If you are a regular player on Bet365 Poker, or even a relative newcomer to the site still finding their feet, then without doubt one of the most appealing aspects of the site is the sheer number of tournament tables that are available to play each day.

However, if you are a new player then it can be somewhat confusing to figure out what stage of a tournament you are entering and what winning that stage, actually gives you as a player. In this article, we’ll explain a little about how the satellite system works on Bet365, what some of the more common terms mean and what the best strategies are for targeting the very large prize pots available in the top tournaments on the site.

So if you’ve ever wondered how you can turn an entry fee of $0.10 into a potential $150,000 jackpot – then read on.

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Structure

Most of the big money tournaments on Bet365 Poker (or indeed any poker site) tend to offer three or more levels of entry into the tournament: Smaller tournaments with smaller prizes may only have two stages of entry.

• Small Stake Satellites (usually Stage 1 or more events):

• Medium priced Buy In Satellites (Stage 2 or more) events:

• Direct Buy in to the Main Event

Small Stake Satellite

These are the MTTs that attract thousands of players as the buy in is often very cheap. Often as little as just a few cents to confirm your place. At the start of the tournament, the information will reveal what the prize structure is. It is important to note here that if you are entering a $150,000 tournament at this stage, then this prize money is NOT available for this part of the tournament.

What you are aiming to do in this tournament is finish in the prize places; firstly to earn a small sum of money but most importantly of all, to win a complimentary seat at the Semi Final satellite. Other tournaments may offer other prizes to users as consolation (such as free entry into another small stake satellite for the same competition). The amount of seats into the next stage available depends on how much money the satellite generates.

There can be several of these events running each day with many satellites available to play in over the course of several weeks. Larger events may feature several stages rather than the three outlined above to reach the Main Event.

So if you’ve secured a top prize in this event, then congratulations, but the big money isn’t coming your way just yet as you’ve just earned yourself a free seat in the Semi final satellite.

Medium Buy in/Semi Final Satellite

Whether you win a place in the Stage 2 or more or semi final satellite, or opt to buy in then you are now just one step away from the Main Event. The Semi satellite is how you can qualify for the main event without having to pay the large buy in. Winners in the semi (and the number of winners in each event can be different depending on the tournament) will earn themselves cash and a place in the Main Event.

Buy in to these later stage events tend to be considerably more expensive than the smaller stake satellites, simply because players have to play a lot less poker to reach the final tables.

As in the early stage events, the amount of seats available in these events is dependent upon how much the semi final rakes in. The more people playing and paying, then the more seats in the final will be available.

Main Event

In some cases, you can buy in directly to the Main Event in some tournaments, though this is often by far the most expensive way to do so, sometimes costing as much as hundreds to thousands of pounds to buy in directly.

It is only at this final stage that you are playing for a share of the big prize fund and the higher you finish in the competition (provided you last until the prize money stage) then the more you will win.

What’s good tournament strategy?

The overriding factor when deciding your tournament strategy is one thing, your bankroll. The bigger it is then the later you can buy into the competition and the more chance you have of winning cash, but conversely, the more you stand to lose if you don’t win.

For beginners and players with small stacks (of under $200 for example), I’d suggest only entering tournaments at the cheap buy in stages. Yes, it means you have to be very lucky (or skilled) to win the big money by performing well in what is essentially three different events, but at least you can afford to lose the money you are wagering.

If you are a more experienced player but don’t have vast riches to play with, then the middle stages of an event are a more profitable choice, you play less poker so have to win fewer hands to win, but again, your losses are manageable compared to your bankroll.

Only the very wealthy players or professional poker stars can afford to enter big money tournaments at the main event stage and many may even elect to play through a semi final anyway if they believe their skill can earn them a cheaper seat in the main event.

So remember, your bankroll decides what stage of the tournament you should enter and bare in mind that while you can win $150,000 for a $0.10 stake, the chances are against you, but it is not impossible!

Find out how to make the most of your play on Bet365 with our guide to the Bet365 Poker VIP Scheme.