Taking A Shot At Stardom
We’ve all dreamt it; sitting at the fi nal table, practicing showing your cards to the hole card cams, feeling the heat from the lights, stacking out the mountain of chips you’ve accumulated in the previous days, and looking across at Phil Ivey, thinking “If I got this far, why couldn’t I win this thing and take out Ivey while doing it?” Before you fi nd yourself in this spot, you’ll need to get into the tourney and with so many paths to get there we thought we would give you some tips to get started. This month, lets talk about steps sit-n-go satellites.
What is a step satellite? How do I play?
Step satellites are geared towards players who don’t feel that comfortable playing in MTTs or that don’t have the time. You win your way into major events by winning a series of SNGs. On PokerStars, there are six steps and you can buy yourself into any step; so if you feel comfortable starting at step one, for $7.50, start there, or if you feel a bit adventurous and want to start a bit higher, go for step three for $82.00. In each SNG, the top fi nishers win a ticket to the next step, some win tickets to repeat the same step, and others win nothing. This diagram is an example of the steps to the 2008 WSOP Main Event.
How do I win? Here are some tips.
Map it Out
Set a bankroll for yourself before you get started and get the most value out of the bankroll. If you have $100, try playing thirteen step ones at $7.50 each and get as many step two tickets as possible. That way, you won’t need to win six straight SNGs, which would be tough. Do the same with your step two tickets and so on. Hopefully if and when you get to step six you will have more than one shot.
Pay Attention
Greg Raymer reminds us, “Keep an eye on the payout structure. For example, in some of the steps, the top two players will advance to the next round, while those fi nishing in positions three on down might win a retry at the current level, or at least a retry at a level one notch down.”
Keep it Simple
There is no need to get super tricky with your play. Stick with a tight aggressive strategy here and you will cruise through the early levels. Later on you’ll face tougher opponents, but don’t let that intimidate you. Play your A+ game without getting crazy with outrageous bluffs and you have as good a shot as even the best players in the world.
Be Ready to Travel
If you are fortunate and skilled enough to hit the step six homerun, get ready to pack your bags. Event packages are not transferable and cannot be traded for cash – if you can’t play the big one, you are better off sticking to your regular SNGs where you can bank your cash winnings and not worry about fi nding your passport.
