What is a Satellite Tournament?
Satellite poker tournaments are generally identical to regular tournaments, with one crucial difference: Instead of awarding cash as prizes to the top finishers, satellite tournaments primarily award seats to more expensive tournaments.
Here's a quick example that will help to illustrate how satellites work. Satellites have been a crucial part of the World Series of Poker for many years, especially for the $10,000 Main Event. A typical satellite at the WSOP might cost $1000 to enter. For every ten players that enter, 1 seat to the Main Event is awarded. If 30 players entered our hypothetical, the prize would be one seat each for the top three finishers. If 31 entered, the top three players would get seats and the fourth place finisher would be awarded the extra cash.
Poker Satellite Tournaments Poker satellites are low buy-in tournaments that allow you to get tickets to higher buy-in events. They are sort of like the lottery of poker tourneys, but with the added bonus of smaller fields, and a better chance of winning. Prizes include tickets to bigger buy-in events online and live, like the WSOP. The lower buy-ins, the prize pools and the 'early' endings that come with satellite tournaments are the key differences in comparison to standard online poker tournaments in the poker world. In addition, satellites tend to have shorter stacks and/or blind levels, in order to keep the action flowing. Satellite Tournaments Satellites are used to transfer large amounts of data to a specific target from a far distance. Satellite tournaments are used to transfer large amounts of poor poker players into larger poker tournaments that would normally be far outside of their bankroll limits. A $100 freero tournament at an online poker site that's free for everyone to enter with no restrictions. A $10 on-demand poker freeroll that's open to everyone and starts when 300 players register. A $1,000 poker free tournament that's free to enter, but is only open to players who have made a deposit in the past calendar month.
Below you will find a complete list of the top sites with satellite tournaments. These sites always offer satellites to major events, like the WSOP, in addition to smaller land based tournaments across the United States, Canada and Europe.
What Kinds of Tournaments Can You Satellite Into?
With the explosion of online poker has come an accompanying explosion in satellite tournaments. You can now play a satellite for just about every tournament imaginable, from online poker tournaments with $50 buy ins to the much-ballyhooed $1 million buy in Big One for One Drop at the 2012 WSOP. In short, satellites are almost always available for big-ticket tournaments (live or online) and are available more often than not for tournaments with lower buy ins, especially online.
What are Some of The Different Satellite Formats?
Most satellites take place in a format very similar to a standard tournament. With the growth of online poker, turbo, super-turbo and even hyper-turbo satellite structures (structures with very rapid blind increases and relatively shallow stacks) have increased in popularity, giving players the chance to satellite into a tournament right up until the minute registration for the tournament closes. Turbo tournaments have also gained a foothold at live tournament events as a way to give players one last shot to get cheaper entrance to a large buy in tournament.
There are even events called 'super-satellites,' which are generally satellite tournaments that award entries to larger satellite tournaments. Such events tend only to occur when the buy in of the target event is very large or seats in the event are restricted in some way.
Advantages of Online Poker Satellite Tournaments
The main advantage of playing satellite tournaments online is fairly obvious: You get the chance to turn a relatively small investment into a shot at a very large payday. However, there are other advantages to dabbling in satellite play; for one thing, satellites tend to attract more casual and inexperienced players than your typical tournament - a phenomenon that is equally true for both online poker and live poker. For another, satellites can be a good way to reduce your variance - while you might be able to afford to buy directly into a tournament, that doesn't mean you're required to. Finally, satellites can provide you with a tournament option that is generally short and sweet - a nice feature for those only looking to put in a bit of play on a given day as opposed to a full-length grind.
What Online Poker Room is the Best for Satellite Tournaments?
This ends up being a close race between PokerStars and Party Poker. Party can legitimately be considered the originator of the online poker satellite craze, as the site was the first to offer a serious satellite lobby with paths to major live events. Today, the room continues to offer a nice array of satellites to WSOP and WPT events, along with a full range of satellites for the major tournament events hosted by Party.
PokerStars may claim a slight edge in this category over Party, but it's more or less a coin flip. Stars gains an advantage thanks to their position in a variety of regional poker tours such as the EPT and the APPT, meaning they offer a broader menu than Party for live events. The online satellite lobby at PokerStars is also an advantage the room enjoys, as it's easily the busiest of any poker room on the Internet.
Best US-Facing Room for Satellite Tournaments
Satellites were once all the rage for US players, with droves of players converting online wins to live tournament entries. As the US market has shrunk, so has the appetite for major satellites. With that said, you'll still find a handful of satellite options at US-friendly rooms, most notably at Lock Poker and Carbon Poker. Both rooms also boast a reasonable amount of traffic in their online satellite lobby, giving players interested in trying satellite play more than sufficient options in terms of buy in, times and formats.
