Best Online Poker Tournaments in Michigan (MI)

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Aug 26, 2025 12 min read Last updated Sep 16, 2025

Are you looking for the best poker tournaments in Michigan? Whether you're a low-stakes grinder, recreational player, or high-stakes crusher, there are tournaments every single day that are perfect for you.

With four top-class real money poker sites currently available to you in the state; PokerStars MI, BetMGM MI, WSOP MI and BetRivers Poker, tournament players are spoiled for choice. What's more, Michigan is part of a shared liquidity compact, with many sites sharing player pools between players across MI, PA and NJ.

But enough talk, let's get straight into things!

Best MI Sites for Online Poker Tournaments

What Are Online Poker Tournaments?

Before we go further into specific tournaments available in Michigan, let's first explore exactly what online poker tournaments are.

Online tournaments are one of the most popular poker formats in Michigan. Players buy in, receive a starting stack of chips, and compete with increasing blind levels until one player has all the chips. Unlike poker chips in cash games, tournament chips in online poker cannot be cashed out — you play until you are eliminated. Some Michigan online tournaments attract hundreds or even thousands of entrants, creating big prize pools and the chance for major paydays.

With only a portion of the field making the money, strategy changes as you approach the bubble. ICM comes into play, adding an extra layer of decision-making that sets tournaments apart from cash games. Players can also win seats into bigger events through satellite tournaments or poker freerolls, turning low- or no-cost entries into valuable tournament tickets.

With SCOOP, BetMGM Online Championships, and WSOP Circuit events all running in Michigan, it’s a strong market for anyone looking to build a tournament bankroll.

What Makes a Good Poker Tournament?

Play Online Poker Tournaments in Michigan

Let's get into it. We've tried and tested the top 5 best poker sites in Michigan to come up with all the best tournaments for players in the state to play. So whether you play on PokerStars MI, BetMGM MI, WSOP MI or BetRivers Poker, we've got the right tournaments for you.

Bounty Builder Poker Tournaments in MI

Bounty tournaments are those where part of the buy-in goes into bounty prizes awarded for knocking out opponents. In Bounty Builder formats, these bounties progressively increase as eliminations happen, making every knockout more valuable as the tournament deepens. Michigan’s regulated poker sites are well known for offering these exciting formats.

Mystery Bounty Poker Tournaments in MI

Mystery Bounty tournaments are one of the fastest-growing formats in online poker. They work like standard knockout events, except bounties don’t come into play until the money is reached. Once that point hits, each elimination awards a random bounty - which can be much larger than the buy-in itself. With large player pools, it’s not unusual to see five-figure bounties won from a modest entry fee.

Freeroll Poker Tournaments in MI

Freeroll tournaments are promotional events where players win real money or earn their seats for free, giving them a chance to turn nothing into something. There's no catch, it really is as good as it sounds! So, freerolls are great ways for players to grow their bankrolls and move up to micro and low-stakes events.

MI players are spoiled for choice, with several freerolls available in Michigan. Here are some of the best ones available in your state.

Check out our Michigan freerolls page, where we look more in depth at all the free online poker tournaments available in the Wolverine State.

Satellite Poker Tournaments in MI

Looking to build up a bankroll or play a big event without putting up the buy-in? Then satellites may be your best option. Satellites are single or multi-table events where players can win seats into bigger events for just a fraction of the buy-in.

Most satellites offer several seats and are an excellent way to get newer players into higher buy-in events, and there are plenty of them to play in Michigan. Take a look below.

High-Roller Poker Tournaments in MI

From grinding at micro-stakes to the big time tournaments, high-rollers are MTTs that have the largest buy-ins. It may be time to move up the stakes and try out some of the high-roller poker tournaments, but you should always play at stakes comfortable to you and your bankroll.

As for what is specifically classified as a high-roller, this can differ as there is no set amount. Online tournaments typically have smaller buy-ins than live poker, due to the fact that more players can play at once without physical, logistical considerations. There also aren't as many operational costs with an online tournaments compared to a live one. Therefore, a high-roller tournament online (E.g. $500 buy-in) might not be considered a high-roller in the live circuits.

Here are some of the best high-rollers poker tournaments in Michigan.

Why Play Online Poker Tournaments?

So we've gone through some online tournaments you can play in Michigan, but why even choose tournaments over cash games in the first place?

Tournament formats have their pros and cons, but there are several reasons tournaments hold such strong appeal.

The Best Online Poker Tournaments from MI Operators

You now know what tournaments are and why they’re worth playing, so let’s take a look at the standout tournaments offered by each Michigan poker site.

PokerStars MI Tournaments

Just like in other regulated states, PokerStars MI boasts one of the most complete and consistent real money poker tournament schedules in Michigan, making it a go-to for both casual players and serious grinders. With its polished software and large player pools, PokerStars delivers an unmatched MTT experience. It's the formats that make PokerStars MI standout from the rest. I guarantee you'll find tournaments in variants you've never even heard of!

