Every USPT Member Player who participates in a USPT tournament receives Ranking Points, weighted for the Tier level of the event in which they participate. The top 100 players in each of these events receive substantially more points based on their order of finish. After their 10th tournament every member player’s PSI will be calculated and it will be recalculated every time they play in a USPT event. For complete details please see the Player Strength Index page on this website under the "About USPT" tab. The three tiers are:

· Tier 1- The minimum buy-in for a USPT Tier 1 Event is $500. Host casinos may offer only one (1) Tier 1 Event each month with the exception of scheduled, multi-day events. Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips and limits are 60 minutes long.

· Tier 2-These events have a minimum buy-in of $200. Host casinos may offer a maximum of two (2) Tier 2 Events each month with the exception of scheduled, multi-day events. Players start with 5000 in tournament chips and limits are 30 minutes long.

· Tier 3 - Any USPT Member Casino may host a Tier 3 Event. These events have a minimum buy-in of $20. Host casinos can offer no more than 8 of these Tier 3 Events each month. Players start with 2000 in tournament chips and limits are 15 minutes long.

In addition to regular tiered events every U.S. Poker Tour member room can offer satellite and qualifier events to send their USPT players to regional and National USPT tournaments throughout the U.S., including The American Poker Championships in November. During the USPT “Poker Season” members will have the opportunity to qualify for these events at their USPT home casino and win buy-ins and travel to events at other USPT member casinos…Nationwide!

"Deep Stacks”-Chip counts and blinds have been created with the development of the poker player in mind. Member players receive more chips for their buy in than the average poker tournament. The USPT wants it’s members to get used to the major tournament environment by handling the deep chip stacks every time they play. For complete information about chip counts and blind structures please visit the "Blind Structures page on this website under the "About USPT" tab.