Top Canadian Online Poker Room for Satellites
While PokerStars may claim the overall title for satellite play, Party Poker definitely has an edge when it comes to satellite offerings that will be of interest to Canadian poker players. This edge is largely due to Party's ownership of the World Poker Tour, which easily hosts the largest amount of premiere live tournaments in North America. As you might expect, Party features WPT events very aggressively in their poker lobby, often providing extra value or ancillary benefits to satellite participants that other rooms simply can't match.
UK Poker Rooms: Top-Ranked for Satellite Tournaments
While a reasonable case could be made for an iPoker room such as bet365 Poker or Paddy Power Poker, PokerStars ultimately elbows out the competition to take the satellite title not only overall, but for UK players as well. Again, it's the presence of PokerStars in regional poker tournament leagues and events that puts the room ahead of the competition, but the massive selection of online-focused satellites the room provides to players certainly doesn't hurt.
The beauty of poker lies in various types of tournaments that bring all kinds of rewards for the best participants.
One of the most lucrative tournaments among online poker players is the so-called 'satellite tournament'.
Essentially, satellite tournaments do not offer money as the final prize.
Instead, they provide an entry for another tournament which usually requires a much higher buy-in. This is a perfect opportunity for people who play poker and are on a budget to experience the atmosphere of big live poker competitions.
In this article, I'll cover some of the burning questions related to satellite tournaments and explain their very nature. Some of the things you'll learn about them are:
Should You Play Satellite Tournaments?
Contents
- How to Apply for a Satellite Tournament?
- Pros and Cons of Satellite Tournaments
Before you even buy yourself a seat at a satellite, you need to ask yourself the following question — what do I want from poker?
There are many reasons why people play poker. Some want to earn real money, others want to test their skills, and some just want to have fun.
If you are looking for a quick buck and poker is your side hustle, don't bother applying for satellites at all. Even the fast-paced ones tend to last longer than usual, and the final prize is not even cash. Although you might end up winning a pile of money if you do well in both the satellite and the target tournament (which was awarded via the satellite), you need to devote a lot of time and energy without earning any cash in between.
On the other hand, if your goal is to have fun, test your poker skills, and meet new people, then satellites are a perfect opportunity for that. In that case, make sure to read on how to apply for a satellite.
How to Apply for a Satellite Tournament?
Satellite Poker Tournaments Online Games
First of all, you need to find an online poker platform that offers a satellite tournament. Make sure to check out our selection, as several sites we feature include this type of competition.
Once you select a platform, navigate to the poker section (if a platform offers other gambling sections), and open an account.
Next, select your preferred payment method, use it to deposit money, and browse available satellite tournaments. Please take into account that some sites simply don't have any contests of this kind available at the moment, which doesn't mean they don't offer them at all. In other words, you might need to check some sites from time to time in order to 'catch' a satellite tournament.
You need to pay attention to several essential things when choosing an ideal satellite tournament.
# The Final Prize
Make sure that the final prize is a seat at a tournament you can actually attend. Many players apply for satellites that take place in some areas that are geographically far away from them. If you are in the US and the tournament is in the UK, make sure that you can afford to go there. Winning a satellite and not being able to make it to the tournament which was awarded to you as a prize is simply depressing.
Some prizes include a paid plane ticket and accommodations, while others just pay for a seat at the target tournament. That's a very important thing to check, especially if you are on a budget and cannot afford flying half the world to play a high buy-in tournament.
# The Buy-in Amount
Some satellites have higher buy-ins, others come at a more affordable price. It's up to you to make a selection based on your poker budget and your personal preferences.
What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't pay a higher buy-in price for a satellite that awards a seat at a tournament that you don't even want to be a part of.
Best case scenario — you get to pay a very small prize and win a seat at a tournament you've always dreamed of playing.
# The Duration
You want to make sure what type of tournament you play in terms of duration. Some last for quite a while, others, such as super-turbo ones, are pretty quick. If you are confident about playing the turbo ones — go for it. On the other hand, if you don't have experience playing such quick competitions, try finding normal-paced ones.
# Other Specifications
Finally, you need to pay attention to other important things that you would consider when applying for any tournament, such as type of poker (< href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_hold_%27em'>PLO, Hold'em, and so on), stack sizes, level duration, additional awards, and more.
The beauty of poker lies in various types of tournaments that bring all kinds of rewards for the best participants.
One of the most lucrative tournaments among online poker players is the so-called 'satellite tournament'.
Essentially, satellite tournaments do not offer money as the final prize.
Instead, they provide an entry for another tournament which usually requires a much higher buy-in. This is a perfect opportunity for people who play poker and are on a budget to experience the atmosphere of big live poker competitions.
In this article, I'll cover some of the burning questions related to satellite tournaments and explain their very nature. Some of the things you'll learn about them are:
Should You Play Satellite Tournaments?
Contents
- How to Apply for a Satellite Tournament?
