5 Things Every Hold’em Newcomer Should Know About MTTs

Multi-table tournaments (MTTs) always bring the excitement, but during major tournament series like SCOOP, they become something else entirely.

SCOOP 2026 is running from March 1 and concluding on March 25. There are 400 tournaments across 136 events on the recently released schedule, which adds up to guarantees of over $45 million in prizes.

Huge guarantees. Massive fields. Multiple buy-in tiers. Satellites running around the clock.

For many players, a big series is the moment they take their first real shot at tournament poker. Some qualify through satellites. Others jump into lower buy-ins to be part of the action. If you’re new to MTTs – or new to playing them during a major series – this guide outlines five essential things every newcomer needs to know as they embark on their journey into MTTs.

All MTTs are different

Many beginners think that all tournaments play the same way, but the truth is that they don’t.

MTTs vary in many different things such as:

• Buy-in level
• Blind structure (turbo, regular, deep)
• Format (freezeout, re-entry, bounty, mystery bounty etc.)
• Field size
• Prize pool distribution

During a big series like SCOOP or WCOOP, you’ll find the same event offered in multiple tiers: Low, Medium and High buy-ins. This allows players with different bankroll levels to participate in similar formats.

For example, on an online poker platform you might find an MTT that costs $11 to enter, has unlimited entries and a fast, 3-minute blind structure that forces the action. Or you might stumble upon an MTT that costs $55, that has a slow structure and is PKO format. These encourage players to compete for bounties as well as overall payouts.

When it comes to MTTs there’s really something for everyone. It’s important to choose tournaments that suit your bankroll and your current skill level. You shouldn’t FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) into something you can’t afford, just because it’s part of a major series.

Comfort and sustainability beat excitement every time.

MTTs take a while

Another big consideration when playing tournaments is the amount of time they will take. Usually, an MTT will take several hours from start to finish. Bigger events can run for 10 hours or more, or even for multiple days.

As a newcomer, you should be aware of how much time a given tournament is likely to take and make sure that you can commit to it. There’s no point playing a game if you won’t be able to finish it.

During series like SCOOP, it’s easy to get lost in the schedule, because the guarantees are huge and every event looks exciting. It might be tempting to register and play multiple events at once. If you’re a new player you shouldn’t split your focus.

Long sessions also require mental stamina. Get enough sleep before your session. Drink enough water. Always use the short 5-minutes breaks during scheduled intervals. Try to avoid unnecessary distractions (for example, scrolling on your phone when you are not involved in a hand). Pay attention to your opponents and make notes on them. Fatigue leads to mistakes, and tournament poker punishes mistakes more than most formats.

The fact that MTTs take a while also means that you’ll need to keep up your focus and concentration for several hours. You’ll improve with practice, but for now just be physically and mentally prepared for long sessions.

If you’d rather play for four hours than eight hours, stick to turbo or even hyper turbo MTTs. If you want to settle in for the long haul, pick tournaments with a generous blind structure and deep stacks.

MTTs have different stages

Effectively, tournament poker is a race against the blinds. During any poker tournament, the blinds will continually rise and reduce the effective stack sizes of players. This means that if you never win a pot, your stack will eventually disappear.

As blinds rise and antes come into play, the effective stack sizes shrink. This creates several fairly distinct phases in a tournament:

• Early – In the early phases of an MTT, blinds are low and stacks tend to be deep. This allows for plenty of postflop action. From a strategic perspective, it’s a good time to play for value against weak players who are still in the field. During the early levels of big tournaments (especially during major series events), you’ll meet a mix of experienced grinders and recreational players taking shots. Patience is extremely important at this stage, focusing on maximizing value will be rewarded more rather than reckless aggression.

• Middle – During the middle stages of an MTT, blinds start to get quite high relative to stacks. Antes usually come into play, which puts more chips in the middle and gives players even more reason to steal and raise pots preflop. It’s time to ramp up the aggression.

• Bubble – The bubble is the point in the tournament in which only a few more players need to bust before everyone else makes the money. It’s usually characterised by exceptionally tight play from small and medium stacks, who have a vested interest in making the money. Bigger stacks can exploit the situation and gain even more chips. The pressure during the bubble can be more intense in large-field events, because many players are chasing their first major cash.

• Late – The late stages of an MTT occur once the bubble has burst and action moves towards the final table, where the serious money can be won. The blinds will now be high, making pots very valuable yet adding pressure to shorter and medium stack players. ICM (Independent Chip Model), mentioned below, also comes into play.

The value of chips fluctuates

In cash games, your chips represent real money at face value. If you buy in for $50, you’ll get $50 worth of chips that remain at that value throughout the game.

In tournament poker, it’s different.

In poker tournaments the chips you have don’t represent direct cash value (as they would in cash games), they only represent potential prize money. The prizes of an MTT are usually distributed across finishing positions, the value of your stack depends on your likelihood of reaching those payouts.

This is the reason why losing a big portion of your stack early isn’t the same as losing it near the final table. Busting before a pay jump in the late stage can be far more costly than losing chips in the middle of the event right after you’ve reached the money. That’s why tournament life is so valuable in MTTs.

During major tournament series, where prize pools and pay jumps can be substantial, these situations are even more important.

ICM is a complex concept, but it’s very important to know the significance of it, because it plays a crucial role in decision-making in multi-table tournaments. As a newcomer you need to know that ICM considerations should have an impact on how you play. Of course, it matters most on the bubble and final table. On the final table, when pay jumps are extreme, you make money every time another player busts.

Understanding that chip value fluctuates will help you make better long-term decisions.

You Can’t Win every Tournament – And That’s Part of the Fun

While no athlete enters a competition without the intention of winning, it’s important to understand that in MTTs with massive fields, victory is a rare event – but that’s what makes it so exciting.

Unlike smaller games such as 18 or 45-man tournaments, MTTs often have large fields (hundreds or even thousands of players) and top-heavy prize pools. This means that the biggest rewards are reserved for deep runs and final tables. But success in MTTs isn’t only about taking first place.

Cashing consistently, making deeper runs, and improving your decision-making are all vital signs of progress. Every tournament gives you experience in navigating different stack sizes and constantly changing dynamics.

Yes, sometimes you’ll bust early – that’s just part of tournament poker. But when everything clicks and you build a big stack, the momentum and thrill of a deep run make it all worthwhile.

The key is patience, steady improvement, and sensible bankroll management. Focus on making good decisions rather than chasing trophies, and the results will come over time.

That’s what makes MTTs one of the most rewarding formats in poker – every tournament is a new opportunity.