Tournaments Guide

Tournament basics...


Taking part in an online Poker Tournament is great fun and a good way of budgeting your spending as you know your exposure before you start. If you choose a Single Table Texas Hold'em Tournament with a $10 buy in, plus a $1 entry fee - shown as $10+$1 - then you know that's all it's going to cost if you do not manage to get in the prize money. Poker Tournaments are knockout competitions where, usually, when you lose your chips, you are out.

Each player at the table gets an equal amount of chips to begin with - say 1000 - with the winner ultimately acquiring all the chips at the table. These types of tourneys are usually contested by 10 players, with the winner taking 50% of the total buy-ins (10 x $10 = $100. 50% of which is $50). The runner-up gets 30% of the pool ($30) and the third placed player would get 20$ ($20). As you can see the pool gets distributed to the players with just the $1 being kept by the House in exchange for facilitating the competition.

Typical Single Table Prize Funding...

  • 10 players buying in for $10 +$1 each
  • Total prize pool of $100
  • Winner gets $50
  • Second gets $30
  • Third gets $20

Single Table Tournaments start when every seat at the table is occupied by a player. You can take part in tournaments at GoWild Poker playing the whole range of Poker games and bet limits. So if your favorite is No Limit Texas Hold'em Poker or Fixed Limit 5 Card Stud, there's a game starting at GoWild right now!

Tournament Essential Information...

If you are new to Poker Tournament play, then you may want to get familiar with the basics. Don't forget that, as with our Ring games (or Money games), you can play with fun chips only without risking real money before becoming a tournament ace at the tables.

Sit and Go...

These are single table tournaments where the participants around the table are the only players in the contest. The prize structure is almost always 50% for the winner, 30% for finishing second and 20% for finishing third. These tournaments have no date or time as the game begins when all tournament sits are occupied, that's why it is called sit and go, when everybody sits... it goes.

Buy-In...

This is the cost of entering a poker tournament. For instance, a $20 + $2 tournament will cost $22 in total. $20 goes to the prize fund, all of which is distributed to the winner(s), while the $2 entry fee is the charge levied by the House.

Single Table Tournament...

Single Table Tournaments are the same as Sit and Go's. You can play all the different varieties of Poker in all the different betting formats at the GoWild Poker Room. Our range of single table tournament buy-ins suits all pockets.

Multi Table Tournament...

Multi Table Tournaments are more exotic than Sit and Go. With more players taking part, the prize is much harder to win. It's not unusual to see a multi table tourney have as many as 10,000 players entered. However, 200 tournament players is more common with prize money going down to 20th place. The objective of the multi table tournament player is to fight their way on to the last remaining table as opponents gets knocked out, in the same way as they do in single table games. As the number of players left at a table reduces, players are moved to other tables where the same thing happens until all that remains is one table. The winner comes from these remaining 10 players.

Freeroll...

We have daily Freerolls at GoWild Poker. Freerolls are great fun as they are multi table tournaments with no entry fee, but still usually have a Guaranteed Pot of $1000. In most cases there will be a qualification requirement of each player having played a number of hands for real money elsewhere within the GoWild Poker Room.

Satellite...

Through our network partner, Microgaming Poker, GoWild offers exciting Satellite tournaments including entry into contests such as the Grand Prix de Paris and the Monte Carlo Millions.

Heads Up...

Heads Up describes just two players competing against each other at the table. A Heads Up tournament is real knockout contest. As one player beats their opponent they move on to the next table until it's just the two last players standing who fight out one last Heads Up match to find the winner.

Freeze Out and Re-Buys...

Freeze Outs are simply tournaments where players are allowed to buy-in just the once, at the start of the game, as opposed to Re-buy tournaments, where you can buy in again on one or more occasions when your chips balance reaches 0.

Add on...

Add ons are where players get the opportunity to pay a further entry fee for a tournament in which they are playing. Unlike a re-buy-in, which can take place a number of times, but only when you have a zero balance of chips, An Add on is permitted just once and does not depend on you having no chips left.

Guaranteed Prize Pools...

Prize funds are often made up of the buy-ins paid by the participating players in any given tournament. On occasion, the GoWild Poker Room and our network partner Microgaming Poker, offer Guaranteed Prize Pools whereby the winners are assured a large prize irrespective of the level of funding from the players.




