888 have always run satellites to a variety of live event games around the world: From the Aussi Millions, to the Canadian Heads up Championship in Calgary. One thing these games all have in common - They are always Winner-Take-All.

It is a fantastic opportunity that is available to every online player, whether they play professionally or are just a casual weekend player. Anyone has the opportunity to play in games like the World Series, usually for as little as $5.

Recognizing that winner-take-all formats require a drastic change in approach is essential if you want to have success in these types of games. This is easier said than done. Consider the average player who decides they want to try to qualify for the World Series of Poker. To play in this qualifier, they aren't likely to pay the entire $300 - $500 buy in the qualifier would normally cost. So instead, they opt for the satellite route.

Our hero begins his journey to the WSOP playing the cheapest satellites he can find. We'll use $5 satellites for the sake of this example. In this $5 game, 1 in 5 players move on. This particular satellite manages to get 120 players. So the top 24 finishers in this game will move on to the next satellite. The best strategy for our hero to adopt here is patience and survival. We probably don't need more than 2 double ups to have enough chips to slide into the top 24. Obviously if we had more, it would make life alot easier, but we aren't under pressure to go aggressively looking for chips.

When playing a satellite, finishing 24th is the same as finishing 1st. This means that accumulation of chips really is secondary to survival. An example of this:

You're on the bubble, 25 players left.
Blinds are 500/1000
You're seated on the button with 3000 chips

In big blind and small blind are the two tournament chip leaders.

You are dealt Kc Ks

The action is folded around to you.

Rather than instantly shoving, consider the make-up of the table and the chip stacks of the remaining players. You notice that in seat 6 there is a player with 1200 chips, who has been taking his time before folding every hand.

You could shove your hand here, you have Kings afterall. But with the two chip leaders still to act, and only 1 person left before everyone wins, you can expect that you're going to get called fairly often. You'll be a favourite almost always, but even as an 80/20 favourite, we're taking a 20% risk here that may not be necessary.

By folding our Kings in this spot, the blinds will soon reach the player in seat 6. Perhaps they even go up to 600/1200 before they reach him. At any rate, player 6 is likely to be all in, playing for his tournament life with a hand he probably doesn't like that much (since he waited so long his options are limited). By opting for survival here rather than accumulation, we avoid unnecessary risks to win the same prize. Now obviously if there was an increasing prizepool, where finishing 19th is worth more than 24th, then we certainly would be playing those kings.

How is this different from the Main Event qualifier?

Skipping ahead, our hero has managed to win the $5 satellite, as well as the $20 and $100 satellites that follow, and has earned his seat into the main event qualifier.

Now our hero is in a game with only 30 players. 30 other players who have either bought in directly via the expensive buy in, or have also qualified through one or numerous satellites. Either way, the competition and dynamic of the game is night-and-day from the original $5 satellite.

Of these 30 players, only 1 is moving on, and 2nd place will earn exactly the same thing as 30th. So what does this mean? This means that from start to finish, our hero needs to be collecting chips. There is very little to be gained from patience. There is no prize pool money ladder to climb. So sitting back and letting other players get eliminated doesn't do you any favours.

Someone may argue, "but Aaron, every person eliminated brings our Hero one step closer to 1st, and one step closer to winning!" I would argue that every elimination made by someone else brings us one step further away. Rather than looking at it as outlasting 29 other players, consider it this way:

30 players, each starting with 3000 chips. That's 90 000 total chips in play. In order to be considered a winner in this game, you need to collect all 90 000 chips. So Player A knocks out Player B, putting you 1 player closer to 1st. You STILL need to collect that players 3000 chips. Only now they might be in the hands of a stronger player, and harder to get.

Obviously we are very rarely going to have games where we eliminate everyone. Most games we play, we probably only eliminate a handful. The point of this argument isn't to suggest our Hero goes into this game trying to knock out every person he can. It is to remind our hero that aggressive accumulation of chips will make sure he is actively working towards winning. Rather than patiently riding the wave to the final table, where he is now outchipped and looking at a very steep hill to climb.

