{"id":27421,"date":"2021-04-22T02:30:41","date_gmt":"2021-04-22T07:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?p=27421"},"modified":"2021-04-22T08:47:01","modified_gmt":"2021-04-22T13:47:01","slug":"5-cheapest-ways-to-get-yourself-into-the-main-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/5-cheapest-ways-to-get-yourself-into-the-main-event\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Cheapest Ways To Get Yourself Into The Main Event"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Playing in the Main Event is a dream for almost every poker player. Whether you\u2019re just a casual fan of the game or someone who takes poker<\/a> seriously, the idea of entering the biggest poker tournament of the year and have a shot at truly life-changing money is very appealing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of the possibility of winning big money,\nthe Main Event also offers a unique experience to rub elbows with the best of\nthe best and potentially play a few pots with those players you\u2019ve watched and\nadmired for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, as you\u2019re probably aware, this experience\ndoesn\u2019t come cheap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The buy-in alone is $10,000, then you\u2019ve got\nall the other expenses connected to traveling to Las Vegas and staying there\nfor a week or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what\u2019s the best and cheapest way to get\nyourself into the Main Event? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll discuss a few viable options in this\narticle, and depending on your particular situation, you can figure out which\none works best for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Option 1: WSOP Main Event Satellites<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"WSOP
Image: WSOP<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The simplest and the most accessible option for\nmost players wanting to get their seat in the Main Event at a discount is\nplaying satellites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this being the biggest and the most\npopular poker event of the year, you\u2019ll have no problems finding heaps of\nsatellite events, both online and at various live venues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, depending on where you live, online\nmight be your only option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, if you\u2019re looking to save money, online\nsatellites are probably the best option as well, simply because you can start\nyour quest for the Main Event seat with a fairly small bankroll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many poker rooms feature step satellites that\nstart with buy-ins as low as $1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you finish in the money, you\u2019ll progress to\nthe next tournament, and so forth. Eventually, you\u2019ll get to the main\nsatellite, where a certain number of players will receive the Main Event entry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make things even better, rooms will often\ncover travel and accommodation expenses for their qualifiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have a bit of extra cash, but not\nexactly the 10 grand you need, you can always find more expensive satellites\nonline or at live venues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, in a $500 Main Event satellite,\none in every 20 players will get a seat, which isn’t that unrealistic at all.\nIf you’re already a decent player, you have decent odds of qualifying in two or\nthree attempts, saving a lot of money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re serious about playing in the Main\nEvent and have plans to do it, there is absolutely no downside to playing\nsatellites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if you have the money to pay the buy-in in\nfull, jumping in a few satellite events to try and get in for cheaper is a good\nidea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is especially true for more experienced\nplayers as you’ll come across many amateurs who don’t really know how to play\nthese types of tournaments, and you’ll be able to take advantage of their\nmistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even Chris Moneymaker<\/a> got his seat through an online satellite, and if that didn’t happen, he most certainly wouldn’t have entered the Main Event and won a couple of million, which changed the poker landscape forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip:<\/strong> For those not as experienced, it\u2019s probably a\ngood idea to read up or watch some strategy videos for satellite tournaments\nbefore you set off on your journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding how these events differ from\ntraditional events and what kind of adjustments you need to make will be\ninvaluable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Option 2: <\/strong>Set\nUp A Home Game Qualifier<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Dogs
Image: Shutterstock<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you have a group of poker buddies who you\nplay with in home games regularly, all of you probably share the dream of\nplaying in the Main Event. If you put your money and your imagination together,\nyou might be able to send one person from the group to \u201crepresent\u201d you on the\nbig stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The $10,000 amount may seem steep, but if there\nare seven or eight people working together towards that goal and if you start\nearly enough, it\u2019s not impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you could set up a weekly league\nwith the buy-in of $50. All funds are collected and put aside, while all\nplayers are rewarded points for their performance in the tournaments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there were eight of you, that\u2019s $400 a week,\nso it would take you about half a year to collect enough money to fund one Main\nEvent entry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The person with the best score at the end of\nthe league would be the one traveling to Vegas and playing for all the marbles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be sure to agree on all the terms beforehand. Since\nyou\u2019re all putting in money and effort, everyone should get a slice of any\npotential Main Event winnings. For example, the person playing gets 50 percent\nof their winnings, while the other 50 percent is shared equally by the rest of\nyou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip:<\/strong> Get it all in writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the off-chance that the person going to Vegas ends up playing for millions, it\u2019s probably best to have all the details written down and signed. You don\u2019t want your buddy to have a change of heart when they realize they\u2019re supposed to part with two or three million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One small problem with this approach is that\nyou\u2019ll need someone to handle the organization: creating tournaments, keeping\ntrack of the score, and, of course, taking care of the money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effort will pay off in the end, as even if\nyou don\u2019t end up winning, the experience of sweating your buddy in the Main\nEvent and knowing you might be up for a handsome payday if they manage to make\na deep run will make it well worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Option 3: Secure WSOP Main Event Staking<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Close-up
