In 2003, an accountant from Nashville, Tennessee played a satellite tournament on PokerStars with an $86 buy in. What came next was the “Moneymaker Effect,” which catapulted poker in to the spotlight after he went on to win the World Series of Poker Main Event for $2.5 million. All across America, players knew that they could be the next champion without having to put up the $10k buy in. For 2016, the WSOP is offering more chances than ever to join the list of champions at a fraction of the cost.
Online Satellites
Online satellites are by far the most famous way to get in to the Main Event. Chris Moneymaker did it for cheap and so can you! Several poker rooms are offering these, but we’ll take a look at some of the best.
Americas Cardroom/Black Chip Poker: This site has a unique take on the WSOP Satellite. The $3 Jackpot tournaments have been transformed into the World Series of Jackpots in celebration of the 2016 Main Event. The top prize is no longer only 10,000 times the buy in. The highest multiplier will now automatically award all three players a seat in the 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event. In the past, they have also run traditional satellites so keep an eye out for the announcement. For 2015, they started as low as $2, or $250 for a direct entry satellite.
Bovada: Bovada has, by and large, the best WSOP package available to players in the US. Each year super satellites start as low as $0.55 and direct entries are just $500. What stands out on Bovada, however, is that you are not just competing for your seat; you are playing for an entry into the Main Event as well as $3,000 in spending money while you are in Las Vegas. You’ll also get exclusive swag and an invitation to a private WSOP celebration in Vegas. In the past, they have also held drawings for Vegas prize packages based on the amount of Poker Points earned on a specific day, although there is no word yet on whether that will be the case for 2016.
WSOP.com: WSOP’s own poker room has the most satellites of anyone. There are daily satellites into events like the Colossus, but the real draw will be every Saturday through June, when they are running a $200 Main Event satellite. You must be in Nevada or or New Jersey to play in these, however. There will also be satellites into the Online Bracelet event, which debuted last year.
Satellites In Las Vegas
The Rio is the host of the World Series of Poker and they feature a large variety of ways to qualify for their Main Event. Single Table SNG tournaments can even get you to the big day with as little as $200. There are daily options, however, and you could enter daily in person and still end up with a seat for less than the $10k buy in. If this sounds like the best option for you, make sure to be there on July 4. This is what the Rio is calling Satellite Day and it will be the beginning of the satellites that will be running all day long up until the day the Main Event gets cards in the air.
The World Series of Poker Main Event is the largest tournament in the history of the game. Lives are changed every year and everyday people become heroes to players across the world. This year, you don’t need an extra $10,000 to become one of the few. Log in, or head over to the Rio, and you, too, can be a part of history.
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