- Pros and Cons of Satellite Tournaments
Before you even buy yourself a seat at a satellite, you need to ask yourself the following question — what do I want from poker?
There are many reasons why people play poker. Some want to earn real money, others want to test their skills, and some just want to have fun.
If you are looking for a quick buck and poker is your side hustle, don't bother applying for satellites at all. Even the fast-paced ones tend to last longer than usual, and the final prize is not even cash. Although you might end up winning a pile of money if you do well in both the satellite and the target tournament (which was awarded via the satellite), you need to devote a lot of time and energy without earning any cash in between.
On the other hand, if your goal is to have fun, test your poker skills, and meet new people, then satellites are a perfect opportunity for that. In that case, make sure to read on how to apply for a satellite.
How to Apply for a Satellite Tournament?
Satellite Poker Tournaments Online Games
First of all, you need to find an online poker platform that offers a satellite tournament. Make sure to check out our selection, as several sites we feature include this type of competition.
Once you select a platform, navigate to the poker section (if a platform offers other gambling sections), and open an account.
Next, select your preferred payment method, use it to deposit money, and browse available satellite tournaments. Please take into account that some sites simply don't have any contests of this kind available at the moment, which doesn't mean they don't offer them at all. In other words, you might need to check some sites from time to time in order to 'catch' a satellite tournament.
You need to pay attention to several essential things when choosing an ideal satellite tournament.
# The Final Prize
Make sure that the final prize is a seat at a tournament you can actually attend. Many players apply for satellites that take place in some areas that are geographically far away from them. If you are in the US and the tournament is in the UK, make sure that you can afford to go there. Winning a satellite and not being able to make it to the tournament which was awarded to you as a prize is simply depressing.
Some prizes include a paid plane ticket and accommodations, while others just pay for a seat at the target tournament. That's a very important thing to check, especially if you are on a budget and cannot afford flying half the world to play a high buy-in tournament.
# The Buy-in Amount
Some satellites have higher buy-ins, others come at a more affordable price. It's up to you to make a selection based on your poker budget and your personal preferences.
What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't pay a higher buy-in price for a satellite that awards a seat at a tournament that you don't even want to be a part of.
Best case scenario — you get to pay a very small prize and win a seat at a tournament you've always dreamed of playing.
# The Duration
You want to make sure what type of tournament you play in terms of duration. Some last for quite a while, others, such as super-turbo ones, are pretty quick. If you are confident about playing the turbo ones — go for it. On the other hand, if you don't have experience playing such quick competitions, try finding normal-paced ones.
# Other Specifications
Finally, you need to pay attention to other important things that you would consider when applying for any tournament, such as type of poker (< href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_hold_%27em'>PLO, Hold'em, and so on), stack sizes, level duration, additional awards, and more.
Tips and Tricks for Playing Satellites
Let's take a look at some important tips & tricks that can enhance your satellite experience:
- Look for tournaments that offer more than one entry — as previously mentioned, some satellites award more than one player with an entry to a bigger competition — the more, the merrier.
- Do your best at the start, then focus on staying in the game — satellites that award many entries to a tournament are great because you can relax once the bubble bursts and you make it to the list of awarded players.
- Take your chances — turbo and super-turbo satellites do not allow players to think about their actions, meaning that the element of luck plays a more important role, so feel free to play aggressively and take your chances.
- Seek an alternative — satellites are not for everybody and, if you think that you are not fit for playing one such competition, make sure to explore other options on poker sites. There are various other types of tournaments out there such as MTTs, progressive knockouts, free tournaments, deep stack tournaments, and more.
Pros and Cons of Satellite Tournaments
Although they seem like a perfect opportunity for players to earn their seat in one of the bigger tournaments, satellite qualifying competitions do have a couple of disadvantages as well. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of this type of poker contest.
Pros
The primary advantage is that you get to invest a small amount of money and earn much more than that if you do well in the high buy-in event. There have been several cases of players qualifying via online satellite tournaments and making a pretty good run in the live ones.
Therefore, getting a chance to take part in a high buy-in event is perhaps the second most important advantage of online satellite tournaments.
Finally, satellite tournaments feature both professional poker players and complete beginners. It's an opportunity to test your skills in this game against all sorts of players.
Free Online Satellite Poker Tournaments
To sum up, these are the main advantages of satellite tournaments:
- Small buy-in/huge potential reward
- Opportunity to play in high buy-in contests
- Opportunity to improve your poker skills
Cons
Many poker players simply don't like the fact that there are many steps that they need to take in order to get the final reward. In other words, satellites are so popular that sometimes thousands of players apply for them, meaning that it takes time before the whole thing is wrapped up.
In order to speed things up, many online poker rooms opt for turbo and super turbo tournaments. Many players who like to take it slow might not enjoy the speed with which these contests unfold.
Therefore, the two main disadvantages of satellite tournaments are:
- There are too many steps
- Some of them are too fast
