Buying directly into a European Poker Tour (EPT) event is slowly becoming a privilege of the rich and the famous. Qualifying through an online satellite system is a much more cost-efficient alternative for the majority of players.

The poker and online poker world is abuzz with news about how great the EPT is doing and how its prize-pools are on the rise, together with its number of stops and popularity. Certainly, the EPT is a big player in the online poker industry now, and for that, more and more people add an EPT event participation to their wish-lists. The ever increasing prize-pools and buy-ins may be great news for poker professionals, for the EPT and the industry in general, but they’re not necessarily good news for you, the average Joe, the wannabe EPT player. Direct buy-ins are slowly slipping out of the reach of regular online players. Fortunately, the industry has found a great way to mend the situation. As EPT buy-ins become ever more substantial, more and more opportunities arise for players to qualify online. As every more or less experienced online poker player knows, the sky is the limit when it comes to online satellites and sub satellites. The satellite algorithm works so well that it can be replicated almost infinitely, and therefore EPT seats become attainable for players for a few dollars or frequent player points. Sure, it takes a tad more than just sheer skill to work your way up the satellite ladder and grab hold of a much-coveted EPT package, but the chance is there, and there is historic proof that it can indeed be done. Take last season (season 4) for example. A staggering number of 1,600 players gained access to the EPT’s tables via online qualifiers last year alone. The player who won the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo and ended up taking home more than EUR 2 million was also an online qualifier. Glen Chorny qualified through PokerStars. In season 3, it was yet another online qualifier who took down the title. Gavin Griffin was a Team PokerStars member, who really hit the lime-light when he won the EPT Grand Final. In an online poker room like PokerStars, there are always a variety of ways to clinch an EPT seat. Even if you measure your bankroll in a few dollars, you’ll still get a chance to play in a sub-satellite, Most of these cost around $2 to enter and some are accessible for frequent player points too. The EPT Steps satellites at PokerStars provide another interesting opportunity: buy-in costs $7.5 or 500 Frequent Player Points. Players will be faced with 8 opponents in a STT format tourney. If they reach the top 2 they move on to the next step. Those who reach the 6th step, qualify to battle it out directly for an EPT seat. If a player fails to advance, he takes one step back, but remains in the books. PokerStars is by no means the only online poker room offering online EPT qualifiers. Pretty much every noteworthy poker room offers such satellites these days. Qualifiers for a given EPT event usually start 1-2 months before the actual start of the event, so wherever you play, make sure you start your bid in time