I am writing about poker tournaments. I need to express the idea that there are two types of tournaments - open (everyone can participate) and the tournament where there are certain terms for participation (promo code, invitation, etc.)
What's the right word for that second kind? Restricted, private, exclusive, limited? I can't find the right word for that one.
Closed may be the word that you are looking for.
The descriptor "open" is used in a number of sports, and especially in golf, to describe a tournament that is "open" — in theory to all — rather than being closed, i.e., one that is restricted to a particular group.
Exclusive
"belonging only to the one person, unit, or group name"
If the specific terms is an invitation, then you may use "by invitation only":
only open to people who have been invited. The event is by invitation only. (Merriam-Webster)
I would suggest "invitational" as used in tennis and golf https://www.thoughtco.com/invitational-golf-tournament-1560888 - you and some others ( who all meet some conditions ) have been invited to play by a hosting entity; but another possibility is "qualified" you have met some number of conditions to allow your play.
