Satellites in five minutes
About to play in a WSOP satellite and need the quickest of primers? We've got you covered.
In my book Poker Satellite Strategy which I wrote with legendary satellite grinder Dara O'Kearney, we have a section called 'Satellites in 30 Minutes' at the start. This is where we give some quick advice to help people right away, before they dived into the theory.
It wasn't enough advice to turn them into a crusher but it was enough to plug some leaks. We also thought that seeing the tips work in real time at the table would make the rest of the information easier to digest.
Now that GGPoker have launched their WSOP satellites (below) I am going to try and condense that advice into an even quicker format. You won't crush satellites with this advice but you might avoid a major error.
Fold equity is the most important form of equity
Fold equity is the most important form of equity in a super satellite. You should be looking to give your opponents an opportunity to fold, even when you have a very strong hand. Trapping and inducing is a great strategy when you are trying to win the whole tournament but the more you avoid showdown, the more likely you are to survive to the bubble. If you see players open shoving 30 or 40 big blinds and showing up with strong hands like JJ or AQ in the late stages, this is actually a sign of a seasoned satellite player. Don’t dismiss them as playing incorrectly - you should be doing the same.
Even when you have Pocket Aces, it's a good result in the final stages if you make everyone fold.
Avoid calling all-ins
By far the biggest errors you will see in satellites is when players call all-ins too widely. The best way to reduce variance is to dramatically reduce the range you are prepared to call an all-in with when the amount you would stand to lose would hurt you severely or eliminate you. Quite simply you are putting yourself at the mercy of the deck when you call an all-in, and in satellites we want to avoid high variance showdown situations as much as possible.
This does not mean you should eliminate calling from your range. If you flop a full house and your opponent shoves you obviously will be calling. What this does mean is that, until you have studied satellites in more depth, you should narrow your own calling ranges. Think about what you would normally call with in the same spot in a regular MTT and reduce that by maybe a factor of three. So if you would normally call with 99+ and ATo+, maybe make the equivalent satellite range QQ+ and AKo+.
Don’t get too bogged down in the perfect adjustments at this stage, we are just trying to plug the most obvious leaks between now and when you have studied satellites in more detail.
When to lock up
There is a point where you have a seat guaranteed and you can 'lock up' and fold your way to the money. You can work out when that is with this simple trick:
If there are more people outside the bubble than there are positions between you and the bubble, you usually are guaranteed a seat.
For example, if you are currently 70th of 120 players and 100 players win a seat. In this case, there are 30 players between you and the bubble and a further 20 players outside the bubble. That means that you could blind out and make the money, because those 20 players outside the bubble would need to make a move before you. A further 30 would be in trouble before you.
Your correct strategy in this situation would be to fold every hand, even premium hands like Aces and Kings (unless the person shoving into you has a very small stack which would mean nothing for you to call).
Win your Main Event package at GGPoker
GGPoker has revealed the details of their Road To Vegas satellite tournaments for the WSOP Main Event 2021 that is taking place in Las Vegas this year beginning November 4.
Once again the winner will be crowned world champion, banking millions of dollars, and international players who want to claim their shot at WSOP glory via online satellites can now do so exclusively at GGPoker.
A full schedule of satellites will be available at GGPoker starting August 1, with dozens of WSOP Main Event packages up for grabs every week.
The WSOP Main Event packages, each one worth $12,500, consist of:
- Buy-in of $10,000 for the WSOP Main Event 2021
- Accommodation at Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino for 7 nights
- $1,250 for travel expenses (to be booked with MainEventTravel.com)
- Entry to the GGPoker WSOP Players Party
- GGPoker-branded merchandise
- Access to the GGPoker Platinum Lounge at the Rio
Last longer promo for GGPoker qualifiers
Anyone who's able to qualify for the WSOP Main Event 2021 via GGPoker will also take part in a special last longer promotion where a WSOP Europe 2021 package will be waiting on the GGPoker player who's able to place highest in the Main Event.
"The WSOP Main Event is the most prestigious tournament on the planet, and GGPoker's Road To Vegas will allow players from all over the world to win their way in," said Daniel Negreanu, GGPoker Global Ambassador. "I've been playing the Main Event since 1998. There's no tournament like it. It's every poker player's dream to win it, including mine."
The WSOP Main Event satellites at GGPoker start at a buy-in of only $80 for the first feeder satellites, continuing with $250 and $1,050 as well as special $108 steps satellites for the final $1,050 WSOP Main Event qualifiers.
If you're able to get your hands on a WSOP Main Event package but can't make it to Las Vegas or if you're able to win more than one package, you'll instead receive a total of $10,000 in Tournament Dollars at GGPoker. Good luck!
Are you going to play some WSOP satellites? Let us know in the comments:
