Official poker is a game played by players who compete in a structured tournament event. These are often hosted by casinos and cardrooms, but can also be organized by a group of friends or an online poker website. They can be either cash games or tournaments, with prizes awarded based on the results of the final table. Some events are part of a larger series, such as the World Poker Tour (WPT) or the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

In a tournament, players use poker chips to represent dollar amounts in play. These chip values are generally the same across different poker rooms and can bear the name of the event or host. They are often different from cash game chips in size and color, but not value.

Players in a tournament must be at their seats when the initial deal is dealt. If they are not, they will receive a dead hand and must pay blinds and antes if they are not already in the pot. In addition, players must be in their seats to call an opponent’s bet or raise (unless they have a reason to defer, which is called “tanking”).

A tournament can be open or closed. Open tournaments allow any person to enter, while closed ones require an invitation or qualification process. Historically, most large live tournaments were closed, but with the advent of online poker and the growth of WPT and WSOP, many tournaments are now open.