Several online poker rooms are giving its players ways to satellite into this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event (WSOP ME), and PokerStars is no exception. In fact, with a myriad of ways to win a seat (for as little as $2.00), PokerStars will be sending more online players to Vegas than any other room online.
If you are fortunate enough to win a seat via one of these satellites, you actually receive a package of goodies which includes your seat (worth $10,000 US), potential accomodation, $2,500 spending money, the ‘2008 Players Bag’ (containing PokerStars clothing), and other bonuses.
For free accomodation at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, you must sign the PokerStars Terms and Conditions and agree to wear PokerStars logo gear throughout the event. The accomodations included a minimum of eight nights at the hotel as well as free to and from transportation (via shuttle) for getting to the Rio. If you are still playing in the Main Event by July 10th, PokerSTars will pick up the tab for an extended stay until July 15th. If you don’t wish to sign the T&Cs and wear the gear, you will receive $1,000 credited to your PokerStars account, instead.
If you are a Supernova or Supernova Elite VIP member on PokerStars and you choose to take the offered accomodations at the Palms Hotel, you will have your hotel suite upgraded.
There are hefty bonuses available if you make it deep in the Main Event (after qualifying through PokerStars). If you manage to get onto a TV table, you will receive up to $50,000 US. Upgrade that to the final table and you will receive an additional $1,000,000 US! You must, of course, agree to wear PokerStars gear to receive the bonus cash.
There are three routes to a WSOP ME PokerStars package: buy-in directly to a cash qualifier, use your Frequent Player Points (FPPs) and play a FPP satellite, or play the Steps Sit & Go (SnG) Satellites to work your way up to a seat.
Find a cash qualifier by opening the PokerStars lobby, clicking ‘Events’, then ‘WSOP’, and then ‘Cash Satellites’. There are daily satellites that qualify you for a weekly event, and then the weekly events award WSOP prize packages. There are endless ways to gain entry into a weekly event, including $2+R, $27+R, and $55+R turbo donkaments, regular $27 MTTs, $80 MTTs, $215 double shootouts, and many many more. If you’d rather buy-in directly to a weekly event, you will pay anywhere from $475 to $1050 and play on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
If you don’t want to spend your cash bankroll on WSOP satellites, you can use FPPs instead. To find these, you open the PokerStars lobby, click ‘Events’, then ‘WSOP’ and then ‘FPP Satellites’. Like the cash qualifiers, there are daily entries that can qualify you for the weekly events, and these cost either 40 FPPs or 400 FPPs. You can also choose to play a 40+R FPP turbo. Winning a seat to the weekly FPP satellite gives you a chance to compete for one of three WSOP prize packages. It is not possible to buy-in directly to the FPP weekly events.
The final way to qualify for a ME package is by playing the new Steps SnG satellites. To find these you must open the PokerStars lobby, click ‘Events’, then ‘WSOP’ and then ‘Sit & Go Satellites’. Here’s how they work:
-Step 1 – pay $7.50 or 500 FPPs
1st or 2nd place – move on to Step 2
3rd place – play Step 1 again
4th place – win $1.50
-Step 2 – pay $27.00 or 1,750 FPPs or win Step 1
1st or 2nd place – move on to Step 3
3rd or 4th place – play Step 2 again
5th place – play Step 1 again
-Step 3 – pay $82.00 or 5,125 FPPs or win Step 2
1st or 2nd place – move on to Step 4
3rd or 4th or 5th place – play Step 3 again
-Step 4 – $215.00 or 13,500 FPPs or win Step 3
1st or 2nd place – move on to Step 5
3rd place – play Step 4 again
4th or 5th place – play Step 3 again
6th place – play Step 2 again
-Step 5 – $700 or win Step 4
1st or 2nd place – move on to Step 6
3rd or 4th place – play Step 5 again
5th or 6th place – play Step 4 again
-Step 6 – $2100 or win Step 5
1st place – $12,500 WSOP prize package
2nd or 3rd place – $1,500
4th or 5th place – $1,000
6th place – $500
Some of FlopTurnRiver’s forum members have been playing in Steps SnG satellites. If you’re interested in participating in the discussion or just learning a bit more about them, please visit the forum page: https://flopturnriver.com/pokerforum/stars-wsop-steps-sng-s-t68120.html
With so many ways to qualify, PokerStars gives players with even the smallest of bankrolls a chance to take a shot and win big at this year’s WSOP. Good luck to those with endeavors to qualify for the Main Event!