Image: Shutterstock<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another very popular way to play in the Main\nEvent for cheap or even for free is through a staking deal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This essentially means that someone else will\npay your buy-in, and in exchange, you\u2019ll agree to give them a share of whatever\nyou win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staking is a very viable option for established players, and many pros have regular backers who trust their skills<\/a> and cover many of their tournament entries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although they give up some of their profits, these players agree to such deals because they decrease variance<\/a> and can play their best game not worrying about money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re an amateur with no track record to\nshow, though, it will probably be hard to get someone to stake you for $10,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, if you\u2019re really eager to play, there\u2019s no\nharm in asking around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you happen to have a wealthy relative or a\nfriend who knows you’re a decent poker player, you can ask them if they’d be\ninterested in backing you for the Main Event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ideally, they should know at least a bit about\npoker, or else it will feel like you’re asking them to blow their money on a\nroulette spin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this isn\u2019t an option, you can also get\ninvolved with poker forums and communities and look for some possibilities.\nDon\u2019t get your hopes up too much as there is plenty of demand and a limited\nsupply, but don\u2019t let that discourage you, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People willing to stake someone $10,000 for the\nMain Event will be looking for someone who can play decent poker and, perhaps\nequally as important, someone they can trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should an opportunity present itself, be\nprepared to honestly answer any questions your potential backer might have, and\ndon’t be surprised if they ask for a big cut of profits if you win some money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, they\u2019re taking all the risk while\nyou get to have all the fun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since you\u2019re not a poker pro<\/a> and this is your one-off shot, even if you get to keep only 25 percent of your winnings, it\u2019s a decent deal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, if you show yourself trustworthy and\nhonest, the same person might be up for putting you in some more tournaments in\nthe future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Option 4: <\/strong>Sell\nMain Event Shares<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
casino chips of different colors on green felt table<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you can\u2019t get a full staking deal, you might\nbe able to sell a percentage of your Main Event performance. In the poker\nworld, this is known as \u201cselling shares.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you pay $5,000 of your own money\nand then gather $5,000 from one or several people to cover the other half. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this scenario, you keep half of your\nwinnings. The other half is distributed to those who bought shares depending on\nhow much they invested at the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is something you can do even if you\u2019re a\ncomplete amateur, so long as you have a nice group of friends who believe in\nyour skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re not asking anyone to put up a huge\namount. Instead, you can ask multiple people to invest $50, $100, or more \u2013\ndepending on how much they can afford and are willing to risk. You explain to\nthem what they can expect back, and then they decide if they\u2019re interested or\nnot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given that the Main Event is a bit like a lottery<\/a> in that it can potentially produce a substantial return on even a small investment, people might be interested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An alternative way to go about this is to sell\nyour Main Event package on one of the poker shares websites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are quite a few around these days, so\nyou\u2019ll have no problem finding a place to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is, much like staking, you probably\nwon\u2019t have much luck with selling shares online if you\u2019re not a well-known\nplayer and don\u2019t have results that show that you actually have an edge in the\ntournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll probably have more luck convincing\npeople who know you to take the risk over a bunch of strangers on the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, you can combine both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can sell shares for the same tournament\nlive and online. Just keep track of all the money you receive and all the\nreservations someone asks you to keep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be warned that this can be a bit tedious, and\nsome people might have a change of heart along the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How you handle these situations is entirely up\nto you. It\u2019s probably not worth losing a friend over a hundred bucks, though,\nso if someone wants out before the tournament starts, just accommodate them and\nfind someone else to cover the difference or do it yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Option 5: Freeroll Your Way In<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are ways to get into the Main Event\nwithout spending a single cent, and without asking for money from anyone – but\nthese aren\u2019t guaranteed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many large online rooms organize freeroll<\/a> tournaments that can result in the Main Event package where all your expenses will be paid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, to get your hands on such a prize,\nyou’ll have to compete against tens of thousands of others with the same goal.\nYou’ll need some crazy luck to emerge victorious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, there are other free competitions\nand raffles giving away Main Event seats or Main Event satellite tickets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow big poker operators on Twitter and keep a close eye on Twitch<\/a> streams from their sponsored pros, and you\u2019ll probably come across quite a few interesting opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These competitions often cost nothing but a few\nminutes of your time, so it\u2019s a good deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, just like freerolls, there’ll be thousands\nof others trying to do the same thing, so it is very little you can do to\nimprove your winning chances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best advice we can give you is to stay\npersistent and to not give up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playing In The Main Event For Cheap \u2013 It\u2019s Possible<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"WSOP
Image: Flickr\/larrykang, CC BY 2.0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hopefully, the advice in this article has\nprovided you with some ideas on how you could make your dream come true and\nplay in the Main Event without spending $10,000+.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of these options come with their pros and\ncons, and whatever path you choose will have a set of its own obstacles. But,\nif it were easy, everybody would be doing it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who wouldn’t want a shot at a few million for\nplaying some cards?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key takeaway is that it is definitely possible\nto get your Main Event seat for much less than it actually costs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, you’ll have to invest some time and\neffort and potentially give up some of your theoretical winnings, but it all\nboils down to how much you want it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it\u2019s the Main Event experience you seek and you\u2019re happy to give up some of your profits and don\u2019t mind putting some effort in to make your dream come true \u2013 you can do it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something similar:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
What Are the Odds Of An Amateur vs A Pro Winning WSOP?<\/a><\/blockquote>