Winning Strategies for Poker Satellite Tournaments

If you cannot afford the $,10,000 buy in at the major tournaments like the WSOP, the next best thing is to try and get a seat by way of the various Poker satellite tournaments being played in casinos or on the Internet. Before you join in one, it is important to know that these qualifiers come in afferent formats.

The first is that of the winner take all. As the name suggests there is only seat to be given and it will be contested by all the players. In this type of Poker satellite tournament, your strategy will have to be aggression almost all the way. Once all the weak players have been busted out in the early stages, you will have to show aggressiveness.

Most of your Poker opponents will feel pressured to act, so take advantage of the situation to take control of the game. The format is no doubt more difficult, but the benefit is that in this type of event there is usually a bonus included with the prize (such as paying for hotel expenses).

The other common type of Poker satellite tournament is that where plenty of seats are handed out. In this event, the buy in will usually be of a higher cost, but given the number of seats that will be given away that is understandable. Here your strategy is to just try and get a seat.

You do not need to try and aim for the top position; just play a conservative game, albeit raising and being aggressive if the opportunity presents itself.

If you are joining a Poker satellite tournament that only hands out a few seats (i.e. per 100 players) expect a lot of aggressive action early on as players try to position themselves. Being tight aggressive is the best option here. Although some would advocate a more loose aggressive style in the latter stages.

Whatever Poker strategy you use, the important thing to remember is that you need to keep your stack to at least a medium sized level. If you are one of the short stacks, or the one with the smallest, you will be a prime target; one player out, the greater the equity for the remaining players.

Given that fact, it is crucial that any time you determine that your stacks is in danger of becoming short, you should double up on the first decent chance that you get. The worst position to be in a Poker satellite tournament is doubling up and still being on the short end.

Playing in Poker satellite tournaments, whatever type it may be, requires a lot of thinking and strategizing before hand. Make sure that before you join, you know the kind of event it is, and the appropriate tactics to use. With the proper strategy for the appropriate tourney, you will be on the right track.