Play Poker

Tournaments

At Molten Poker, a wide variety of games and tournament formats are available to you 24 hours a day. Besides being able to have a great All-round poker experience in a fun and exciting way, tournaments can also be a good and powerful route to fattening your bankroll, with a great return on a minimal investment. On the Contrary to live ring games, the maximum amount of money a person can lose or risk is the buy-in for that specific tournament as all players begin with the same amount of chips and play until all the chips has been won by one player. Do note that tournament chips have no cash value whatsoever.

Tournaments will be available for all the poker games offered at Molten Poker.

A variety of Freezeout, Re-buy and shoot-out formats are available for our Multi-table, Sit & Go and Heads-up tournaments. Satellite tournaments to big events such as the WSOP and freerolls that cost nothing to enter make playing at Molten Poker more exciting than ever! For detailed information and rules for each tournament, please check out the following links.

Tournaments Types and Features

Multi-table
Sit & Go
Heads Up
Re-buy & Add-on Tournament
Freeze-out
Shootout
Satellites
Satellites Freeroll
SatellitesTournament Rules
SatellitesTournament Glossary
Guaranteed Tournaments

Multi-table

A multi-table tournament refers to a tournament, where more than one table is needed to accommodate the number of registered players. During the tournament, whenever players are eliminated, other players will be randomly moved from a table to another. This is needed to maintain the balance, as much as possible, of the number of players at each table. In order to be fair to all players, Molten Poker will try to move players in relative to their position with the dealer button. But due to certain circumstances, a player may end up having to move from a blind position to another blind position.

Sit & Go

Events without any scheduled start time are known as Sit & Go tournaments. Upon reaching the required number of registered players, the event will begin and each participant will be notified that the tournament will be starting soon. For example, as soon as there are ten registered players, a table of No Limit Texas Hold'em Sit & Go will start.

Heads-up

Heads-up refers to a contest between 2 players only. A good way of improving your game will be joining the Heads-up Shoot-out tournaments as you will only be facing one opponent most of the time to win any tournament. Rules are basically the same as Heads-up play. The only exception being the player with the "dealer" button will post the small blind and act first, pre-flop and last for the remainder of the hand. Player posting the big blind will be dealt first.

Re-buy & Add-on Tournament

Tournaments that allow players to Re-buy and/or add-on additional chips during the games are known as Re-buy & Add-on tournaments. These tournaments will have a pre-determined Re-buy period, usually from the start of the tournament up till the end of the first break. Depending on the rules of the tournament, each player will be allowed to a fixed or unlimited number of Re-buys during the Re-buy period.

A Re-buy is only permitted when a player's chip count is equal to or less than the initial amount of chips at the start of the tournament. For example, all players start out with 1000 chips and during the Re-buy period, a player can only purchase a Re-buy when his chip count is equal to or less than 1000 chips. If a player loses all of his chips during the Re-buy period, he can still remain active in the tournament by simply purchasing a Re-buy. The cost of a Re-buy is usually the cost of the original buy-in and the number of chips provided will be the same. Check the tournament rules and information for more details before joining any tournament.

With a Double Re-buy, players will be able to purchase two Re-buys in a single transaction. Players will get twice the number of chips and the cost will also be twice of a single Re-buy. For example, a single Re-buy of $3 will provide the player with 1000 chips. With a Double Re-buy, the player will need to pay $6 and get 2000 chips. The option to purchase a Double Re-buy will only be offered to a player when their chip count is zero.

In a Re-buy & Add-on tournament, an Add-on option will be available during the first five minutes break. Players who are still active will be able to purchase an Add-on of additional chips, regardless of the number of chips they have at that time. Generally, the cost of an Add-on is the same as the original buy-in. The number of chips provided with an Add-on will be the same or slightly more than the original buy-in. Check the tournament information for details.

Re-buys and Add-ons can be purchased by clicking on their respective buttons located at the Dealer chip tray or by clicking on the Dealer chip tray itself and then clicking the Add Chips button. There is no additional fee paid by the player when Re-buys and Add-ons are purchased which means that all Re-buys and Add-ons are added to the tournament prize pool. The total prize pool and the payout structure will not be finalized until both the Re-buy and Add-on periods have closed.

Complete tournament details can be found by opening the Tournament Lobby and clicking the Tournament Information button.

Freeze-out

In a Freeze-out tournament, players make a single Buy-in and will be eliminated from the tournament should they lose all their chips. Tables will be combined as players are eliminated until there is a final table. The last remaining player with all the chips would of course be the winner.

