EPT Satellites
EPT Season 8 Satellites are Coming Up
The best way to qualify for events in the European Poker Tour is through playing satellite games on PokerStars.com. While it’s possible to simply pay the entry fee and gain access to any of the EPT tournaments that way, many of the regular EPT players who finish in the money have qualified through PokerStars, one of the official sponsors of the tour. The European Poker Tour website actually refers people interested in playing in the tournament to PokerStars.com for satellite games, where you could win an entry into various EPT events for as little as €5.45. Players who have a PokerStars account already (or open one and play long enough to accrue some points) can also purchase a buy-in to a satellite game for as little as 100 Frequent Player Points (the PokerStars reward currency).
While players who fail to qualify through thePokerStars satellite tournamentscan still buy in to a tournament directly, the countless tournaments and low prices create ample opportunity for all kinds of players– professional and amateur alike– to take their chances and potentially win a seat which currently goes for several thousand euro for the amount they would typically spend on lunch. During Season 7, players who had qualified through PokerStars satellite tournaments won several million euro in prize money; given the incredibly low cost of entering satellite tournaments (a large majority of them are free to enter), this means millions of euro in pure profit for these players!
PokerStars, in addition to their low price or free tournaments, have what they refer to as “step satellites”. You can buy in at any level of the satellite tournament and pay the corresponding entry amount (as low as €2.20 for the lower steps of the tournament) and face off against a table with seven other players. If you’re one of the last two players standing at your table at the end of the tournament, you move up to the next step, where you play again. Players who make it up all the steps will have won a seat at the European Poker Tour.
Getting started at PokerStars is easy. First, you’ll want to download the free PokerStars software, if you’re not already a PokerStars player. Next, you’ll want to create an account. PokerStars offers a step-by-step guide on their Getting Started page as well as a video tutorial hosted by Daniel Negreanu, a Team PokerStars Pro. Now that you have an account, you can click on “Events” from the PokerStars lobby and find the satellite (or other event) of your choice. To make your buy-in, click the “Tourney Lobby” button, and now you’re ready to start playing for one of the coveted seats at the European Poker Tour.
Check back to this page asSeason 8 of the European Poker Tourbegins and new satellite games are announced. Below, you will find a list of satellites, the event to which they correspond, the dates they are open, and the cost of the satellite buy-in, in euro and Frequent Player Points, depending on which is being accepted for the tournament (or both, as the case may be).