I'd argue still, a player who takes a coin flip for a 30 000 chip pot with 10 players remaining, is giving himself a better chance to win, than a player who has limped into the final four and picks up Aces with a 3000 chip stack. Even if the second player doubles up with the Aces, they will likely still be the short stack. Also, given that they have played so tight, they aren't likely to be called lightly by the remaining 3 players. However the first player, who takes a coin flip for 30 000 chips with 10 players left, is going to be eliminated 50% of the time. The other 50% of the time, he's going to be holding 33% of the entire tournament chips with 9 players left, and will be a clear favourite to win.

An example of an accumulative play during a Winner-Take-All format:

Hand 1

There are 6 players left. Through either a cold deck or bad beats, our Hero is the short stack.

Blinds are 400/800
We are on the button with 4800 chips

The first three players fold the action around to the Hero.

Hero looks down and sees that he has a Qd 3h.

Previously, I suggested that we fold Kings in a similar situation on the bubble of a satellite. Here, there is no bubble except for the one between 2nd and first. Waiting for others to get eliminated won't help us win. So I suggest we shove.

By shoving, we are putting the pressure on both the blinds to pick up a reasonable hand to call us. If they both fold, we will have added 25% to our stack uncontested. A very large, and important amount. If we are called, it isn't the end of the world. We can always catch a Queen or a three. We might even be called by hands like 89, 9T, JT where we are a slight favourite.

A move like this is dependant on the blinds. If there is a monstrous chip leader in big blind who isn't likely to fold any Ace, King or Queen, then we might want to let a hand like this go, and look for a hand like 67s or any ace instead.

The point is, the cards in our hand are probably the last thing to consider when considering an all-in at this stage of the game. How much can we add? How many chips do the people still left to act have? Are they likely to fold? Can I find another spot to steal soon if I fold? These are all far more relevant questions to ask.

These games aren't easy, and they don't come around very often. It is easy to fall into a defensive mindset when playing one of these. Especially if they extend beyond your normal buyins allowed by your bankroll. Although it may be difficult to accept at first, playing it safe is probably the most dangerous strategy you could take.

The November Nine final table of the World Series has finally come to end, and what an end it was! Arguably the most anticipated World Series final table ever, with Phil Ivey making his first main event final table, this years November Nine did not disappoint. With last years event taking 168 hands to get down to the final two, we still had 7 players left fighting for the title this time around.

When play started, we had a huge difference in chips from the chip leader Darvin Moon over 55 million, to James Akenhead holding on just under 7 million chips.

Darvin Moon 58,930,000
Eric Buchman 34,800,000
Steven Begleiter 29,885,000
Jeff Shulman 19,580,000
Joe Cada 13,215,000
Kevin Schaffel 12,390,000
Phil Ivey 9,765,000
Antoine Saout 9,500,000
James Akenhead 6,800,000

It looked to be an early exit at first for Akenhead, who quickly changed everyone's minds with some big hands, doubling quickly. Also picking up some early pots was Schaffel. However our first casualty occured when Akenhead ans Schaffel squared off, with the unfortunate case of Aces against Kings. Schaffel collected the pot, and James was left with a tiny stack. Sooner after James pushes 33 and Schaffel calls with 99. The nines hold, and James collects $1.2 million for 9th.

Schaffel looked to be in great shape now, and even better shape when he got it all in, again with Aces against, this time Eric Buchman's, Kings. However all of Schaffel's early joys were quickly squashed as the board ran out KQJK and Buchman clinched the huge pot and the chip lead.

With 7 left, the biggest chip mover was probably Antoine Saout as he continued to play well and pick up pot after pot taking himself out of a dangerous position into a position of control. Ivey was able to build his stack up to about 16 million, however having trouble picking up any hands he found himself back around the 9 million mark when he looked down at AK. Ivey managed to get the chips into the middle against Moon's AQ. Unfortunately for Ivey, and what seems like millions of supporters, the Queen hit the flop, and Ivey was unable to catch up. Ending his main event run in 7th.

