Alan Williamson

Getting to the WSOP ... one step at a time

Ask any poker player what their dream is and chances are it is to play in the World Series Championship in Las Vegas.  This is the one sport in the world that not only has highest prize pool but is available to anyone that can either stump up the $10,000 entrance fee, or play consistantly well online.

Party Poker have just released their WSOP qualifiers and for the next few months I will be attempting to win my way to the WSOP.  So just how far fetched is it?

Well not at all if you look at the last few years of the WSOP.   Chris Moneymaker, famously won the 2003 WSOP Championship after qualifying online.  Last year, there was a very high percentage of players that had qualified via online games, and many reached not only into the money rankings, but some got to the final table.  It can be done.

So how does it work?

There are a number of ways you can qualify online.  PartyPoker offers a single game with a buy-in of $220.  For every 55 entries they will offer one WSOP Event Package (hotel + fee + travel expenses).   This may be a little rich for some, so instead, you can play in a number of smaller tournaments with the prize being entry into the next one and so forth.  So you can play in this $220 for as little $3 if you win two smaller tournaments.

Another way, and the route I intend taking, is the step route.  This is where you start at Step#1 and if you come in the top 2 then you move to the next step.  You keep doing this until you get to Step 5, at which point, the winner of that step gets to go to the WSOP.  The nice thing with the steps is that if you are on say Step3, then you only need in the Top5 before you have to start again.  These are 10 seat Sit'n'Go tables.  The buy-in to start at Step#1 is only $10.

I have been practicing the step challenge on another step tournament that Party Poker run.  This one has a buy-in of only $3 but has 6 steps.  If you make it to the 6th step then you only need to finish in the top 5 to be earning at least $500 going up to $2000 for the winner of the table.

The style of play for these steps is very different from normal Sit'n'Go tables.  Usually it's a lot slower with a lot more conservative play with a higher standard of skill.  I have managed to get myself halfway through it, getting to Step3, crashing out only one position from having to play the step again.  Frustrating, but rewarding.

I am having a lot of fun with this style of tournament and I have set myself a small goal of getting to Step5 before I start my WSOP bid.

If you are playing online, whoever you are with, check out their WSOP qualifiers, you just never know! 

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