Satellite tournaments are poker tournaments organized by online poker rooms with seats to the prestigious World Series of Poker events as first place prizes. Many players consider satellites as their only chance to actually make it to the WSOP. The best playing strategy to use at a satellite tournament depends on the tournament's type.

There are three kinds of satellites typically hosted by online poker destinations: 1. A winner-take all satellite. A tournament in which only the ultimate winner will collect the one and only prize, a WSOP seat. 2. A low buy-in satellite. This kind of satellites usually have very low buy-ins. The catch is that very few WSOP seats are actually awarded. For every 80 people entering such a tournament there will be only one WSOP seat offered. 3. A high buy-in satellite. The odds of a player actually nabbing a seat to the WSOP through a high buy-in satellite are much better. For every twenty people entering such a tournament one fortunate player will receive a coveted seat to a land-based event. Although these satellites make things for WSOP player wannabes much easier, they are, however, not cheap at all. The buy-in is quite expensive and often scares off poker beginners.

Winner-take all strategy

Your main goal when you play in a winner-take all satellite tournament 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 tournaments typically attracts people with little or average poker skills . Participating players will often make highly ridiculous mistakes because they feel they have nothing to loose. In addition, luck plays a huge role in such tournaments, so poker 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 tournaments imply lots of players with relatively few WSOP seats to be awarded. You need to pick a good playing 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. Remember that the size of your stack has a paramount importance in low buy-in tournaments.

Small stack thinking

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. The logic behind such thinking is clear. There is no potential gain from going after a player 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 have 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. It's probably going to work. Additionally, if you see your opponents attacking each other without any sense to it, we advice you to apply selective aggression. Despite the fact that your position is the weakest, you may still benefit from other players' foolish raising battles one against the other.

High buy-in strategy

High buy-in satellites imply more WSOP packages to be distributed among winning players. For every 800 entrants there will typically be 40 WSOP event seats offered. 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 an online satellite 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 to invest 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. If you are just a poker 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.

Further information on different poker strategies is also available this online poker school .