 You've
got $500 in your pocket that you're going
to spend trying to qualify for the WSOP.
How do you spend your money wisely?.
This article takes a look at the best ways
to qualify for the WSOP and some benefits
and drawbacks of the best ways to qualify
for the worlds biggest poker tournament.
WSOP Quick Reference
Virtually all of the online poker rooms
are offering a WSOP qualifying path. We've
taken a look through most of them and picked
out a few gems in the rough that deserve
a look for someone who aspires to become
the next world champion of poker.
With the rise of internet poker over the
past 5 years, the World Series of Poker
is literally open to anyone who is determined
to win a seat.
Online poker sites are sending thousands
of players to the series. There are literally
hundreds of different tournaments and qualifying
satellites available online, designed to
suit nearly every bankroll.
Everyone who spends some time trying and
is a halfway decent poker player has a legimitate
opportunity to qualify for the $10,000 Main
Event at the WSOP. No longer do you have
to take your $500 to the cash no limit tables
and try to turn it into $10,000, which you
then spend on your seat in the WSOP.
This article is not looking
at 'freerolls' to the World Series. These
freerolls are typically such long shots
that we're not going to focus on them. Instead
we've budgeted $500 to spend as wisely
as possible qualifying for the 2006
World Series of Poker.
Bodog WSOP Qualifiers
One of our favorite sites, Bodog Poker is
also one of the best paths into the WSOP.
We scoured the online poker rooms and researched
the different ways to qualify for the World
Series of Poker.
These look like great investment opportunities
for our $500 bankroll.
 1.
We'll start with Bodog
Poker, and for good reason. Bodog's claim
to fame is that they have multi-table tournaments
with overlay. Bodog Poker nearly always have
significant amounts of overlay in their tournaments.
Overlay is additional money awarded to the
winner above and beyond that of what the cumulative
player buy-in's equal.
Bodog is famous for this and is still the
place to find online poker overlay tournaments.
Bodog's World Series of Poker qualifying tournaments
are no exceptions - most of these these tournaments
have overlay and Bodog is notorious for adding
additional WSOP seats in their qualifying
tournaments.
The most recent major qualifier at bodog guaranteed
TWO FREE seats additional! That's $25k at
bodog because they also give you $2500 extra
for travel and expenses.
WSOP
qualifying paths at Bodog Poker.
1. Bodog $5+.50 Multi Table - 1 out
of 6 players advance to the next round. This
is the entry level. For someone with a $500
bankroll set aside to spend on qualifying,
we recommend skipping this level unless you
just have a lot of time to play poker. (play
now)
The fields are easy to beat, but you only
win $29 worth of tournament credits. If you
have the time, this is a fine tournament to
play in. The players are very weak and you
should be able to win a seat into the next
step, which is a $27+2 tournament.
2. Bodog $27 + 2 Multi Table - 1 out
of 10 win $270 worth of tournament credits.
If there are 20 players, top 2 win $270 worth
of tournament entry fee's. If you win this
tournament, you can buy into the bodog direct
qualifying tournament, $250+20, that awards
a World Series of Poker Packages worth $12,500.
We recommend planning on playing in at least
4 of these before dropping down to the $5
+ .50 level. (play
now)
The $27 + 2 is only 1 step away from the big
qualifying tournament, which is a good place
to start. The buy in is reasonable considering
we have $500 to spend.
3. Bodog $250 + $20 Direct Qualifier
- 1 out of 50 players win a $12,500 package
to the World Series of Poker. This is the
level that we would like to play in, often.
We do not plan to ever buy in directly to
this event, but we plan to win our way in
playing $27 + 2's. (play
now)
This is the tournament that you want to bring
your "A" game to for sure. You've
been working on this level and if you win
this tournament you will have yourself a nice
trip to Las Vegas and a shot at poker stardom.
This is the one you need to win, or to beat
out 49 others to win a $12,500 package for
the main event of the WSOP.
Bodog is notorious for adding
extra guaranteed seats in the $250
+ 20 tournament. I really like this path to
qualify, especially when you consider that
in general the players at Bodog are weaker
than the opponents at our next two recommended
sites, Poker Stars and Paradise Poker.
Smaller buy-in WSOP Events @
Bodog. Another good option available
to players at Bodog
is the overlay found in the other
preliminary events for the World
Series of Poker. Bodog has packages available
for $125 + 10 that guarantee seats plus $1000
travel $$ for the $1500 events, the $2000
events and the $2500 events.
So not only can you qualify for the main event,
but you can also qualify for the sub events.
This is a nice feature. These are not qualifiers
for the main event but you get two to one
for your buyins to these and if you win one
of them, it will still be a whole lot of money.
