If you love Kenyan poker tournaments, playing in a casino seems like the natural thing to do. You’ll be spoilt for choice if you’re in Nairobi, which has excellent options, such as Casino FlaminGo, Finix Casino, and Mayfair Casino & Club, just to name a few.
But once you’re out of the main cities of Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, and Eldoret, then your options get real thin, real fast. That’s where online poker sites come in handy.
As long as you have an internet connection, you can access an online provider’s site and enjoy your favorite poker game or participate in online poker tournaments. In this blog post, we’ll highlight all the best online poker tournaments you can find in Kenya, including upcoming poker tournaments.
Introduction to online poker tournaments
Poker is one of the most popular games in the world, and Kenya is no exception. Thanks to advancements in technology, Kenyans don’t have to visit land-based poker rooms to enjoy a round of games.
You can immerse yourself in one of the many online poker tournaments if you have internet and a computer/tablet/smartphone. Keep the following in mind before you start:
- For your safety, ensure the online casino is licensed by the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) of Kenya. BCLB is the regulatory body of online poker providers.
- Confirm the platform offers convenient payment methods like M-Pesa, Equitel Pesa Link, eWallet, or bank transfer.
- Ensure the bonuses and promotions are attainable.
- Check on the game selection diversity.
Play would be so much more enjoyable if the online poker provider meets all these requirements.
Types of online poker tournaments in Kenya
Online sites offer a variety of tournaments, so we’ll only examine the most popular types of poker tournaments in Kenya in this section:
Free poker tournaments
Also known as poker freerolls, free online poker tournaments do not require you to pay an entry fee.
That’s right; Poker freeroll is an online poker tournament where you can win real money without spending a shilling on entry fees! In a freeroll tournament, the poker room covers the cost of entry and the winnings.
Many online poker sites offer these freerolls as a welcome bonus for new players. If you are a pro, VIP, or loyal member, you may receive exclusive invites to invitation-only freeroll poker tournaments.
The poker room could provide a promo code to join the tournament or add funds directly to your account to cover the buy-in.
As expected, the prize pools in these free tournaments are typically smaller compared to paid tournaments. Free rolls are a great way to build your bankroll without financial risk.
Real money poker tournaments
All other tournaments qualify as real money tournaments, as players must pay the buy-in to be eligible to participate. While some types are easy to categorize, some are hybrids of two types of real money tournaments.
Here are examples of the most common real-money poker tournaments:
- Sit-and-go live casino poker tournaments – the action kicks off as soon as enough players have registered, and the game continues until one player emerges victorious.
- Shootout tournaments – is a multi-table tournament format where only one player from each table advances to the next round.
- Rebuys/reentries tournaments – some tournaments offer the option of rebuys and reentries if you’re knocked out early. You can buy back into the tournament by paying the original entry fee.
- Bounty/knockout tournaments – if you knock someone out of the tournament, you claim their bounty in addition to any regular prizes. In some bounty tournaments, the bounty is the same for all players, while in others, specific players—often industry pros—carry much higher bounties.
- Guaranteed tournaments – generally, the number of players in the tournament will determine the size of the prize pool. Since pro players can’t be bothered to join smaller tournaments, the poker room can guarantee the prize pool to encourage attendance. For instance, if the poker room has guaranteed a Ksh.1,000,000 prize, they will top up the balance even if only 10 people show up.
Satellite tournaments
Most poker tournaments are not cheap to buy-in. Registration will typically set you back between Ksh.100,000 to Ksh.1,000,000. If this is too steep a price for you, then registering for a satellite tournament could be the way to go.
A satellite tournament is sort of a cheat code that lets you play in major tournaments without footing the hefty buy-in.
How does it work? Pay the buy-in fee to an eligible minor tournament. If you win, the poker room may cover the buy-in for the major tournament instead of awarding you the cash prize for the minor tournament.
One of the most famous examples of this strategy was that time in 2003 when Chris Moneymaker embarked on an incredible run, starting with a win in an $86 buy-in satellite tournament.
Moneymaker went on to win several tournaments with progressively higher stakes that saw him grace the satellite tournament final at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, which typically has a $10,000 buy-in.
Against all odds, Moneymaker outplayed several professional poker players and took home the ultimate prize—over $2.5 million in winnings.
Top platforms for online poker tournaments in Kenya
After extensive research, we unearthed these gems of online poker tournament platforms in Kenya:
22Bet casino
22Bet holds the most poker games of all the providers registered in Kenya. It also has the widest variety of online poker games and software providers, such as:
- Evolution Gaming: Caribbean Stud Poker, Casino Hold’em, Triple Card Poker.
- Ezugi: Casino Hold’em, One Day Teen Patti, Teen Patti 3 Card.
- 7 Mojos: 3 Card Poker, Teen Patti, Teen Patti Face Off.
Some of the popular games hold poker tournaments occasionally, not including 22Bet’s weekly race for €15,000. You can make payments in Kenya Shillings and stand to win a welcome package of up to Ksh.35,000.
Simba Games casino
Simba has the second-biggest online poker catalog of local poker tournament providers. As a specialist video poker provider, some of the Simba Games include poker tournaments every once in a while.
BetWinner casino
Another Kenyan registered platform with a smattering of poker games with the potential for tournaments is BetWinner casino. It provides the third-most number of poker games from providers like Evolution, 7 Mojos, and TV Bet. You can only play using Euros.
Play2Net
All the poker games in this provider’s catalog can be found under the live casino. This potentially makes it the most immersive as you play live with other competitors and the dealer at all times.
Play2Net’s suite of games includes the following games from leading providers like Evolution Gaming, Pragmatic, and Vivo Gaming:
- Three Card Poker
- Caribbean Stud Poker
- First-Person Video Poker
- Poker Live Lobby
- Texas Hold’em Poker
Being a live casino, a poker tournament could break out at any moment.
Bet365 casino
Bet365 might not be registered in Kenya, but it accepts Kenyan users. It has the largest catalog of poker games of all the providers in this list.
It has upcoming poker tournaments, with the first one set to start on October 20, 2024, and run till November 3, 2024. Dubbed ‘The Festival’ run, winners stand to net a €1,850 package for the main event in Bratislava.
FAQ
No law expressly prohibits online gambling. Further, gambling is generally legal as long as it is conducted through a licensed operator.
The proposed regulatory Act of 2023 is set to expressly approve online gambling in the near future.
As things stand, you can enjoy your favorite online poker game as long as you are at least 18 years of age.
Yes, you can. Some of the local poker providers have games that host tournaments every so often.
Yes. All the online providers have poker games that allow users to play for money prizes.
Absolutely. Some online poker providers hold freerolls (free tournaments) mostly for new users. They may even hold freerolls for loyal, VIP, and pro players, so be on the lookout for such promotions.
From our in-depth research, we’ve determined that the leading online poker tournament providers are 22Bet Casino, Simba Games Casino, BetWinner Casino, Play2Net, and Bet365 Casino.
