So you’re ready to play the big WSOP Satellite event on an online poker site? Or perhaps you’ve decided to try and play the Sunday big one but don’t have the bankroll to buy in direct. Regardless of your circumstances, using Satellite Tournaments to win entry into larger events is a very wise move. There are many reasons why the casual player or even the daily grinder would want to use the strategy to enter bigger events.
The primary factor to consider here is managing your tournament bankroll. If you typically play 2/4 Limit and have 1,000 Big Blinds ($4,000), it makes little sense to pay 10% of your total cash game bankroll to play a $400.00 tournament (or Sit and Go). However, if you’re looking at a $50.00 feeder or satellite to get in (a little more than 1% of your bankroll) this is clearly the wiser move.
Other Options For Online Poker Satellites
There’s also the option of playing with FPP’s or Frequent Player Points on Full Tilt Poker (and many other online poker sites) to gain your entry to satellites. FPP’s are awarded based on the number of cash game hands you play and the number of cash tournaments and Sit And Go’s that you enter. In my opinion, you’re better off using these FPP’s for tournament entry than to buy a silly t-shirt or hat!
Each site has their own version of player points but the point I want to illustrate here is that are other ways (non-cash) to enter satellites as well. With the primary driver being the protection of your bankroll.
Online Poker Satellite Structure
The big difference between playing a satellite vs. a standard tournament is that in a regular tournament the prize pool is divided among the top XX finishers. Typically it looks something like this:
1st – 30% of total
2nd – 15% of total
3rd – 10% of total
And so on…
A satellite is quite different in that it will take the prize pool and divide it by the number of “seats” to the bigger event that you’re playing for. Here’s an example with the prize being a $1,000 seat to a larger event:
Total prize pool is $10,500
1st – 10th place will win a seat to the main event
11th place will earn $500.00 cash
Feeder Satellite Strategy
Your satellite strategy should change accordingly when playing a satellite event. If you’re in a top 10 chip spot, there’s no need to get into hands late in an event unless you hold a premium, dominating hand. In other words, you don’t need to chip up if you’re number 4 in chips with 14 players left and the top 10 win a seat. The last place you want to find yourself is having to push with marginal hands to survive the bubble here. Instead, let the smaller stacks take chances and hopefully cruise your way to a seat in the bigger event. Face it, there’s no difference here between first or tenth place!
In summary, you play a cash tournament for the big win/cash. So if you’re playing to win, play to win. However, if you’re taking baby steps and working your way through a feeder event and the top 15 places are a seat to the big one, there’s no need to push your way to first place. Many satellite events will play down to a champion but once the last XX number of players are reached, everyone now has a seat with their name on it!