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Wildest Tournaments



At the GoWild Poker Room you will find all the poker action you need with huge weekly guarantees, multi and single table tournaments, freerolls and more. You'll also find all you need to know about GoWild's exclusive tournaments such as our New Player Freeroll. To give you a helping hand getting started, we've put together a Tournament Basics, and a guide to our Multi Table Tournament rules, blinds and Standard payout structure.

We offer a wide range of tournaments every day of the week at GoWild Poker, so check out our Tournament Schedule for the latest tourneys.

We also offer regular Satellites for you to win your seat at some of the major land-based poker tournaments, including the World Series of Poker and the European Poker Tour. You can win a shot at the million-dollar prizes by buying in for just a few dollars!

You can also check out our guide to the Daily Freerolls at GoWild Poker, which are free to enter with real cash prizes, plus our Special GoWild Poker Tournaments, including our exclusive New Player Freeroll.

At GoWild Poker, we also offer the widest range of Sit & Go Tournaments, from 2 to 10 seats, at a wide range of limits. These tournaments commence when each seat is filled, so you can find one to suit you starting throughout the day. Just take your seat and you're away! GoWild Poker also offers the innovative Rounders and Heads-Up Rounders tournaments, the perfect combination of Sit & Go and Multi Table Tournaments!

As if that was not enough, at GoWild Poker Room, you can challenge your friends to a game with our Private Tables feature.



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Freeroll Tournaments



Every player at GoWild Poker can take part in all of our Daily Freeroll Tournaments; the only requirement is that you have played at least one Raked Hand in the 24 hours prior to the freeroll. The prize pools range from $200 to $500...

All players will start with $750 in chips. However: the more raked hands you play in the 24-hrs prior to the tournament start the more starting chips you will earn!

Raked Hands
Bonus Chips
Total starting chips
-
-
$1,000
10
+$750
$1,750
25
+$1500
$2,500
50
+$2,250
$3,500
100
+$3,000
$4,000


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New Player Freeroll



GoWild $1,000 New Player Freeroll Every month we will be holding an exclusive GoWild Poker $1,000 Guaranteed Freeroll for new players.

This will give every new player at GoWild the chance to grab some cash while they find their feet around the GoWild Poker Room.

  • Date: First Sunday of the month
  • Time: 7pm UK / 8pm CET
  • Buy-in: Freeroll
  • Re-buy / Add-On: Unlimited $5 re-buys 1st hour, 1 add-on
  • Type: Texas Hold'em No Limit
  • Prize: $1,000 Guaranteed


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Satellite Tournaments



How would you like to win a seat at one of the major offline tournaments in the world of poker?

At GoWild Poker, you can earn your place alongside poker's biggest names at the best land-based tournaments around the world, including the World Series of Poker, the European Poker Tour and the Aussie Millions!

Right now we offer you the chance to win a full package, worth $14,500, for the EPT Copenhagen in the Danish capital as well as satellites to win a complete package for the Irish Open 2008 in Dublin...



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Sit and Go Tournaments


Sit and Go

Every day we will be holding a variety of single table tournaments. These can be found under the "Sit and Go" tab in the poker software. Please note that there are no specific times for each event as they start whenever there are enough players to begin.

Rounders Tournaments - a new kind of Sit & Go...

  • Buy-in from just $5.50
  • Enter at any level
  • Big money prizes on offer in Round 5
  • Second chances to try again in Rounds 2 and 3
  • Flexibility unmatched by any other tournament

Rounders tournaments run all day, every day - the tournament for each Round starts whenever 10 people have sat down. So there's no waiting for a tournament to start at a certain time that might not suit you, and you don't have to play all 5 Rounds in one go. You choose which table you sit down at, and when, at every stage.

Extreme Stack Sit and Go

Do you find yourself being caught out by the pace of standard sit & go tournaments? Do you find the blinds go up so fast your starting stack gets eaten up by the blinds before you can get into the swing of the action? Then you'll love our new Extreme Stack Sit & Go tournaments at GoWild Poker.

