Bodog caters for the novice in tournament play.

By RP, December 10, 2005

Bodog.com, a favourite site for online poker players, launched an innovative concept in the shape of its Beginner Tournaments this week. The site launched a special tourney program designed to get new players started on successful tournament play.

A company spokesman said that new players are often told “…you have to pay for your poker education” by more experienced gamblers. Through gaining experience, players become seasoned in the strategies that can lead to success.

A typical poker tournament will profit around the top 8 percent to 15 percent of finishers, the spokesman opined, meaning that winners in these tournaments must outlast 92 percent to 85 percent of their opponents.

For a newbie looking to enjoy the excitement of tournament poker it can be a daunting task to make it into the money. The process can also mean a steady bleed on the poker bankroll.

“By playing in our Beginner Tournaments, players have up to twice the chance to make it into the money when comparing the number of payouts to a typical tournament,” said Calvin Ayre, Bodog.com Founder and CEO. ” The prize structure of these events, pays up to twice as many players – they will make the money more frequently thus preserving their poker bankroll as they learn the game.”

Beginner Sit and Go Tournaments are listed under the “Sit and Go” tournament button in the poker software. These tournaments are available 24/7 and will start when 10 players buy in and sit down at the table. Players simply open a table and click on an empty seat to play. The cost to enter these tournaments is $4 + $0.40.

When playing in these tournaments 50 percent of players are paid, as opposed to standard Sit and Go tournaments where typically only 30 percent of players are paid.

Beginner Scheduled Tournaments are to run at a specific time each day. Registration for these tournaments opens four hours prior to its start time. Two minutes prior to “Seating”, players will be seated randomly.

The cost to enter these tournaments is $4 + $0.40 and the events will payout a varying number of top finishers based on the number of players that register for the tournament – often the number of players paid out is twice as many as a standard scheduled tournament.