Satellite poker tournaments are often organized by online poker rooms and offer seats to prestigious events, such as the World Series of Poker, as prizes. Many players consider satellite poker tournaments as their only chance to actually make it to the big stage since buying in to a major event usually requires a hefty financial investment.

There are three kinds of satellites typically hosted by online poker destinations:

1. Winner-take all satellite poker tournaments - A tournament in which only the ultimate winner will collect the one and only prize, a tournament seat.

2. Low buy-in events - This kind of competition usually has very low buy-ins. The catch is that very few seats are actually awarded. For every 80 people entering, there will be only or two major event seats offered.

3. High buy-in satellite - The odds of a player actually nabbing a seat to the WSOP or other event through a high buy-in satellite has the best odds. For every twenty people entering such a tournament one fortunate player will receive a coveted seat to a land-based event. Although these satellite poker tournaments give better odds for a seat, they are often very pricey and the buy-in is quite expensive and often scares off poker beginners.

Winner-take all poker satellite strategy

Your main goal when you play in winner-take all poker satellite tournaments is to win all the chips. You need to play fairly aggressively and it is often smart to go all-in. Don't give up without a fight. This kind of tournament typically attracts people with little or average poker skills . Participants will often make mistakes because they feel they have nothing to lose. On the other hand, luck plays a huge role in such events, so beginners who somehow happen to play their cards right actually have a certain chance at finding themselves competing against WSOP pros.

Low buy-in strategy

As we have already mentioned such events imply lots of players with relatively few WSOP seats to be awarded. You need to pick a good strategy and stick to it. Remember, your goal is not to beat all your opponents and win the tournament, but to finish in a WSOP package place.

Small stack thinking

In most satellite poker tournaments you need to avoid having the smallest stack at the table. This is because players with the smallest stacks typically tend to become targets for elimination. Players with larger stacks often attack small-stacked opponents because they figure that even if they lose against such opponents they would still continue playing in the tournament.

There is no potential gain from going after a someone with a large chip stack because he is unlikely to be pushed out of the game. Furthermore, such a move can risk your own participation in the event. The best strategy in such cases is to try and keep an average-sized stack. To blend in, so to speak. Be aggressive, don't hesitate.

However, if you do ultimately find yourself in a situation in which you happen to have the smallest stack at the table, you need to regain some power really quickly. Stealing blinds is the most efficient strategy in such cases. If your stack is small, but not hopelessly small, steal as many blinds as you possibly can. Additionally, if you see your opponents attacking each other without any sense to it, we advise you to apply selective aggression. Despite the fact that your position is the weakest, you may still benefit from others foolishly raising one another.

High buy-in strategy

High buy-in satellite poker tournaments offer more major seats for winning players. For every 800 entrants there will typically be 40 major event seats offered for instance. This facilitates the way for players with winning aspirations. Basically, you can apply the same strategy as in low buy-in satellites. Don't act impulsively so you don't squander your chips. Having a medium-sized chips stack is the most perfect condition. Be very attentive, especially towards the end of the game and try to steal blinds.

Before entering you need to figure out how much money you can afford to spend and how good you really are. If you feel very confident in your skills and don't mind investing a couple of hundred of dollars, you may want to go for the high buy-in tournaments where you have much better chances of actually winning a seat at the tournament. If you are just a beginner and luck is a major factor in your game than it's best for you to test your skills, and Lady Luck's willingness to cooperate, in a winner-take all tournament.