Extreme Stack tournaments start with 8 players and a $2,000 chip starting stack. Blinds increase every 10 minutes according to the table below:



Level 1 $10/20
Level 2 $20/40
Level 3 $40/80
Level 4 $60/120
Level 5 $100/200
Level 6 $150/300
Level 7 $200/400
Level 8 $300/600
Level 9 $500/1000
Level 10 $600/1200


Payout Structure...

  • 1st Place 50%
  • 2nd Place 30%
  • 3rd Place 20%

Buy-ins range from $20 + $2 to $1,000 + $50, and you can choose from Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 5 Card Stud and 7 Card Stud, Pot Limit and No Limit tables.



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Heads Up Poker

Apart from playing the regular Heads-Up or 1-on-1 games at GoWild Poker, you can also enjoy our great new Heads Up Rounders series - a twist on the ever-popular Rounders Sit & Go games...

Do you have the skills to take up the Heads–up Rounder’s challenge?

Join in at any stage, at any time for your chance to win up to $1,280, all while playing poker for the purists – one on one! All Heads-Up Rounders tournaments can be found in the Sit & Go section of the Poker Lobby.

You can buy-in directly to any stage of the tournament, but prize money is only won in the final stage. Winners at lower stages are awarded tokens which can be exchanged for a buy-in to the next stage. These tokens can be used at any time and are not exchangeable for cash.

All players will have $1,500 starting chips and blind intervals will increase every 15 hands.



Stage
Buy-In
Fee
Winner
Runner-Up
1
$10
$1
Stage 2
Drop Out
2
$20
$2
Stage 3
Drop Out
3
$40
$4
Stage 4
Drop Out
4
$80
$8
Stage 5
Drop Out
5
$160
$16
Stage 6
Drop Out
6
$320
$32
Stage 7
Drop Out
7
$640
$64
$1,280
Drop Out


All Heads Up Rounders Stages are Sit & Go Tournaments and are available 24/7, so you can enjoy some Wild Action at GoWild Poker.

To join any stage of the Heads-Up Rounders Tournaments please click on the Rounders folder from the Sit & Go section situated in the main Poker lobby.



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Tournaments Rules


  • At any level, any Player can buy-in for cash plus the entrance fee.
  • All tournaments begin promptly at the scheduled time stated in the Tournament Lobby.
  • Seats are assigned at random. Seat changes are not permitted.
  • The tournament ends when one Player accumulates all the chips in play.
  • If two or more Players are eliminated on the same hand, the Player with the most chips at the beginning of the hand is ranked higher. If Players started the hands with an identical amount of chips, both Players tie for that rank, and any prizes are divided equally between them.
  • Soft playing or chip dumping may result in disqualification from the tournament. Any unethical play may result in the termination of the offending Player’s account.
  • Prizes are awarded as stated on the Tournament Lobby.
  • Players and “railbirds” must use the chat feature in a courteous manner.
  • No cash awards are made from Satellite games. All prizes are deposited into a Player’s holding account and are used for buy-in’s at the next level.
  • By entering the Microgaming Poker Multi-Table Tournament Players agree that their real names, aliases and images can be used for promotional purposes.
  • Awarding of prizes is at the sole discretion of Microgaming Poker management, and any decisions taken by management in this regard are final.
  • Players may not sit out. Players who are not present are blinded off and their hands folded, until they have no more chips and are eliminated.
  • All Satellite games are multi-table no-limit Hold ’em freeze-outs, following standard Microgaming Poker rules. The number of entrants who win a seat at a next level or at a final, depends on the amount of the respective buy-in’s plus fees.
  • Microgaming Poker management reserves the right to deny entry to the Microgaming Poker Multi-Table Tournament and/or remove a Player or disqualify a Player from the Satellite. Any decisions taken by management in this regard are final.
  • Microgaming Poker management reserves the right to change the rules and/or structure of the Microgaming Poker Multi-Table Tournament at its’ sole discretion. Any decisions taken by management in this regard are final.
  • In case of disputes, Microgaming Poker management decisions are final.
  • Microgaming Poker does not allow tournament Players to make deals regarding the outcome of the tournament or the division of prizes. Players seen to be making deals in tournaments, or playing in a way consistent with having made a deal, may be disqualified from the tournament and/or have their accounts closed. All decisions taken by Microgaming Poker management in this regard are final.

