This article will focus on online poker satellite qualifiers, introducing you to them if you are unaware what they are all about, and discussing the importance of playing in these special types of tourneys online, especially for new players who are making their first deposits or trying to build up a bankroll from nothing.
So what exactly are satellite qualifiers?
Online poker satellites are small tourneys that you can play to “satellite” through to a bigger tournament in the lead up to a major event, providing an inexpensive way to gain entry into a real money online or live tournament.
Typically, a month, week, or even days prior to a tournament being conducted, a satellite qualifier will be available to play, in the case that it’s an exciting tournament in the schedule that most players are looking forward to playing.
The great thing about playing a satellite tournament compared to a tournament you buy your way into is that even if you don’t manage to win a satellite tournament it’s not huge loss since you’re basically risking nothing to participate in them. The only real investment is your time, which you can much more easily sacrifice when you’re a new player with aspirations to play higher games but don’t currently have a big enough bankroll to support playing them.
By playing in online satellites, the potential reward can be huge if you are lucky enough to take one down, making it a no brainer to try your luck and see how you go. With that being said, some online poker sites will be better than others when it comes to playing satellite qualifiers. Generally speaking, however, you can expect to find satellites for all the upcoming major online/live events.
If the prize is a seat into a major live tournament, for the most part, there will always be seats into major events on the circuit throughout the year like the WSOP and WPT, but if the poker site is targeting a specific demographic, like for example, players from France, then the schedule of qualifiers will have a bias towards tournaments in that particular region, but chances are this will not be the case if you are playing at a site with a fairly global traffic base comprising of players from many different countries.
Satellites have completely changed the poker landscape for the average online poker player because the reality of it is that many of these really big buy-in events are not affordable to beginning micro stakes players with fairly limited bankrolls. But now due to the introduction of online satellites it is now possible – opening up opportunities for a new breed of players who are committed and driven to succeed in real money tournaments. Some online poker satellites only require player points to be able to enter them, whilst others allow players to register for only a few dollars.
The prize pool in satellites can vary depending on the online satellite being played. Sometimes only the winner of the game receives a prize, whilst in other online satellites the top finishers all receive the same prize.
When playing satellite qualifiers when only the winner gets something, you need to adapt your strategy, which is probably different to your normal sit and go strategy, since the end goal is to win the tournament. If you bust out first or place second it’s the same result.
By playing at popular poker sites you can be sure to find an extensive schedule of upcoming satellite qualifiers you can play to win a seat into a major live event such as the Aussie Millions or World Series of Poker event or even one of the major online tourneys in the poker room’s tournament schedule.
If you have been playing at any particular poker site for a while, then there is a good chance that you have enough poker points to try out your luck in one of the satellite tournaments. If not, they are always fairly inexpensive to buy your way into one. It would be wasteful just to leave player points you’ve earned playing in real money games, because chances are you’ll forget you even have them and you won’t good use of them.
Do you know how Chris Moneymaker, the 2003 WSOP ME champion gained entry into the Main Event that year? By playing a $40 online satellite on PokerStars! Satellites have made it possible for the average Joe to gain entry into poker tournaments they couldn’t typically afford to buy in to with their own money, which is very cool as in any sport you like to see the underdog have a fighting chance. Not just those that can afford the tournament buy in because they’re a pro on the tournament circuit.