Shoot-out

A Shoot-out tournament consists of a limited number of players competing on different tables. For Round 1, all players will compete at different tables until there is only one player left at each table. For Round 2, winners from Round 1 will be gathered to compete against one another until there is only one player left with all the chips. A Shoot-out tournament can vary between two (Heads-up) to ten players on each table competing in 1 or more rounds. The number of players per table and round varies between tournaments. More detailed information can be found in the Tournament Lobby.

Satellites

Satellite tournaments are events where the prizes would be entries into other larger tournaments. In some cases, the prize of a satellite can be the entry into another satellite. When all players have won or qualified for their prizes, the satellite tournaments will end.

Freeroll

Freerolls offered by Molten Poker are tournaments with no required buy-in, registration fees, risks or conditions. To give back to our players, these true freerolls are offered regularly at Molten Poker so do check back often for more promotions.

Tournament Rules

  1. All tournaments will be accessed via the tournament lobby.
  2. All the features, details and prizes of each tournament will be posted in the tournament lobby.
  3. All tournaments will begin promptly at the scheduled time stated in the Tournament Lobby.
  4. Tournament seats are available on a first come first serve basis. All players are seated randomly at the beginning of all tournaments. The tournament starts with the "dealer button" positioned at seat 1 (Hold'em & Omaha). Players cannot change seats during a tournament. A player will change seat only when moved from a table to another table during a multi-table tournament.
  5. The tournament is played until one player accumulates all the chips in play. Players may not acquire additional chips beyond the original Buy-in unless there are Re-buys and Add-ons. When a player loses all their chips they are declared out of the tournament and finish in the order they were eliminated. If the tournament is a satellite event, the tournament will end when all players have qualified for the target event regardless of the chip count.
  6. If more than one player is eliminated in a hand, the player with more chips at the beginning of the hand is placed higher. In an instance where 2 players started the hands with an identical chip count, both players tie for that rank, and any prizes due to those players will be equally distributed between them.
  7. If there is a split pot, not equally divisible by the number of players in the hand, the extra chip(s) will be awarded to the player closest to the left of the "button".
  8. In Texas Hold'em or Omaha poker tournaments when the small or big blind is eliminated from a tourney, the blinds must be slightly re-positioned to account for the eliminated player. The rules pertaining to this event are referred to as the Dead Button rule. Molten Poker uses this format to be fair and to ensure that all players post their appropriate blinds without giving any advantage to one player over another. Due to this randomness, all players will have an equal opportunity to benefit from this scenario. When two players remain or in a Heads-up tournament, the button will post the small blind, and act first on the opening round.
  9. Disconnects:
    • The Internet makes playing poker online possible, but it can also cause issues. A player accepts the risk of Internet disconnection (please see disconnect policy for full details), due to the problems with the connection between their computer and the servers. Other issues, including a connection slowdown or some other problem in the player's computer may also arise. Molten Poker does not accept any responsibility for a player disconnect except in the case of a Molten Poker server interruption.
    • While each user is responsible for his or her own Internet connection, Molten Poker makes every effort to protect players who are disconnected during the final stages of a tournament, by allowing Extra Time to reconnect.
    • If a player times out during a hand, whether connected or disconnected, his or her hand will be folded unless the check option is available to them, at which point the player will auto check.
    • if a player is not connected before a hand starts, he or she will be dealt cards, and a blind and/or antes will be posted automatically. Players can choose to sit out on their own, there is no penalty.
  10. Poker is a game of integrity and etiquette. Each player should play with the same intensity against all other players. Unethical play, such as soft-play and chip dumping, may result in penalties, including seizure of funds from the offender's account and/or forfeiture of any prizes and/or termination of the account.
  11. Each betting round consists of a bet and up to three raises. There is no raise cap in pot-limit and no-limit tournaments.
  12. Level Structure: To ensure tournaments are completed within a reasonable amount of time, the blinds/antes increase during a tournament. When such increase takes place it is called a level. The level structure for a tournament can be found in the tournament lobby.
  13. There will be a 5 minute break every hour in a standard multi-table tournament. There are no breaks during single-table tournaments.
  14. Molten Poker will not assist in any deals among players during tournaments. Tournaments will continue until there is one declared winner, unless it is a satellite event, and the payoffs will be exactly according to the prize payout structure.
  15. Extra time: Each player is given Extra Time, beside the normal time, to make a decision during a tournament. That Extra Time is limited and displays as a clock when activated. It decreases as it is being used and stops once a player acts. Extra Time will automatically be activated if a player has an active connection to the game, has money in the pot and does not act in time.
  16. As players are eliminated from the tournament, the software will balance tables in an attempt to ensure that all tables have an equal number of active players. The balancing of tables is done randomly and, although rare, may result in a player having to post several big blinds in a row. When 10 players remain in a Hold'em or Omaha tournament or eight players remain in a Seven Card Stud tournament, all players are brought together at the "final table".
  17. In the event of a server crash, the hands in progress at every table will be restored by rolling back these hands. Each player's chip count will be reset to the amount at the beginning of the hand. In special circumstances, when a tournament needs to be cancelled because of a crash or some other reason, players will be compensated according to Molten Poker's tournament cancellation policy.
  18. Molten Poker reserves the right to cancel or reschedule tournaments at any time, for any reason, with or without notice.
  19. Tournament registrations must meet minimum requirements for that event or the tournament will be cancelled.
  20. The prize pool payouts for all poker tournaments will adhere to the Molten Poker payout schedule.
  21. Players, whether in the hand or not, may not discuss the hands until the action is complete. Players are obligated to protect the other players in the tournament at all times. Discussing cards discarded or hand possibilities are not allowed. A penalty may be given for discussion of hands during the play.
  22. Late Registration: Registration will terminate if all tables allocated at the time of seating are full, or once the first player is eliminated. Late registration is usually available for 10 minutes after the tournament start.
  23. Unregistration: In most tournaments a player can unregister until ten minutes prior to the start of the event. Players who have won their seats through a satellite cannot unregister unless otherwise informed.
  24. Any player found to be playing multiple accounts during any tournament will have their account closed and will forfeit any winnings that are found to be a result of these actions.
  25. In the final stages of a tournament the prize money can jump significantly with each player eliminated. In these instances where there is more than one table remaining the tournament may be played "hand-for-hand". This means that if one table finishes its hand before the other table(s), that table waits for the other table(s) to finish before the next hand is dealt. During this hand-for-hand period, all bustouts during a "synchronized" hand (even at different tables) are treated as having happened on the same hand and chip stacks will be compared as in rule 7 above to determine the finishing order.
  26. Molten Poker management decision will be final in all cases of disputes.

