Guide to Tournaments at Australian Online Casinos

Table Of Contents

• What Are Casino Tournaments?
• Free Casino Tournaments
• Tournaments With Buy-Ins
• Tips For Playing Casino Tournaments
• FAQs

Free Online Casino Tournaments

The majority of casino tournaments are free. They don’t require a direct buy-in or qualifying deposit for you to participate. You either ‘opt-in’ to the tournament or just start playing the eligible games to compete automatically.

However, the term ‘free’ is used rather loosely in this sense since you must generally play with real money to rank on the leaderboard.

Why Online Casinos Run Free Tournaments

Online casinos run tournaments to keep players engaged and offer an exciting alternative to regular gameplay.

Here are a few other reasons a casino may decide to run tourneys:

• Tournaments require you to play with real money. And since players are competing for coveted spots on the leaderboard, they’ll push each other to spend more money.
• Casinos need to stay competitive to retain their share of the market. As soon as one brand offers regular tournaments, it’s likely others will follow suit.
• Some tournaments promote a new pokie game that the provider has just released.

Types of Free Casino Tournaments

Most casino tournaments apply to pokies and casinos use different game mechanisms to set the tournament objective.

Consequently, there are a few different types of tournaments you’ll often come across:

Wager Races

Wager races are the most common casino tournaments due to their simplicity. The players who bet the most on qualifying games within a designated period will earn the most leaderboard points.

This tournament concentrates on the volume and size of your bets, rather than the outcome of your spins. This means high-rollers or VIPs are at a distinct advantage, making it very tricky to compete if you’re playing at a more casual level. 

Biggest Net Win

Net win tournaments focus on the overall profit you rake in during the tournament’s validity period. Your total winnings are calculated with any subtracted losses, and the difference is used to determine your points tally.

Example: You wager $50 on the featured pokie over the qualifying period. You end up losing $5, resulting in a net win of $45, which translates into 45 leaderboard points.

Stake Vs Win

To create a more level playing field, some tournaments are based on a ‘stake vs win’ system. You’ll receive points based on the spin’s outcome regardless of your bet level.

Here’s an example:

1. Player 1 bets $0.10 and wins $5. This 50x multiplier win results in 50 leaderboard points.
2. Player 2 bets $3 and wins $12. This 4x multiplier win results in 4 leaderboard points.

Despite Player 2 placing a higher bet and winning a higher amount, they haven’t come close to the points Player 1 has achieved.

Stake vs win tournaments may be calculated on either your highest single multiplier win, or the cumulative total of your multiplier wins across the promotion period.

Most Consecutive Wins or Losses

Some tournaments are based on you hitting a winning streak in a particular game. For example, win five times in a row and you’ll receive 5 points, win six times in a row for 6 points, and so on.

Note that in most pokies, a win is counted as a return that is higher than your stake. Should you bet $1 but only get back $0.50, it isn’t counted as a ‘win’ for the purpose of the tournament.

You may also come across ‘losing streak’ tournaments that soften the blow if you encounter a run of bad luck. Lose for a consecutive run of spins, and you’ll receive points towards the leaderboard.

Triggering Bonus Features

You accumulate leaderboard points when unlocking one of the game’s bonus rounds. This is usually achieved by landing three or more bonus ‘Scatter’ symbols on the reels.

In some tournaments, you may need to activate the bonus feature across multiple pokies to qualify for a leaderboard prize.

Cash Drops

A cash drop promotion doesn’t require you to compete against other players on a leaderboard. Instead, prizes are randomly awarded when you play the relevant game during the promotion period.

Some cash drops are offered daily, or even hourly, leading to a large number of prizes being awarded over a short period. However, to qualify for a prize, you will need to play at a minimum bet level using real money. 

Top Tip

Look Out For Network Tournaments

Some tournaments are hosted by a software provider such as Pragmatic Play or Red Tiger. Such tourneys are shared across multiple casinos where you compete against players from all these brands at the same time.