You can qualify for these tournaments the
same way as you do for the $270 main event
qualifier. Play in the $27 + 2 multi table
tournament and use the $270 you win to buy
into two of the $135 events... this gives
you a two for one chance to qualify.
Bodog also offers a 5 stage single
table step starting at $1 + .10 and
escelating to a level 5 buyin of $1500 +0.
No juice on this tournament is nice. On levels
1-4 you have to finish 1st or 2nd to advance
to the next level.
On level 5 the winner takes the $12,500 package
and 2nd place wins a rebuy into another level
5, and 3rd wins $1000 in tournament credits.
We haven't tried this round and have prefered
the multi table tournaments to the one table
sit-n-go's.
Next,
let's look at the Poker Stars WSOP satellites.
Stars sends more players to the World Series
than anyone and they have the richest poker
tournaments online anywhere.PokerStars
has excellent paths to the WSOP. A popular
way to qualify is by playing in double shootout
tournaments. PokerStars also offers a marketing
code to ensure a 100% deposit bonus.
1. The $15 + 1 Double Shootout qualifer
- If you win this tournament, you take home
$650 worth of tournament credits. You then
use these credits to buy into the $615 + 35
direct WSOP Qualifier that runs every Sunday.
If you are not familiar with a double shootout,
it is a bit different than a typical multi
table tourney. In a double shootout, you play
against your table and the first step is to
beat your 8 or 9 opponents at your table and
your table only. There are typically 100 players
are playing in the tournament, but you've
only got to worry about the ones at your table.
You play it like a 1 table sit-n-go that only
awards 1st place a prize, because in the first
level of the double shootout, only 1 player
advances. Everyone else goes home broke. The
next step of a double shootout is the 'final
table showdown'.
This final table is made up of the winners
of the other 9 tables participating in the
tournament. All double shootouts cap their
entries at 100 players maximum. Typically
1st and 2nd place win $650 in tourney credits,
but this is dependent on how many players
register. During peak hours, all 100 seats
sell out, but sometimes early in the AM you
can find tournaments with less than 100 players.
Sometimes your starting table will only have
7 opponents. Poker Stars has plenty of traffic,
so finding a game is never, ever a problem.
In the double shootouts, for every 44 players
in the tournament, they award a $650 tournament
credits. Typically 1st and 2nd in the final
table of the double shootout win the $650.
The remaining prize money is doled out in
$72 increments.
2. The Poker Stars $615 + 30 Multi Table
Direct Qualifier - 1 out of 18 players
win a $11,000 WSOP Package. This tournament
runs every Sunday and is this is the tournament
to buy in once you win the $650 tournament
credits from the double shootout. This tournament
is not in double shootout style, but a traditional
multi table tournament.
This WSOP Direct Qualifying tournament tournament
has a fantastic structure.
You start with $2500 chips - $1000 more than
many online tournaments. 30 minute rounds
- plenty of time to play. The blinds start
at 10/20. This is nice.
This structure lends itself to reward the
better players and lets you play more poker.
Luck is less a factor because if you miss
at a few pots you are not short stacked. You
still have plenty of play and opportunity
to play good poker. This structure Kicks Ass
and is one of the favorite things we love
at Poker Stars.
3. $150 + $10 double shootout - If
the double shootout qualifying tournaments
are your thing, you can play a $150 +10 double
shootout that awards a $11,000 WSOP package
for every 74 players. You've got to win this
entire shootout to get your seat, but all
that really means is winning two sit-n-go's
in a row. Granted the 2nd sit-n-go is made
up of other winners but this is really an
interesting way to take your shot at the WSOP.
You can qualify for this tournament in an
$11 buyin double shootout.
Plus, additional money is awarded in increments
of $160, essentialy refunding your buy-in.
This amounts is based on the total number
of players who play in the double shootout.
You can qualify for the $150 double shootout
by playing in the $11 double shootouts that
are designed to qualify you into the $1,000,000
guaranteed every Sunday. (Poker Stars has
the most tourneys anywhere).
4. $350 + 20 Poker Stars mega WSOP Qualifying
tournament - 150 WSOP Packages guaranteed
at minimum, guaranteed! This is going to be
a huge tournament, it is a $350 + 20 tournament
and there is at minimum 1.65 million guaranteed
and if history is accurate there will be even
more seats up for grabs. Click
here to play at Poker Stars
Qualify
like Moneymaker
- Funny
WSOP Facts - Joseph
Hachem
So - spend your $500 wisely and next thing
you know you'll be on your way to the World
Series of Poker courtesy of an online poker
room. If you are looking to win these tournaments,
be sure you read through the Poker
Strategy Articles and then visit the
Strategy
Section of the Forum. Discuss and get
better for poker.
We'll see you at the tables!
KickAssPoker.com - home of the best
online poker room reviews.
|
