Top pros, such as Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, and Daniel Negreanu, heavily advocate playing in satellites, whether it be in online games or to the Main Event of the World Series of Poker. This is why the WSOP has taken to having days set aside especially for these satellites.
Satellites are different than any other sort of tournament. As many to most satellites offer more than one seat, you are not forced to play for first place. This greatly alters the style of play needed to most efficiently win the prize, in this case, an entry to a larger tournament.
Today, most poker sites, including
Cake Poker and
Full Tilt Poker, have rebuy satellites. Rebuy means that, at any point in which you have a chip stack equal to or less than the starting stack, you can purchase another starting stack of chips for the price of the original buyin. In online games, this usually occurs for the first hour. Of course, in the WSOP games, this is much longer. At the end of this rebuy period, players have the option to addon, which is usually between the amount of chips in the starting stack to double this amount. Sometimes, for double the price, you can buy an additional addon.
First of all, you must consider your bankroll when you go to enter a rebuy tournament. Though the buyin may be a set amount, you must anticipate using more than one buyin in this game. A standard rule is to use three buyins, but it is always better to stand on the side of caution and have four, especially if you will have the option for a double addon at the end of the rebuy period.
When entering a rebuy satellite tournament, it is most wise to immediately rebuy. Play in rebuys is very loose, so if you catch a good hand early and get allin, you can have triple to quadruple the starting stack almost immediately. If the tournament is a Turbo tournament, you have to adjust your game accordingly, playing more fast and loose than usual. If it is a standard rate tournament, your usual game will work fine for the first hour. At the addon period, if you are in the middle of the pack, buy as many chips as possible. You will still be well under the price for the tournament in which you are trying to win a seat.
The remaining piece of the tournament should be played much tighter, as you aren’t playing to win, only to get into the seats. Put your money in with favorable odds, get top value out of your hands, and avoid making a big mistake that could cost you your stack, and you should be in without a problem.
By: KingBorgo