Tournaments
Satellite in poker
Definition
A tournament whose prizes are seats (entries) in a bigger tournament instead of cash.
In a satellite, the aim is to finish in the paid places, not to win the most chips. When enough stacks are safe to secure a seat, chip count no longer matters and the strategy changes a lot because of ICM.
Satellites let players enter expensive events, such as the WSOP Main Event or EPT, for a small buy-in.
Related terms
- MTT (multi-table tournament)A tournament with many players spread over several tables, which merge as players are eliminated until a winner remains.
- FreerollA tournament with no buy-in that still pays real prizes.
- ICM (Independent Chip Model)A model that converts chip stacks in a tournament into real-money equity based on the prize structure.