Phased tournaments: What they are, how they work, and strategy advice
Phased tournaments are common both live and online. Here's an explainer of what they are, how they work, and why they're popular.
Table of Contents
Phased tournaments are a popular and evolving format in the poker world, offering players a unique blend of flexibility (particularly online), value, and strategic depth.
If you’ve ever seen a Day 1A, Day 1B, or Day 1C in a major tournament, or a Phase 1 / Phase 2 in an online event, then you’ve already witnessed a phased structure in action. But what exactly are they, and why are more players choosing to play them?
In this article, you’ll learn:
- What phased tournaments are and how they work
- How they give players more scheduling flexibility
- Why they often come with larger prize pools
- Key strategic tips from poker pro Dara O’Kearney
- How to exploit common player mistakes during “pseudo bubbles”
Let’s break down why phased tournaments might be your new favorite format.
What are Phased tournaments?
Phased tournaments are ones in which some number of levels at the beginning of the tournament are played non-concurrently from the end of the tournament, for different groups of players.
Players can choose from different starting phases that begin at different times. Each starting phase will play the same amount of time, and then all remaining players will later combine in a single, larger tournament.
These events allow the schedule flexibility normally associated with smaller-field tournaments, while still enjoying the large prize pools associated with larger-field tournaments.
Chip counts at the end of Phase 1 will be carried over into the next round.
Most of the high-profile tournaments seen on TV are essentially Phased tournaments, with the entry phases usually referred to as Day 1A, Day 1B, Day 1C, etc.
For example, a tournament might have Phase 1 on Friday at 12:00, another Phase 1 on Saturday at 12:00, and then conclude with a Phase 2 tournament on Sunday at 12:00. Entrants would play for a specified number of levels (or until elimination) on Friday and/or Saturday, and all players that survive would combine to finish the tournament at 12:00 on Sunday.
HOW PHASED TOURNAMENTS WORK
When you enter a Phased tournament, you must ensure that you will be available to play in the future phases, as you cannot unregister from Phase 2 (or beyond) in Phased tournaments.
Phased tournaments allow for multiple entries into the first phases. For example, if you play Phase 1 and are eliminated, you may enter another Phase 1 and start again at the beginning. You cannot qualify for the next round more than once, so if you survive Phase 1, you will then be unable to enter another Phase 1 leading to the same Phase 2.
Note that if you survive Phase 1 with even one chip, you will still advance to Phase 2, and will not be able to play another Phase 1.
Click here to read more about Phased tournaments.
HOW DO PHASED TOURNAMENTS BENEFIT PLAYERS?
The biggest advantage of phased tournaments for players is the increased flexibility offered. Phased tournaments give you multiple opportunities to qualify for Day 2, often spread out over different days and times. This is especially helpful to recreational players who may not be able to commit to an entire multi-day event all at once.
Phased tournaments, like the Phased Sunday Million editions, give you the freedom to choose a starting flight that suits your schedule. Plus, you can take multiple shots at getting through if it doesn’t go your way.
Another perk of phased tournaments is that you’re often in the money once you make it through the starting flight. This isn’t always the case – in live events and regular multi-day online events, the bubble will typically burst on Day 2. But in Phased Sunday Million events, if you end the starting flight with chips, then you’re guaranteed a payday when Day 2 rolls around, without you needing to advance in the tournament any further.
Phased tournaments also tend to have larger prize pools due to a greater number of entries collected across multiple flights. This not only makes the tournament more exciting for players, but also offers great value.
PHASED TOURNAMENT STRATEGY (BY DARA O’KEARNEY)
Dara O’Kearney gives you his strategy tips for phased tournaments
For strategy advice, we turned to one of poker’s most respected authors.
Dara O’Kearney is an Irish poker pro, author, and co-host of the award-winning podcast The Chip Race. He’s won over $1 million in satellite winnings alone, and twice topped the PokerStars UKIPT satellite leaderboard.
While phased tournaments aren’t satellites in a traditional sense, there are similar elements of survival tactics, and players ensuring they make it through, so we’re thrilled that O’Kearney took the time to share his insights.Â
Over to you, Dara.
DARA O’KEARNEY: The interesting thing about phased tournaments is that they seem like a hybrid of a satellite and a regular multi-table tournament (MTT), but when you boil them down, they are just a regular multi-table tournament.
Strategically, they should be treated like a regular MTT because in both the Phase 1 and the official tournament (Day/Phase 2), the aim of the game is to build the biggest stack possible and give yourself a shot at the final table. So, making a tight fold at the end of the Phase 1 will technically get you to Phase 2, but you have passed up a shot at building a big stack. Therefore, the “correct” strategy should always be one that gives you a better chance to win the entire tournament, even if that means risking elimination before Phase 2 begins.
However, there are still some important satellite considerations…
PSEUDO BUBBLES
First and foremost, if you are a recreational player and have built a respectable stack near the end of the Phase 1, and it is your dream to play in the official event, perhaps a cost-benefit analysis would correctly lead you to make tight folds near the end of the day. The dream of satellites is that they get you to play in these major events for a fraction of the cost, and if the sheer fact of being there is more important than anything else, perhaps you can slow down near the end of the day.
The second consideration is that while it is technically correct to continue trying to build your stack right up until the end of Phase 1, not everyone at your table will realise this. There will be a pseudo bubble taking place in the final few levels of the Phase that can be exploited (this also happens towards the end of the day in regular MTTs where recreationals in particular can get emotionally invested in making the next day and going to bed with the nice feeling that they are still alive in the tournament, causing them to play tighter than is optimal).
So, an adjustment that can be made here is being more aggressive, especially against the players with a respectable stack for Phase 2. While this is a relatively new poker format, this is not a new phenomenon. The World Series of Poker Main Event, for example, often sees the field tighten up at the end of the Day 1 flights because it is a badge of honour for many to make it to Day 2, even though that does not guarantee any money. These are essentially pseudo bubbles, or emotional bubbles.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR OPPONENTS
Conversely, some players will play the latter stages more aggressively than normal because they don’t want the hassle of coming back to a short stack. This can either be for emotional reasons, or sound financial ones if there’s a time and monetary cost to playing the next day.
O’Kearney suggests you apply pressure to those desperate to make Phase 2
You’ll see more Phase 2 “no shows” in these tournaments than in any other format, as players who get through the Phase 1 forget about it.
So, the correct strategy in phased tournaments is to treat them like regular MTTs, but be aware that towards the end of them, many of the players will be treating them like a super satellite. You can adjust accordingly by identifying the players wanting only to survive and exploiting them, while other players will be gambling it up, not wanting to come back short.
A big part of your edge in these events is working out which players at your table are tightening up, and which ones are gambling it up.
FURTHER READING
Phased Sunday Million
Here you’ll find all you need to know about the Phased Sunday Million events on PokerStars.
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