Tournament Cancellation and Refund Rules


Single Table Tournaments

If a Single Table Tournament (STT) that is in progress is canceled, and it is not possible to pause it, postpone it by a few minutes, or re-schedule it for a later date, the following rules apply:
  • If all Players are still in the tournament when the tournament is canceled, all buy-in amounts and entrance fees are refunded to the Players' accounts.
  • If Players are eliminated from the tournament, but none of the remaining Players have reached the prize structure, the following applies:

- The remaining Players receive a portion of the prize pool from all eliminated Players only. The amount each Player receives is calculated proportionately, according to the chips a Player has at the time the tournament is canceled.

- If the split prize pool is less than the cost of the buy-in amount, all buy-in amounts and entrance fees are refunded to the Players' accounts.

  • If Players are eliminated from the tournament, and Players have reached the prize structure, the following applies:

- The remaining Players receive standard payouts according to chip standings.

Note: Players, who are eliminated before the tournament is canceled, receive a refund of all buy-in and entrance fees.

Sit and Go Tournaments

If a Sit and Go Tournament that is in progress is canceled, and it is not possible to pause it, postpone it by a few minutes, or re-schedule it for a later date, the following rules apply:

  • If all Players are still in the tournament when the tournament is canceled, all buy-in amounts and entrance fees are refunded to the Players' accounts.
  • If Players are eliminated from the tournament, but none of the remaining Players have reached the prize structure, the following applies:

- The remaining Players receive a portion of the prize pool from all eliminated Players only. The amount each Player receives is calculated proportionately, according to the chips the Player has at the time the tournament is canceled.

- If the split prize pool is less than the cost of the buy-in amount, all buy-in amounts and entrance fees are refunded to the Players' accounts.

  • If Players are eliminated from the tournament, and Players have reached the prize structure, the following applies:

- The remaining Players receive standard payouts according to chip standings.

Note: Players, who are eliminated before the tournament is canceled, do not receive refunds, or any part of the prize pool.

Multi-Table Tournaments If a Multi-Table Tournament (MTT) that is in progress is canceled, and it is not possible to pause it, postpone it by a few minutes, or re-schedule it for a later date, the following rules apply:

  • If all Players are still in the tournament when the tournament is canceled, all buy-in amounts and entrance fees are refunded to the Players' accounts.
  • If Players are eliminated from the tournament, but none of the remaining Players have reached the prize structure, the following applies:

- The remaining Players receive a portion of the prize pool from all eliminated Players only. The amount each Player receives is calculated proportionately, according to the chips a Player has at the time the tournament is canceled.

- If the split prize pool is less than the cost of the buy-in amount, including re-buy and add-on amounts, all buy-in, re-buy, add-on and entrance fees are refunded to the Players' accounts.

  • If Players are eliminated from the tournament, and Players have reached the prize structure, the following applies:

- The remaining Players receive standard payouts according to chip standings.

Note: Players, who are eliminated before the tournament is canceled, do not receive refunds, or any part of the prize pool.



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Blinds Structure



Level
Small Blind
Big Blind
Ante
1
$10
$20
$0
2
$15
$30
$0
3
$20
$40
$0
4
$35
$70
$0
5
$50
$100
$5
6
$75
$150
$10
7
$100
$200
$15
8
$150
$300
$20
9
$200
$400
$30
10
$300
$600
$45
11
$400
$800
$60
12
$500
$1,000
$75
13
$600
$1,200
$90
14
$800
$1,600
$110
15
$1,000
$2,000
$150
16
$1,500
$3,000
$225
17
$2,000
$4,000
$300
18
$3,000
$6,000
$450
19
$4,000
$8,000
$600
20
$5,000
$10,000
$750
21
$6,000
$12,000
$900
22
$8,000
$16,000
$1,200
23
$10,000
$20,000
$1,500
24
$12,000
$24,000
$1,800
25
$15,000
$30,000
$2,200
26
$20,000
$40,000
$3,000
27
$25,000
$50,000
$3,750
28
$30,000
$60,000
$4,500
29
$35,000
$70,000
$5,250
30
$40,000
$80,000
$6,000
31
$45,000
$90,000
$6,750
32
$50,000
$100,000
$7,500


  • All Guaranteed tournaments will have 15 minute blind levels, with at least $1,500 starting chips
  • All Non-guaranteed tournaments will have 12 minute blind levels with at least $1,000 starting chips


