Showdown Tournaments: How They Work and Weekly Schedule

Showdown runs tournaments with more than $11,000 in guaranteed prizes every week, including a freeroll tournament every day. This guide explains how tournaments work, how to join one, and when they start.

Stanislav Cifka

October 12, 2026

How tournaments work

Every Showdown tournament is single elimination. You are paired against another player. If you win, you move on to the next round. If you lose, you are out.

Prizes depend on your finish. The further you get, the more you win. The winner takes the biggest share of the prize pool.
The prize pool grows with the field. The more players join, the bigger the prizes.
Guaranteed prizes are really guaranteed. Every scheduled tournament has a minimum prize pool. If the buy-ins do not reach it, Showdown pays the difference.

Tournament types

New to Showdown? Freerolls are the best place to start. There is one every day, and the Weekly Freeroll on Wednesday has a $200 guaranteed prize pool.

How to join a tournament

Find a tournament

Click Tournaments in the main menu.
You will see the list of available tournaments with the start time, name, status, buy-in and number of registered players.
Use the filter to narrow the list by status, buy-in, start time or format (BO1, BO3, BO5).
Pick a tournament and register.

There is no late registration. You must register before the tournament starts. Once it begins, the doors are closed.

You can pay a buy-in in two ways.

1. Pay with USDC

Real money tournaments use your USDC balance. Before your first one, you need to authorize Showdown to use your USDC by confirming with a signature in your wallet. After that, you can register for any tournament your balance covers.

2. Pay with a tournament ticket

A ticket works as a free entry to a tournament with a matching buy-in. You earn tickets by finishing quests.

Choose your deck

When you register, you select the deck you will play with. You can change your deck any time before the tournament starts. Once it begins, your deck is locked.

Not sure how to put a deck together? Read our deck building guide.

Changed your mind?

You can unregister from a tournament any time before it starts.

Tournament formats: BO1, BO3 and BO5

"BO" stands for "best of". It tells you how many games you play against each opponent, and how many you need to win to advance.

BO1 is fast. One game decides everything, so every move counts.
BO3 gives you a second chance. You can lose a game and still win the round. If you win the first 2 games, the third is not played.
BO5 is the longest format and the truest test of skill.

The format of each tournament is shown in the schedule below and in the tournament lobby.