A tournament gaming system is disclosed including one or more gaming machines programmed for play of at least one tournament game. A plurality of gaming machines may be linked for tournament play by a host computer. Qualification for tournament play is based only upon criteria established only by the gaming operator or without consideration of player desire to participate in the tournament. Game play on at least some of the participating games is tracked and displayed during the tournament, which ends after a player of one of the games achieves predetermined results.