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Payout Structure



Finishing Place
Up to 30 Players
31-50 Players
51-150 Players
151-250 Players
251-350 Players
351-450 Players
1st
50%
40%
30%
30%
27.5%
25%
2nd
30%
24%
20%
19.5%
17.5%
16%
3rd
20%
16%
12.5%
12%
11.5%
11%
4th
12%
9.5%
8%
8%
8%
5th
8%
8%
6.5%
6%
6%
6th
6.5%
5%
4.5%
4.5%
7th
5%
3.5%
3.5%
3.5%
8th
4%
2.5%
2.5%
2.5%
9th
3%
1.75%
1.75%
1.75%
10th
1.5%
1.25%
1.25%
1.25%
11th to 20th
10%
9%
9%
21th to 30th
7%
7%
31th to 40th
4.5%
Total
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%




Finishing Place
451-550 Players
551-650 Players
651-850 Players
851-1000 Players
1001-1500 Players
1500 Players or more
1st
25%
25%
25%
25%
25%
23.5%
2nd
16%
15%
14.25%
14%
13.9%
13.5%
3rd
10.5%
10%
9.25%
9%
9%
8.7%
4th
7.5%
7%
6.5%
6.5%
6.5%
6.4%
5th
5.5%
5.5%
5.5%
5.4%
5.3%
5.1%
6th
4.5%
4.5%
4.4%
4.4%
4.3%
4%
7th
3.5%
3.5%
3.4%
3.4%
3.3%
3.1%
8th
2.5%
2.5%
2.4%
2.4%
2.3%
2.3%
9th
1.75%
1.7%
1.7%
1.7%
1.7%
1.7%
10th
1.25%
1.2%
1.2%
1.2%
1.2%
1.2%
11th to 20th
9%
8.8%
8.2%
8.3%
8%
7.7%
21th to 30th
6%
5.5%
5.5%
5.5%
5.5%
4.6%
31th to 40th
4%
4%
4.3%
4.1%
4%
3.6%
41th to 50th
3%
3.3%
3.4%
3.1%
3%
3%
51th to 60th
2.5%
2.8%
2.5%
2.5%
2.5%
61th to 70th
2.2%
2%
2%
2%
2%
71th to 80th
1.5%
1.5%
1.5%
81th to 100th
1%
2.6%
101th to 160th
3%
Total
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%






Create a Private Table

We're now giving all our players the exclusive opportunity to set up private poker tables and tournaments at GoWild Poker. Our Private tables feature will allow you to play with your friends in a private environment and create the virtual equivalent of a poker night in your own home.

You can also earn some extra cash on the side by setting up a Private Tournament and referring your friends to GoWild Poker. For every friend you refer to the GoWild Poker Room you can earn yourself $50, and your friends $25 each!

To qualify for these bonuses, each friend needs to open an account at GoWild Poker, make an initial deposit of $50 and take part in 350 Raked Hands. Just make sure that when your friend opens an account at GoWild Poker they include your Poker Alias when prompted - so you need to remind your friends of this in the Private Table email invitation.

Please read on for our easy, step by step guide on how to set up your private table:


Getting Started



Step 1...

  • Click on "My Account".
  • Scroll down and select the "Manage My Private Tables" link from the Menu.

Step 2...

  • Click on the "Create Table" button.

Step 3...

  • Select the type of game you want to play from the "Table Type" drop down menu. You can choose a Freeroll, a Cash Game, a Sit & Go Tournament or a Multi Table Tournament.
  • Then select the rules by which you would like to play from the "Game" drop down menu. You can choose from Texas Hold'em, Omaha High, Omaha High/Low, 7 Card Stud and 5 Card Stud. Please note that you can only play Texas Hold'em if you decide to create a Freeroll or Multi Table Tournament.
  • Select the limit that you desire from the "Limit" drop down menu. You have a choice of Fixed Limit, Pot Limit and No limit.
  • Select the number of players you want from the "Maximum number of players" option.
  • Finally choose the level you would like to play on (only available if you choose for Cash games).

To continue with this guide please select the type of game that you are wishing to set up for more information:



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Create private freerolls



Step 4...

