What Is a Multi-Table Tournament (MTT)? A Beginner's Guide

A multi-table tournament (MTT) is the format most people picture when they think of poker: a large field of players all starting with equal chips, competing until one player holds every chip in play. The winner takes a large portion of the prize pool. Everyone else either cashes or leaves empty-handed.

How an MTT Starts

Every player registers and receives an identical starting stack, for example 10,000 chips. Players are seated randomly across multiple tables. As players bust out, tables are consolidated until one final table of typically eight or nine players remains.

Blind Levels and Antes

The blinds increase on a set schedule called the blind structure. Early levels give deep-stacked play. Later levels create pressure as the blinds grow relative to stack sizes.

A typical structure:

Level	Small Blind	Big Blind
1	25	50
2	50	100
3	100	200
5	200	400
8	500	1,000

Antes are additional forced bets posted by every player each hand. Antes bloat the pot, encourage action, and are common in later levels. Some tournaments use them from the start.

Tournament Formats

Freezeout

The standard format. Register once. If you lose all your chips, you are eliminated. No second chances.

Re-Entry

You may re-register for a new starting stack if you bust during a defined re-entry period. Common in larger events.

Add-on

You can buy more chips at a certain time period of the tournament.

Bounty (Knockout)

A portion of each player's buy-in is placed on their head as a bounty. Eliminate a player and you collect their bounty in cash immediately, plus their chips in the tournament.

Satellite

A tournament where the prizes are seats into a larger event rather than money. Satellites are how many players qualify for major events at a fraction of the cost.

The Payout Structure

Only a portion of the field cashes, typically the top 10 to 15%. Payouts are heavily weighted toward the top spots.

Finish	Example payout (1,000 players, $100 buy-in)
1st	~$20,000
2nd	~$12,000
3rd	~$8,000
10th	~$1,600
150th (min cash)	~$1800

The jump from just missing the money to the minimum cash is meaningful. The jump from minimum cash to final table is enormous. This payout shape drives ICM strategy.

Stack Size and Stages

Your strategy changes based on your stack relative to the big blind.

Stack (BBs)	Situation
50+	Deep-stacked; play a wide range of hands
20 to 50	Medium stack; raise-fold and preflop polarization strategy
10 to 20	Short stack; shove-or-fold begins
Under 10	Shove any reasonable hand from the right spot

What Makes MTTs Different from Cash Games

Rising blinds compress your stack over time. Inaction is never free.
ICM pressure changes what calls and shoves are correct near the bubble and final table.
One bad hand can eliminate you. You cannot reload.

Read the Cash Games vs Tournaments guide for a full comparison, and use the ICM calculator to see how stack sizes translate into real-money equity at final tables.