Ironman

1. A form of poker tournament designed without breaks.

Ironman Inception at Commerce

Most poker tournaments are set up with regular 15-20 minute breaks, and often a longer dinner break in the evening, to punctuate the action and give players a chance to rest, go to the bathroom, etc.

TD Matt Savage introduced the concept of an "Ironman" tournament, a $1,500 buyin event designed to run straight through without breaks, at the Commerce Hold 'Em Series in September 2009.

Ironman Details

The tournament, held on 9/23/09, drew 64 players and ended approximately 18 hours after it began. 50% of the prizepool, $51,000, was awarded to first place. In order to compensate for the lack of a dinner break, three meals were served at the table while action continued.

It was considered a successful event considering it was the first time the format had been tried, and it's likely that more Ironman events will pop up throughout the tournament circuit, and at Commerce, in the future.