Battle Royale on PokerOK: rules, prizes, game strategy, advantages and disadvantages

PokerOK has been the leader in online poker for more than two years. It managed to overtake PokerStars thanks to: record-breaking tournament series, regular rake races in all disciplines, rakeback up to 60% and original software. Unique formats also played an important role in the success. One of them - Battle Royale - will be discussed in this article.

What are the rules of the game?

The "Battle Royale" tab appeared in the PokerOK lobby in the summer of 2021. Initially, 100 people participated in the tournament. Over time, the number of players was reduced. Now the Battle Royale tournament starts after the registration of 30 participants. The new approach has increased the dynamics of the game and the number of simultaneous Sit&Go. More than 100 tournaments are played in parallel during the evening of the working day. Their numbers are even higher on weekends.

Battle Royale consists of 3 rounds:

• Rush Zone. During 15 minutes the participants of the tournament fight for getting to the next stage. The player's starting stack is 1,000 chips or 50 BB. At the end of the round, 15 people remain in the battle. The main feature of the stage is quick folds. A player receives a starting hand and folds if it does not suit him. The system instantly throws the poker player to another table and deals a new pair of cards. Simply put: for the first 15 minutes the game follows the rules of fast poker. If by the end of the round 15 people have not busted out, then the owners of the largest stacks at the moment of expiration of the playing time move to the next stage.
• Shootout Zone. Surviving participants are distributed on 5 tables. There are 3 players sitting at each. Here the fight goes according to the rules of spins. The round is allotted 5 minutes. Provided that if after 5 minutes has not determined the winner, then all participants in the game go to all-in. As a result, only one player remains.
• Final Table Zone. In the third round there are 5 players. They sit at 1 table. The final table is held according to the rules of a regular Shootout tournament. All participants of the final table are already in the prize money. The final winnings depend on the place and the number of knocked out opponents.

To win the tournament, change your game strategy at each stage

At the time of writing Battle Royale is available for 0.25$, 1$, 3$ and 10$. Most tournaments are played at the first two limits. There are 10-12 Sit&Go for $10 tournaments running simultaneously in the evening. Tournaments are started in 1-2 minutes.

How are the prizes distributed in Battle Royale?

There is no exact proportion of places, because the payout is formed of two parts: 1) money for the final place and 2) bounty for the knocked out opponent. If we take the results of a random tournament in the lobby, we get this picture:

The average Sit&Go lasts 27 minutes. Another measurable statistic is the rake percentage. PokerOK charges 5% for $1, $3 and $10 tournaments. Participants in the cheapest Battle Royale lose 4% on the commission.

The leaderboard is not the only source of additional profit: you will also receive rakeback

The format is made more attractive by the daily $2,000 race. Places in it are allocated according to the points scored. For each knocked out opponent is awarded 1 point. A separate race is held for each limit. Awards for the winners of different levels look like this:

During the Happy Hour promotion, players get 1.5 points for each knockout, increasing their chances of a spot on the leaderboard.

What strategy to follow?

Battle Royale consists of 3 different stages, so the approach to strategy should vary depending on the stage of the tournament. In the first round, players have a small amount of time and chips to wait for a favorable situation. The mechanics of fast poker provides the opportunity to get the maximum number of starting hands. The problem with Rush Zone is that after 15 minutes, half of the Sit&Go participants are out of the tournament. This condition does not allow you to take a completely wait-and-see attitude.

The tab is third in the lobby and is very popular

If you didn't gain an advantage in the first 8-10 minutes, play more aggressively in the final five minutes. There is no difference between leaving out due to a small stack or a risky push. The second option is even preferable, because it allows you to continue the game if you make a good showdown.

At the second stage the players' stacks are in the range of 15 to 35 big blinds. The relatively large size of mandatory bets also complicates the situation. The opportunity to play post-flop is close to zero. All 5 minutes in Shootout Zone are reduced to steals and resteals. Given the automatic all-in rule at the end of the round, take every opportunity to raise or push. There's no time to wait for a good hand. And it's better to solve the situation on your own than to rely on a lucky coin in an automatic all-in.

Recently, Battle Royale participants can receive a bounty jackpot of up to $1,000,000

At the final stage of Battle Royale strategy is the simplest, because the depth of the stacks of players is from 10 to 16 big blinds. A well-honed push/fold is the main factor in the final table. Whoever is more efficient with a short stack — wins.

What software will make playing Battle Royale more profitable?

Most poker products are aimed at cash players. There aren't many tools for tournament poker. However, to sharpen your skills at the push/fold stage of the game will help:

SNG Wizard 3. In the early days of online poker, Wizard was the best solution for Sit&Go tournament players. The software will still teach you how to play according to the ICM model, help you analyze your hand history and clearly show you why it's profitable to go all-in in some situations and why you should never go all-in in — others.

Wizard developers were inspired by the Holdem Manager 2 interface

The developer provides a free trial version for 30 days. The advantage of SNG Wizard is that you pay once for a lifetime license.

ICMIZER 3. The most popular tool for modern Sit&Go players. Poker calculator shows the best decisions for the final stage of tournaments. Advanced subscription of the software includes two additional tools: MTT Coach and Replayer. The first one flexibly responds to your knowledge level and suggests suitable questions for further growth. The second allows you to analyze your hand history and quickly find mistakes.

The software has versions for mobile devices, which allows you to develop your gaming skills anywhere

The software calculates any situation in a few seconds and gives accurate and visual results. An important disadvantage of ICMIZER 3 is the subscription model of distribution. The annual version of the program in the maximum package costs $180. The developer provides a free trial version for 7 days.

HoldemResources Calculator. Preflop solver. It helps to train push/fold in the final stages of MTT and Sit&Go. The advantage of HRC is the ability to calculate situations in the second stage of Battle Royale. HoldemResources Calculator algorithms are able to calculate the best solution for a player with a stack of up to 30 BB. In this HRC is superior to both ICMIZER 3 and SNG Wizard 3.

The HRC website has several free tools for Sit&Go beginners

The improved ICM model will give more accurate results for a tournament with 30 players. The calculator's abstractions allow you to look at further developments on the flop. As a result, you will be better prepared for non-standard situations. The creator of HoldemResources Calculator offers a free trial for 14 days.

Advantages and disadvantages of the format

The key advantages of Battle Royale look like this:

• the format attracts a large number of amateurs;
• low rake allows you to count on a positive ROI on the distance;
• tables are filled within 1-2 minutes;
• Battle Royale regulars receive additional payouts as part of the daily race;
• alternating stages gives an advantage to strong players.

There are disadvantages to the format as well:

• the transience of the tournaments equalizes the chances of bad and good players;
• the rule of passing the largest stacks to the second round can be an unpleasant surprise for Battle Royale newcomers;
• a player can open no more than 4 tables at a time, which doesn't allow multi-tabling enthusiasts to play to their full potential;
• $10 tournaments are the highest limit in the discipline: there is nowhere to grow up.

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