Sometimes it can be difficult for recreational players to make head or tail of poker satellites, especially for major online festivals.
So with the partypoker MILLIONS Online in full swing, and the second starting flight of the $5M GTD Main Event taking place this weekend, we thought we'd call in the help of partypoker Ambassador Dzmitry Urbanovich.
He gives us the lowdown on what events amateurs should look to satellite into, how easy satellites are as well as his personal experience satelliting into tournaments.
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Why Should You Play Satellites?
When people sit down to play tournaments, they may not even have considered playing in satellites. Dzmitry says that he always likes to play satellites whether it's live or online, especially for Main Events.
"Satellites usually have soft fields and it is always nice to play the tournaments for 10% (usually) of the buy-in," he told PokerNews. "I play satellites all the time; I'm mostly playing ones with the most seats guaranteed only."
Dzmitry told us that in the past he's qualified into $50,000 and $25,000 buy-in tournaments through satellites, and says that for $5,000/10,000 Online Main Events, he's probably qualified for around half through satellites.
partypoker MILLIONS Online Satellites
Dzmitry says that he definitely won't be missing this weekend's partypoker MILLIONS Online $5,300 Main Event Mega Satellite, which guarantees 50 seats!
"$55 phase satellites with no DBI to the final have been running consistently for a long period of time, and I was lucky enough to qualify from Sunday’s $530 mega satellite. Everyone who has the goal to qualify for the MILLIONS has lots of opportunities to qualify."
Related: partypoker MILLIONS Online Main Event Satellites Run All Week
Are Satellites Easy?
Even a talented poker player like Dzmitry - with over $6M in lifetime earnings - doesn't consider satellite into festivals easy, but says that depending on the tournament it could be the right option.
"Tournaments with solid guarantees, deep structure, ideally multi-day (if it works for you) should be your target. If you have a lower bankroll and you start from the cheaper phases then go for these main events! It’s great that there are so many opportunities for this on party."
With the Irish Open Main Event coming up on partypoker in March, Dzmitry is already looking ahead to satelliting into more tournaments.
Dzmitry's Top Satellite Tips
Here are a list of Dzmitry's top satellite tips. Put them into practice over on partypoker and you'll be joining him in the big buy-in Main Events in no time!
- Remember that there's always another tournament
- Be smart in choosing events you're trying to qualify - it should suit your bankroll and your skill/confidence level
- Study the format a bit before you start playing them as it has some unique concepts
- Remember, that you don't need to win all the chips, the goal is to survive
- Work the big stack - you don't want to be a player who calls someone's all-in around the bubble, you want to be the one who is pushing all the chips yourself
Join the Love Party!
If you don't already have a partypoker account, simply download partypoker through PokerNews to take advantage of the Love Party and get in on the epic MILLIONS Online action.
The first part of the promotion is simply completing a daily Love Party mission. The first step is to opt into the mission via the client's 'Promotions' section.
After that you will be presented an easy-to-complete mission such as winning a cash game hand with a suited big slick. You will be awarded a random prize after you complete the mission which could include a MILLIONS Online ticket worth $55!
This is not all as partypoker also giving you the chance to claim a mystery prize this week simply by making a deposit using the 'LOVEPARTY' deposit code between now and Mar. 3. The prize could be a freeroll ticket, a SPINS ticket, or even $50 in cold, hard cash!
Head to partypoker today to not miss out on the free love before time runs out.
