What You Should Know About the World Series of Poker
If you’re looking to compete for glory and riches, look no further than the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Held every summer in Las Vegas, the WSOP is the largest and most extravagant poker event featuring novice and seasoned players.
Packed with a series of tournaments with big prize pools, the WSOP is every player’s wish. And we’ll help you find an easy way to the Main Event, only if you continue reading.
Let’s get started.
How to Get a Seat at WSOP Main Event
Every poker’s dream is to feature at the WSOP Main Event—playing against the world’s best and getting a shot at big money prizes.
Here are cheap viable options to get you to Las Vegas!
1. Playing WSOP Main Event Satellites
Playing satellites is the simplest route to get a seat at the WSOP main event. But it doesn’t come easy. You’ve to battle your way up to the main satellite tournament where you stand a chance to get the WSOP Main Event entry.
You can find satellite tournaments at most online and live rooms but you’ve to pay to enter. Online rooms are the cheapest option you can enter with buy-ins for as little as $1. For instance, Chris Moneymaker, the 2003 WSOP Main Event champion, got his entry into the tournament for $86 and won $2,500,000!
So, if you’re determined to play at the main event, you can take the plunge with the WSOP 2023 satellites. You’ll get a chance to potentially win a seat at a bargain investment with every payout, and the more tournaments you proceed from, the chances are you might go all the way.
2. Staking a Deal
A staking deal can take you to Las Vegas. But how does it work? Someone pays your buy-in, and in return, you agree to give them a certain percentage of whatever prize you win.
It sounds as easy as considering buying a home warranty, right? But it works better for seasoned players—their proven poker skills attract regular backers who pay for their tournament entries.
If you’re a novice, it’s hard to get someone to back you for $10,000, unless you have a wealthy relative or friend who believes in your poker skills.
3. Selling Main Event Shares
“Selling shares” of your main event performance is a viable option if you fail to secure a full staking deal. In short, you pay a certain amount of the buy-in from your pocket and ask one or several people to cover the remaining amount.
For whatever prize you win, you keep a percentage equal to the amount you paid and distribute the rest to your backers depending on how many “shares” they bought at the start.
Alternatively, you can sell your Main Event shares on reliable poker shares websites and keep tabs on the money and reservations you get. But just like staking, you’ll find it difficult if you’re an amateur with no results to make a case for you.
4. Freeroll Your Way into the Main Event
If you have a few minutes to spare, then you can get a seat at the Main Event without spending a cent or selling shares. Many large online rooms set up freeroll tournaments where the winner gets the Main Event ticket with all expenses covered.
The freeroll tournaments feature tens of thousands of players, making it very competitive to get hands on the prize. Also, you can find interesting opportunities that guarantee you a seat at the Main Event or a ticket to the Main Event satellite by following big poker operators on social media platforms.
5. Create a Home Game Qualifier
You got poker buddies you play with regularly? Great. You can combine efforts and send one of you to Las Vegas for the big stage.
While the $10,000 WSOP Main Event buy-in seems huge, you can get it if you start saving early. Depending on your number, you can set up a home league with a realistic buy-in. You save all collected funds and award points to players as per their performance in the league.
The ultimate winner (the player with the most points at the end of the league) gets the ticket to the WSOP Main Event to play for the group.
But, write down an agreement to ensure y’all get a fair share of any potential winnings at the Main Event.
Notable WSOP Tournaments
The WSOP has a lineup of tournaments that attract and satisfy a large number of players. The most important WSOP tournaments you can have a shot at include:
- WSOP Main Event. The event is held in July every year in Las Vegas and attracts over 6,000 players, each starting with 30,000 chips. Its buy-in is $10,000 and winners pocket multi-million dollar prizes.
- WSOP Europe Main Event. First held in London, this tournament draws a large attendance. Its buy-in is €10,000. Annette Obrestad won the first tournament (€1,000,000 prize).
- The Poker Player’s Championship. With a buy-in of $50,000, this tournament features rounds of Texas Holdem, Omaha, razz, and 7-card studs.
- The Colossus. Added to WSOP in 2015, The Colossus has a buy-in of $565 with a guaranteed prize pool of $5 million.
- Seniors No Limit Hold’em Championship. It’s strictly for players aged 55 and above. The buy-in fee is $1,000.
- Ladies Hold’em Championship. A women’s event with a $1,000 buy-in fee (recently capped at $10,000 to keep off men) buy-in fee.
Play in the WSOP Main Event: It’s Possible
The WSOP Main Event is every poker player’s dream. We hope our tips can help you get a seat on the big stage at a cheaper or No buy-in price. If you miss the Main Event, make sure you land on the other equally prestigious WSOP tournaments.