What stands out most about PokerStars MI is the sheer volume of daily tournaments, the diverse mix of formats (including PKOs and mystery bounties), and their massive online series such as USCOOP and Summer Stacks. Players can find everything from low buy-ins to high rollers, alongside plenty of satellites that make it possible to qualify for bigger events at a fraction of the cost.

Top 5 Regular PokerStars MI Tournaments

• Sunday Special – $100 buy-in, $40K+ GTD
• Super Tuesday – $250 buy-in, $20K GTD
• Bounty Builder $10 – Daily, PKO format
• Thursday Thrill – $100 buy-in, PKO
• Daily $11 Mystery Bounty – Popular low-stakes MBT

BetMGM MI Tournaments

BetMGM Poker MI delivers a strong tournament schedule that’s especially appealing to mid- and high-stakes players. While PokerStars MI tends to have a larger daily volume, BetMGM makes up for it with well-structured weekly lineup, big-value online series, and access to a growing multi-state player pool through MSIGA.

The site offers plenty of Progressive Knockouts, high roller events, freerolls, and satellites. Overall, BetMGM Poker MI is an excellent option for players looking for value in Michigan.

Top 5 Regular BetMGM MI Tournaments

• Friday $215 Special – 50K chips, deep structure
• Sunday $109 PKO – Weekly bounty event
• Daily $20 MTT – Low-stakes grinder-friendly
• $535 High Roller – Featured in series and Sundays
• Mystery Bounty Events – Run during Online Championship Series

WSOP MI Tournaments

WSOP MI brings the prestige of the World Series of Poker brand to Michigan, offering a competitive tournament schedule highlighted by online Circuit events and bracelet tournaments. While its daily schedule is slightly smaller than PokerStars MI or BetMGM, WSOP MI shines during its seasonal series with big guarantees, Mystery Bounty formats, and Championship-level buy-ins.

With MSIGA shared liquidity now in place, WSOP MI has deeper fields and bigger prize pools than ever. For those dreaming of poker glory, this is the only site in Michigan where you can play for online WSOP bracelets or win satellites to the World Series of Poker Main Event.

Top 5 Regular WSOP MI Tournaments

• $100 Sunday Celebration – Mystery Bounty format
• $215 Bracelet Satellite – Weekly qualifier to WSOP Main Event
• $30 Daily Deepstack – Popular daily tournament
• $500 Circuit Event Qualifier – Runs during Circuit series
• $2,500 Super High Roller – Featured in seasonal events

BetRivers MI Tournaments

BetRivers Poker MI is a new but ambitious addition to Michigan’s online poker market. Powered by the Run It Once platform and included in a multi-state network (MI, PA, WV, DE), it offers steadily growing tournament traffic and prize pools.

It's schedule doesn't quite match that of some of the other, larger operators (yet), but BetRivers focuses heavily on value. With 100% of rake returned to players through rewards, plus regular satellites, daily MTTs, and freerolls, the site is an attractive option - particularly for grinders who want rakeback to play a bigger role in their profits.

Top 5 Regular BetRivers MI Tournaments

• Daily $10 MTT – Low-stakes, beginner-friendly
• $33 Sunday Special – Mid-level weekly highlight
• $5.50 Satellite Qualifiers – Entry to larger MTTs
• $109 Feature Event – Runs during monthly series
• Daily $500 Freeroll – Open to all players

MI Poker Tournaments – Shared Liquidity

In May 2022, Michigan joined the MSIGA (Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement), which allows licensed online poker operators to merge player pools across states including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and West Virginia. This was huge at the time, and since the MSIGA was launched there's no doubt it's been a big success.

WSOP.com was the first Michigan site to go live with shared liquidity, linking players directly with those in NJ, PA, and NV. This means larger prize pools, more competitive events, and the exclusive opportunity to play for WSOP online bracelets and Circuit rings in multi-state fields.

BetMGM Poker MI also rolled out shared liquidity with NJ and PA in April 2025, strengthening their tournament lineups and giving players access to bigger majors and Championship-level events.

PokerStars was an early mover, already running a shared network between Michigan and New Jersey since 2023. With Pennsylvania now in MSIGA, it’s expected PokerStars will eventually merge all three states, though for now MI players only share liquidity with NJ.

BetRivers has taken the most aggressive approach. After launching in Michigan in June 2025, it quickly opened a four-state shared pool (MI, PA, DE, WV), becoming just the second operator in the US to offer a four-state network. With New Jersey and Nevada potentially on the horizon, BetRivers Poker looks poised to continue its expansion across the US.

Online Poker Tournaments in Michigan FAQs

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