Why aren't there online qualifiers for non-main-event WSOP?

DeeJ · #1 04-01-2005, 11:47 AM

Or, more positively, are there online qualifiers for earlier events in the WSOP? For various reasons I am not interested in winning a seat to the main event, but would be up for winning a seat in one of the zillion other tournaments. Any clues, links, anyone?

Simplistic · #2 04-01-2005, 11:48 AM

popularity.

not to mention the 2k buy-ins are significantly lower.

DeeJ · #3 04-01-2005, 11:55 AM

Yes, so the cheaper buy-ins are easier to hit for the poker rooms and the players. There are a fair number of $3k and $5k entry fees which people could 'win'. I think they would be very popular indeed if offered.

edit eg
Buy-In $3,000
Prize Pool $1,796,760
Entries 651

from Event #30 No-Limit Hold'em last year. I would love to enter a $50 or $100 tourny with a few of these seats to be won.

Simplistic · #4 04-01-2005, 12:01 PM

I agree with you, but the most popular is going to be the ME.

Percula · #5 04-01-2005, 12:25 PM

I would like to see them too, but there are some things that I think are going to hold them back from offering them...

The first being that most of the other events are in the $1500 to $2500 buy-in range. Most people are going to expect travel and accommidation to be covered too as they have come to expect with all the $10K sats, but this means that for many of these, the travel and accommidation costs are going to be nearly equal to the buy-in. This is not going to be as attractive to the lottery minded player that tends to drive the number of entrants in the sats.

The second is that many of the popular sites are going to say something like this "The buy-in is pretty low for many of our customers, they do not need a sat to enter". Which I personally think is bunk. Who in their right poker mind would not want to win a sat than buy-in directly!

The last is that I do not think many players online today even know that there are a total of 45 events with only 2 of those not open to the public. More are likely aware after last years ESPN coverage, but it is going to take time to get the "message" out there.

Email your favorite site and ask, that is about all we can do at this point.

sloth469 · #6 04-01-2005, 12:37 PM

I'd like to see poker stars allow W$ to be used to buy into the televised tourneys as they are now for the WSOP circuit events. Will it happen? I don't think it is out the range of possibility. I'd rather play a $1,500 or $2,500 event than the ME as well.

If you are really interested ask it can't hurt.

-sloth

PapaSan · #7 04-01-2005, 01:10 PM

A 2+2er got absolute to run a satellite for the Omaha event and they will be running Omaha 8 satellites this month. Email Gian Perroni hes the marketing manager for absolute gian@AbsolutePoker.com

sdplayerb · #8 04-01-2005, 06:23 PM

i asked pokerstars and got a very good response back saying basically they run the sats hoping to get people at the final table and win the main event as that brings them so much publicity. if they ran sats for other events they fear it would cause them to have less people in the main event.
i'm not happy about it, but i don't blame them.

slickpoppa · #9 04-01-2005, 06:47 PM

[ QUOTE ]
i asked pokerstars and got a very good response back saying basically they run the sats hoping to get people at the final table and win the main event as that brings them so much publicity. if they ran sats for other events they fear it would cause them to have less people in the main event.
i'm not happy about it, but i don't blame them.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think stars is missing the ball on this one. They should let people use their extra W$ towards the smaller events on the condition that the person wears the pokerstars gear. This would still give them some marketing power because the other events do get TV coverage and Stars could run ads like "4 WSOP Braceltet winners in 2005"

Jeremy517 · #10 04-01-2005, 07:03 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I think stars is missing the ball on this one. They should let people use their extra W$ towards the smaller events on the condition that the person wears the pokerstars gear.

[/ QUOTE ]

If I'm not mistaken, last year, they wouldn't allow logos on clothing for the final table. If that rule applies to non-main events also, then your idea wouldn't work.