Network tournaments can offer humongous prize pools, making it worthwhile for casinos to include the tournament onsite. In return, this increases activity on specific games that the provider wishes to promote.  

How Online Casino Tournaments Are Displayed

Here’s an example of how a tournament may be advertised at an online casino:

This particular tournament was hosted by provider Wazdan over Halloween and offered an incredible $1,500,000 prize pool. It operated on a ‘cash drop’ mechanic, where the 5,000 winning players received their prize at random just for playing one of the 19 eligible games!

Tips For Playing Online Casino Tournaments

Before participating in a casino tournament, you must read and understand its terms.

If you don’t fully understand what is required, you may inadvertently:

• Place ineligible bets that don’t contribute to the leaderboard.
• Waste your money trying to win a prize that’s unattainable.
• Spend far more than the potential rewards on offer.

Let’s look at some expert tips that’ll boost your winning chances and help you make the most of your tournament experience.

1. Check The Expiry Date

Look for the validity time and tournament date. Expired tournaments are usually removed from the casino’s website, but always check to make sure.

Moreover, you don’t want to enter a tournament too late. If a tourney is already running, securing a winning position on the leaderboard may be an uphill task.

2. Note Future Tournaments

Australian casinos often advertise their tournaments in advance. Check the casino’s main promotions page to see when an upcoming tournament is starting to ensure you join right from the start.

This is especially important when you’re competing in wager races against other players from different casinos.

3. Check The Minimum Bet Size

Some tournaments require you to play with a minimum bet size. If you place smaller bets, your spins won’t earn you points that rank you on the leaderboard.

However, you must see if you can afford to place bets that meet the minimum bet size before joining a tournament. If you don’t have a big enough bankroll, you won’t have a chance of making it onto the leaderboard in the first place.

Moreover,  you can easily lose track of your spending in this scenario – check our responsible gaming page for tips on how to track your spending and ensure you always gamble safely.

4. Check The Prize Pool

The prize pool will differ depending on the tournament. Some tourneys provide large rewards to the top five participants, whilst others spread the prize pot more evenly among the top 50 or 100 players.

However,  tourneys that award lots of players may pay out a relatively small prize to the low-ranking positions. Therefore, you should see if it’s worth betting a large amount if the potential reward won’t even cover your initial spend.

5. Check The Tournament Mechanics

If you’re looking to play tournaments on a more casual basis, it’s arguably not worth playing wager races. You may quickly run out of cash if you try to go up against high rollers with massive bankrolls.

Stake vs win races give you a much better chance of ranking on the leaderboard as it only takes one lucky spin to achieve a winning score, regardless of your stake.

6. How Is The Leaderboard Updated?

Most casino leaderboards are dynamically updated, meaning the positions are revised in real time. This means you’ll see your current ranking as you’re playing, and hence, you can adjust your gameplay as needed.

However, some leaderboards are updated manually by the casino team – sometimes a day or more after the tournament ends – meaning you won’t be aware of your current position.

Playing ‘in the dark’ may cause you to make poor betting decisions in pursuit of a prize that’s already out of reach. Therefore, you should prioritise tournaments with dynamic leaderboards that are instantly updated.

7. Does Bonus Money Count?

Bets made with bonus money rarely count towards the leaderboard, but it’s always worth checking the T&Cs. If bonus money does count, it’s definitely worth wagering your bonus funds on the eligible tournament games.

If bonus cash does qualify, you can claim a big bonus via our deposit match page. And if you’re looking to enter a buy-in tournament, you may as well claim one of these deals to maximise your deposit.

8. Does Tournament Play Count Towards Loyalty Points?

A fair number of Aussie casinos have loyalty systems that reward regular gameplay. So, whilst participating in a tournament, you may simultaneously be climbing the casino’s loyalty ladder to unlock better rewards.

See our guide to casino loyalty programs to learn about how casinos reward loyal players and the types of rewards you can get.