Turbo

A "turbo" in poker refers to a type of tournament in which the blind levels increase much faster than in a standard tournament. These events have faster rounds and as a result take less time.

What is a Turbo?

In poker, turbo tournaments have shorter blind levels resulting in quicker tournament progression and faster overall gameplay. Turbo tournaments require players to make decisions more quickly and adapt to rapidly changing betting environments.

In online poker events, the decision clock is often shorter as well.

Playing in Turbo Tournaments

Playing in turbo tournaments requires a different strategy to standard tournaments. Due to the faster pace, players need to be more aggressive and willing to take bigger risks more often.

Passive play is generally not as effective in Turbo tournaments, as the blinds increase quickly and can deplete a player's stack if they're not actively winning pots.

Considerations When Playing Turbo Tournaments

When playing turbo tournaments, it's important to track all the usual information — stack size, blind levels, and player tendencies. However, with the blinds increasing rapidly, it becomes important to master short-stack play and focus on aggression.

Example of "Turbo"

In an example online turbo tournament, the blinds might increase every 5 minutes, compared to 15 minutes in a standard tournament. In a live game, due to the slower play, the blinds might increase every 10-15 minutes in a turbo event.

The fast pace means that players will have less time to wait for premium hands and will need to be more aggressive.

• "He decided to enter the Turbo tournament because he only had a couple of hours to play."
• "In the Turbo tournament, her aggressive strategy helped her quickly build a large chip stack."
• "Turbo tournaments can be a fun and fast-paced alternative to standard poker tournaments."