Tournament Glossary


Add-on

A player has the option to purchase an "Add-on" as the last opportunity to buy additional chips, in a bid to better his chances in a Re-buy & Add-on tournament. The Add-on is available for a limited period of time to players after the Re-buy period is over. The amount and time restriction can be found in the tournament lobby.

Buy-in

The registration cost for a poker tournament is referred to as a "Buy-in". The "Buy-in" is the amount each player must invest to enter a tournament. The Buy-in amount for each tournament can be found in the tournament lobby. Total Buy-ins from all registered players creates the total prize pool for that tournament. Players are allowed to unregister for a tournament up to a deadline found in the tournament lobby.

Fee

The amount paid by a player to the site/host/organiser to participate in a tournament.

Hand-For-Hand

"Hand-for-Hand" usually occurs in the later stages of a tournament where each position represents a substantial difference in prizes and more than one table remains. Each table will play a hand at the same time until a player is eliminated. Table(s) will have to wait for all hands from other table(s) to be completed before moving on to the next hand. Such play may happen more than once in the same tournament. In the event where two or more players are eliminated from a different table during the "Hand-for-Hand" play, they will be considered as eliminated in the same hand, regardless of whoever finished earlier. In determining the finishing order, chip stacks will be compared.

Heads-up

When a contest is between 2 players only, it is referred to as "Heads-up". Heads-up Shoot-out tournaments are a good way to improve your winning game, as you will end up facing one opponent most of the time to win any tournament. The rules are the same with "Heads-up" play with the exception that the player with the "dealer button" posts the small blind and will act first pre-flop then last for the remainder of the hand. The player who posts the big blind is dealt first.

In the Money

"In the Money" refers to a player who is qualified to receive a prize in a tournament. When a player is "In the Money", it means that the player will at least win the minimum prize available for that tournament.

Prizes

The number of registered players for a tournament will determine the total prize pool and the number of players being paid as all monies received from all the buy-ins account for the prize pool for that tournament. The higher the number of registered players, the larger the prize pool will be and more players will receive prizes. Details on the number of players, prize pool and prize distribution can be accessed from the tournament lobby.

Re-buy

When a player qualifies to purchase another "Buy-in" during a tournament, it is called a "Re-buy". A Re-buy allows for a player to continue competing in a tournament. Re-buys are available in a Re-buy & Add-on tournament only. The number of Re-buys, time restriction, amount and conditions for Re-buys can be found in the tournament lobby.

Round

Round is a term used in Shoot-out tournaments, much like individual Freezeout tournament. Rounds will have their own level structure. After a round, the winner from each table will advance to the next round.