Editing Poker tournament (section)

==Betting format==
Betting in tournaments can take one of three forms:
*In a ''structured'' ([[fixed limit]]) betting system, bets and raises are restricted to specific amounts, though these amounts typically increase throughout the tournament. For example, for a [[seven-card stud]] tournament with the stakes at 10/20, raises would be $10 in the first three rounds of betting, and $20 in the latter rounds.
*''Semi-structured'' betting provides ranges for allowed raises. Usually, in this format, one may not raise less than a previous player has raised. For example, if one player raises $20, it would be illegal for another player to raise an additional $5. [[Pot limit]] is a semi-structured format in which raises cannot exceed the current size of the pot. [[Spread limit]] is a semi-structured format in which bets (and subsequent raises) must be between a minimum and maximum amount.
*''Unstructured'' betting, usually called [[Betting (poker)#No limit|no limit]]. While blinds, antes, or bring-ins are fixed, players are free to bet as much as they wish, even early in a round of betting. To bet all of one's chips (risking one's tournament life, in the event of losing the hand) is to go ''all-in''. In no-limit tournaments, players will sometimes take this risk even early in the betting; for example, in some no-limit Texas Hold 'Em tournaments, it is not uncommon for players to bet "all-in" before the flop.

The betting structure is one of the most defining elements of the game; even if other aspects are equivalent, a fixed-limit version and its no-limit counterpart are considered to be very different games, because the strategies and play styles are very different. For instance, it is much easier to bluff in a no-limit game, which allows aggressive betting, than in a fixed-limit game. No-limit games also vary widely according to the proclivities of the players; an informal, [[emergent behavior|emergent]], betting structure is developed by the players' personal strategies and personalities.

The stakes of each round, as well as [[blind (poker)|blinds]], [[bring-in]]s, and antes as appropriate per game, typically escalate according either to the time elapsed or the number of hands played.