate
9.5
Payout Speed
3 - 5 Days
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100% Match Bonus up to C$1400 + 80 Free Spins

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Wild Tornado Casino
9.4
Payout Speed
1 hour
Payment Methods

Up to C$1000 + 100 Free Spins on your first 4 deposits

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20BET Casino
9.3
Win Rate
97.9%
Payout Speed
7 days
Payment Methods

Up to $220 + 170 Free Spins on your first 2 deposits

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Joo Casino
9.2
Payout Speed
2 - 3 Days
Payment Methods

Up to $1500 + 150 Free Spins on your first 3 deposits

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Overview

When it comes to engagement, value for money, and pure entertainment, nothing comes close to the fun of participating in an online casino tournament. These tournaments are fantastic in that they offer players from all walks of life a chance to compete on an even footing and potentially win prizes at the same time.

While many players are under the false assumption that casinos only offer online slot tournaments, nothing could be farther from the truth. While it is true that online slots are the most popular tournament game type, there are competitions featuring many other games.

The most popular casino tournament other than those played on video slots are those held using blackjack, online roulette, and video poker. Black has a strong following and flips the medium on its head by pitting players against one another directly rather than having the accrue points.

To help you find the best type of casino tournament for your temperament and learn how to navigate this new online gambling experience, we have broken down every part of the process into help points. We cover the rules that apply to the various tournaments, how you can get started, the pros and cons of playing tournaments, and we offer tips and insights to improve your tournament experience.

We have even included a glossary of casino tournament terms to help you better understand some of the jargon you might encounter when you begin playing for prizes. It's the cherry on top that, in addition to being helpful, our list of terms will also make you sound like an experienced tournament guru.

If you need any help with some of the finer details, we have included a set of frequently asked questions below. Of course, you can also contact us with any particular questions, and we may even add them to our FAQ to help the rest of the community.

Rules

As with any promotion or competition you participate in at an online casino, essential rules must be followed to ensure fairness and good sportsmanship.

Read the tournament rules ahead of time.

It is your responsibility to know the casino tournament terms ahead of time. Making mistakes or not knowing how to enter the contest on the day will ruin your chances of coming out on top of the competition.

Cover your entry fee early.

Should the casino tournament require an entrance fee or buy-in, we recommend paying it long before starting. This action secures your place in the match and doesn't leave any room for last-minute technical issues.

Only play preapproved casino games.

Loading up and playing a game that is not eligible for the tournament will cause your results to be disqualified, robbing you of the chance to win a prize and wasting your entrance fee.

Know when your session ends.

There is no advantage to playing once the tournament has officially ended. Playing on will only result in you being disqualified.

Use all available tournament credits.

There is no financial value in tournament credits outside of the event; always play through your entire bankroll. You never know if that last hand or last spin is the one that bumps you up into pole position.

Budget for rebuys and add-ons.

Should a casino tournament allow you to buy additional credits to continue playing once you lose your chip stack, this is an extra cost that you have to factor into your budget. Knowing that you have the funds put aside if you need them and want to continue enjoying the tournament rather than leave it early is handy.

Allow the officials to submit your score.

Leaving the tournament environment before your score has officially been recorded is never a good idea. Waiting a few minutes for the judges to confirm they have your results could mean the difference between winning a prize or not being in contention to win at all.

Be a good sport.

Win or lose, the real value in a casino tournament is the experience of competing. So be a good sport, congratulate the winners, and perhaps even start a good-natured rivalry with other regular tournament players.

Pros & Cons

Pros
Free tournaments offer much value
A very social online casino experience
It gets you to play new games
Chance to win cash and prize
Fixed fees make it easy to set a budget
Cons
May run at an inconvenient time
Multi-round tournaments can get boring and repetitive
You cannot withdraw jackpot wins

Tips

Don't start playing online casino tournaments at a disadvantage. Our list of tips will help you get ahead of the pack and into action.

Getting Started

Follow these helpful steps in your journey toward getting started as an online casino tournament player.

1 Choose which tournaments you want to enter.

Selecting the format, you enjoy most is essential with the inherent differences between slots, table, and card game tournaments.

2 Find an online casino that offers your games.

Once you know which tournaments you prefer, make this a critical deciding factor when joining a new online casino.

3 Check if your VIP status offers free entries.

As you increase your VIP status with a casino, you can receive invitations to special tournaments or free entries into public cash games.

4 Use the max bet settings.

When you sit down to play, make sure you set the game to its maximum bet setting and fastest game mode to get in as many high-value rounds as possible.

5 Use the rebuy or add-on option.

When the tournament offers you the option to continue playing for a fee, take advantage of the offer. It will keep you in the running to take home a prize and allow you to continue enjoying the competitive casino environment.

Terminology

Thanks to our handy glossary of terms, get up to speed with the latest casino tournament jargon. This list of helpful insider terms and references will help you better understand how tournaments work and make you sound like a seasoned punter.

Learn more

Tournament Types

You have a fantastic selection of games and tournament formats when choosing what type of casino tournament to participate in; here are the most popular tournament types you can join:

Freeroll tournaments

Freeroll tournaments are guaranteed to draw a crowd, whether you're playing slots, poker, or blackjack. This tournament type offers players the chance to play to win bonus credits, cash, and other prizes without depositing any money at the casino.

Buy-In tournaments

Extender tournaments are one of the most relaxing tournament formats because you can buy additional chips or even a seat in the next round should you lose.

Sit n' Go tournaments.

This format is prevalent at online casinos as it does not restrict players to fixed start times. Instead, the tournament will run over a 24-48 hour period, and each session begins when enough players have joined the game.

Survivor tournaments

Players in these tournaments compete over several rounds of play. Each game will see a select group of participants move up the ranks into smaller groups until a single winner emerges at the end of the event.

One-Shot tournaments

This format is a variant of the Survivor tournament. In this instance, there are no rebuys, which means that losing a single round sees you out of the tournament.

Time-based tournaments

Time-based tournaments allow participants to play as much as they like in the hopes of racking up the biggest score in the allotted timeframe. It is a prevalent slot tournament format as it focuses purely on accumulated wins, not winning chips from other players.

High Roller tournaments

Casinos will hold high-stakes tournaments for VIP players. These often come with expensive buy-ins and big bet sizes, but the prize pools cover the cost if you manage to win.

FAQ

Yes, you can. Even freeroll tournaments offer winners casino credits and prizes with real money value.

The entry fee for casino tournaments is very flexible and often depends on the prize value. While some can cost as much as C$100 to enter, many free and low-cost options are available.

As a game of chance, the best way to come out ahead in a slot tournament is to play as many spins as possible during the tournament period.

Online casinos offer tournaments across multiple game types, including blackjack, roulette, and video poker. However, online slots are just the most common, given their enormous entertainment value and accessibility.

There are many forms of online casino tournaments. We recommend reviewing the Popular Tournament Types heading for an in-depth look at available options.

Blackjack tournament players aim to win as many credits from their competitors as possible. This goal means you should not rush your hands but try to maximise each win and protect your chip stack.

No, they are not. We only promote licensed and regulated online casinos with tournament results and payouts audited by the gambling commission and third parties.

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