If you have ever glanced at a tournament lobby of any respectable online poker room, you must have seen tournaments with strange names often mentioning cities and dates. These would be Live Tournament Satellites. In these Qualifier tournaments you can win packages to big buy-in live tournaments in some pretty cool locations.
How do Live Satellites work?
In most cases the satellite path leading up to the live event has three levels:
1) Entry level: Small stakes tournaments that give you chance to win a live poker trip for just a few dollar investment. Common tournaments are $1-$5 rebuys and $5-$10 freezeouts. All winners in these tournaments will get a ticket to next level.
2) Intermediate Level: $20 to $100 Buy-ins paying out tickets directly to the Online Final.
3) Online Finals: Buy-ins usually $100-$300. The winners of these tournaments win a package to a Live Tournament, usually worth $2000-$5000.
You can always choose to buy-in directly to the Final or the mid-level satellite if you don´t feel like playing the entry level tournaments.
What are Live Packages?
Live Tournament Package typically includes: Buy-in to a big live tournament, accommodation in a luxury hotel during the tournament and cash for flights and travel arrangements. Usually poker sites also host parties for online qualifiers and there will be staff available at the event. If you are new to live tournaments, experienced staff will make your first live tournament trip much smoother.
Why play Live Satellites?
Live tournaments are great fun: you´ll get to experience new countries and you´ll get to meet some of the best poker players. Live poker itself is a thrill. At first you may feel a bit nervous, but after few hands you´ll really start enjoying making the live reads, the table talk, shuffling the chips and the challenge of keeping your poker face.
Live Satellites are the most affordable way to get to play a live tournament and win six-figure prizes; you can start with only $10-$20 and get many shots at making it all the way. Because there´s always a lot of players from sub-satellites in the Online Finals, the tournaments are actually much softer than other $200+ buy-in tournaments and if you stay smart and focused you may be surprised how good a chance you have to win a poker trip you will never forget!