  • With Private Freerolls, the game is set as Texas Hold'em but you can choose between Fixed Limit, Pot Limit and No Limit from the "Limit" drop down menu.
  • You then select the maximum number of players you require from the "Maximum number of players" menu. Please note that setting up the tournament for 50 players will cost you $10, for 100 it will cost you $15 and for 200 it will cost you $20.

Step 5...

  • The prizes for the Freeroll will be paid for by whoever sets up the tournament and the next page is there just to ensure that you are aware of this. If you are happy with this just tick the "I Agree" box and then select "Next".

Step 6...

  • Enter the prize amounts for your Freeroll. Please note that these amounts will be deducted from your account. In some circumstances GoWild Poker will help you fund these prizes

Step 7…

  • Next you need to give your private table a name and a password that your friends use to sit at the table and take part. Please make sure that the name of the table and the password are different.
  • Following this, set the time and date for your tournament to begin and enter a description if you so wish in the "Description to be displayed in the Tournament Lobby" field.
  • You can also select whether you want the Chat function hidden from public view

Step 8...

  • You are now presented with the confirmation screen, containing all the information you have selected throughout the set-up process. Once you are happy that all is in order select "Create" and the tournament will be set up in The GoWild Poker software.
  • Please note that you will receive an error message if you do not have sufficient funds to fuel the tournament.


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Create a Private Cash Game


Step 4...

  • As you've selected Cash Games, you can now select the type of poker you want to play from the "Game" drop down menu. You can choose from Texas Hold'em, Omaha High, Omaha High/Low, 7 Card Stud or 5 Card Stud. Following this you can select the number of players, ranging from 2 to 10 and the stake levels, ranging from $0.02/$0.04 to $80/$160.

Step 5...

  • Next you need to give your private table a name and a password that your friends use to sit at the table and take part. Please make sure that the name of the table and the password are different.
  • Following this set the time and date for your tournament to begin and enter a description if you so wish in the "Description to be displayed in the Tournament Lobby" field.
  • You can also select whether you want the Chat function hidden from public view.

Step 6...

  • Now just check your table's details and press "Create" to set it up in the GoWild Poker software.


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Create Private Sit & Go Tournaments



Step 4...

  • With Private Multi Table Tournaments, the game is set as Texas Hold'em but you can choose the between Fixed Limit, Pot Limit and No Limit from the "Limit" drop down menu. In addition, please select the number of players you want from the "Maximum number of players" drop down menu.

Step 5...

  • Select you Buy-in for the tournament, ranging from $2 + $0.20 to $80 + $8 along with the prize money structure you wish to use. The options range from winner takes all; winner takes 70% of the pot and the runner up gets 30% or finally 50% for the winner, 30% for the runner up and 20% for third place.

Step 6...

  • Next you need to give your private table a name and a password that your friends use to sit at the table and take part. Please make sure that the name of the table and the password are different.
  • You can also select whether you want the Chat function hidden from public view.

Step 7...

  • Now just check your table's details and press "Create" to set it up in the GoWild Poker software.


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Create a Private Multi Table Tournament



Step 4...

  • With Private Multi Table Tournaments, the game is set as Texas Hold'em but you can choose the between Fixed Limit, Pot Limit and No Limit from the "Limit" drop down menu. In addition, please select the number of players you want from the "Maximum number of players" drop down menu.

Step 5...

  • Select your Buy-in for the tournament ranging from $1 + $0.10 to $80 + $8.

Step 6...

  • Next you need to give your tournament a name and a password that your friends use to sit at the table and take part. Please make sure that the name of the table and the password are different.
  • Following this, set the time and date for your tournament to begin and enter a description if you so wish in the "Description to be displayed in the Tournament Lobby" field.
  • You can also select whether you want the Chat function hidden from public view.


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Confirming Your Private Table



Having set up your Private Table at GoWild Poker, you will see this screen...

When you click the "Show" button, the State of your game will change from Hidden to Visible, and you will see it in the GoWild Poker software lobby. Cash games are available for play immediately, Sit & Goes will start when the table is full and Freerolls and Multi-Table Tournaments will begin at whatever time you set them to start.

So that you can let your friends know about your private table, you can send them an email. Just select the "Send email Invitations" option and you will be presented with the following screen...



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