WSOP Qualifiers
One of the most beneficial aspects of playing online poker is the ability to win a seat in the most prestigious live events around the world. Topping the list of live poker tournaments is, of course, the World Series of Poker (WSOP). WSOP Qualifiers can be found at just about all of the major online poker rooms.
WSOP Qualifiers are tournaments that award the top finisher(s) with a WSOP Prize Package. The prize package can be worth anywhere from $12,000 to $14,000, and includes the $10,000 WSOP Main Event buy-in, plus travel expenses and hotel accommodations throughout the event. Whatever cash is left over from the prize package is free spending cash for the duration of your trip to Las Vegas.
When participating in multi-table WSOP Qualifiers, you’ll need to be on your best poker game. While the early stages might be a bit loose, the middle stages will tighten up substantially, and making your way into the final table will mean downright ferocious competition.
The WSOP Qualifier is the last stage of the satellite series. This tournament is the one that actually awards the 1st place finisher, and in some cases the top 2 or 3 finishers, with a WSOP prize package. The buy-in for a WSOP Qualifier is going to be relatively high, usually in the hundreds. However, that’s a heck of a bargain compared to the $10k needed to buy-in to the WSOP Main Event.
If you’d like to participate in a WSOP Qualifier without forking over hundreds of dollars or more, you can always start at the lowest level of WSOP Satellites. These tournaments can be entered for as little as $1 to $10, depending on the online poker room you play at.
WSOP Satellites are a series of tournaments that you must win in sequence in order to win a seat in WSOP Qualifiers. Most WSOP Satellites are held as multi-table events, giving the top 20 finishers or so the chance to move on to the next level without paying a higher buy-in.
A typical set-up would be hosting one early-stage WSOP Satellite per day, with the next level held once per week. The top 20 winners from each daily tournament would get a free seat in the next level tourney, while others will have to pay the higher buy-in to take part. The top 20 winners from each weekly event would then be awarded a free seat in the WSOP Qualifier, where the winner(s) claim the ultimate honor; the WSOP prize package.
To avoid the exhausting length of multi-table satellites, you can always try entering WSOP Steps Satellites, held in Sit’n'Go format. Sit’n'Go Steps have become the most popular way to strive for a WSOP prize package, available at several online poker rooms including PokerStars. The SNG Steps are usually a series of 6 single-table tournaments, where you must win all 6 in a row to earn your seat in the WSOP.
At PokerStars, if you can manage to win the 1st Step, you will win a seat in the 2nd Step. Finish at least 2nd or 3rd, and you’ll get to play the 1st Step again for free. Win the 2nd Step to move onto the 3rd, and so on. Coming out on top in the 6th Step – the WSOP Qualifier stage – instantly awards the WSOP Main Event prize package.
