Satellite, step and feeder tournaments
A satellite awards entries (tickets or seats) to a bigger target tournament instead of, or alongside, cash. Steps are tiered satellites where you move up levels. Feeders are qualifiers, like the Global Poker Hydra Stage 1s, that send survivors to a final.
How it works
The number of seats is set by the prize pool divided by the target buy-in. Everyone who finishes in a seat position wins the same prize, so the strategy near the bubble is very different from a normal tournament.
A $10 satellite to a $100 event with 50 entrants creates 50 × $10 / $100 = 5 seats. Finishing 1st and 5th win the same seat.
Strategy tips
- Near the bubble, survival beats chip accumulation, so fold even strong hands if a seat is nearly locked.
- With a big stack close to the seat bubble, you can often fold into a seat.
- Short stacks must take risks earlier because they can't fold to a seat.
- Check whether leftover money pays cash or another ticket.
- Confirm the target event's date and time before registering.
Common mistakes
- Calling an all-in with a big stack when a seat is nearly guaranteed
- Playing for first place when every seat pays the same
Find these tournaments
FAQ
What is a satellite, step and feeder tournament?
A satellite awards entries (tickets or seats) to a bigger target tournament instead of, or alongside, cash. Steps are tiered satellites where you move up levels. Feeders are qualifiers, like the Global Poker Hydra Stage 1s, that send survivors to a final.
Can I sell a satellite ticket?
Usually not, and rules vary by site. Most tickets are only usable for the target event or as tournament money.
Related guides
Freeroll · Guaranteed (GTD) and overlay
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Not legal advice. Online poker and sweepstakes laws vary by state, so check your local laws before you play. Only PokerStars (US) and WSOP Online are licensed in the US, and only in the states they list (NJ/PA/MI and NV/NJ/MI/PA). Offshore and crypto sites (Ignition, ACR, BetOnline, CoinPoker, Phenom) are not licensed in the US. GGPoker doesn't accept US players. CoinPoker accepts US players even though its terms list the US as restricted. Sweepstakes sites exclude some states.
Schedules come from each site's public pages, and each listing shows its source and the date we last checked it. Items marked unverified conflict across sources or are out of date. Always confirm in the poker lobby. SC (Sweeps Coins) and CHIP are treated as about $1 for stake tiers.