Moon, wasting no time, decided to ride his wave of luck against Steve Begleiter's all in, and again showed AQ. However he was in trouble once again as Begleiter tabled pocket Queens. The flop ran out harmless, with a brick on the turn it looked as if Begleiter was going to take a huge pot, only for the Ace to spike the river. Moon takes down another enormous pot from behind, and Begleiter is sent to the rail in 6th.

Shulman who has been relatively quiet, gets the chips in with JJ against Cada's 33 only to see a 3 out the door. The Jack never comes, and Shulman is left nursing a small stack. He manages to double back up with A5 against Saout's KQ, only to push 77 soon after. The call is made again by Saout, who seems to have it in for Shulman who tables an A9. The 9 hits the board and Shulman is sent packing in 5th.

Buchman ends up pushing all in preflop over Saout's raise, and Saout makes the call for his tournament life with AK. A flop of KT6 brings a bit of relief to Saout, and as he dodges the Q on the turn and the river, he collects the largest pot of the tournament sending him to 89m chips, and Buchman down to under 10m. Buchman doubles through Moon with KT v A7 hitting a K on the flop. However next hand the two get it all in again, this time Buchman has the A5 to Darvin's KJ. The flop whifs both players, but the turn brings the fatal King, and Buchman collects $2.5m for 4th.

After the break, Cada comes in with a raise, Saout reraises and Cada makes the all-in shove. Saout instantly calls and we have Cada's 22 against Saout's QQ. Cada again dodges elimination as the flop spikes his deuce. There is no Queen on the turn and river, and Cada doubles up. A few hands later, after some preflop raising, Saout and Cada get all the chips in the middle once again. Saout holding 88 and Cada AK for the coin flip. The flop and turn are both harmless for Saout, but the King hits the river, Cada rakes in the chips and Saout rakes in $3.4 million for third.

There was a break for heads up play, and the two remaining players were given a day to recover as the final Heads Up match would be played on November 9th.

Going into Heads Up, it looked like Cada would have a serious edge as he held a fairly dominating stack of just under 3:1 over Moon's ~50m chips.

However if the very first hand was an example of what was still to come, this match was far from over.

On a king high flop, a raising war broke out. An ace on the turn, Cada check calls as Moon bets 10m. They check the river and Moon wins the first pot with QQ over Cada's 99. After a number of hands Moon eventually takes the chip lead.

On a board of 4 9 T T Moon checks for the second time. Cada makes a bet and Moon moves all in. Cada takes some time with the decision and eventually makes the call showing J9. Moon tables 87 for the straight draw and needs to catch a 6 or a Jack to win. The river is a 3 and Cada recaptures the chip lead.

Eventually, with Cada holding the chip lead, both players get it in preflop, and we have a race. Cada has 99 to Darvin's QJs.
The flop is a harmless 278
The turn is a K
And the river is another 7.

The 21 year old Joe Cada takes the pot, and the Bracelet, as the 2009 World Series Champion!

1st $ 8,547,042 Joseph Cada
2nd $ 5,182,928 Darvin Moon
3rd $ 3,479,670 Antoine Saout
4th $ 2,502,890 Eric Buchman
5th $ 1,953,452 Jeff Shulman
6th $ 1,587,160 Steven Begleiter
7th $ 1,404,014 Phil Ivey
8th $ 1,300,231 Kevin Schaffel
9th $ 1,263,602 James Akenhead

Fallsview Casino Niagara has just announced the schedule for the upcoming Poker Classic, a Canadian Poker Tour event.

There will be three main tournaments running from January 8th - 14th and over 2.3 Million dollars worth of prize money given away. The tournament information looks like this:

Main Tournament Information
January 8 grand prize $80,000*
January 10 grand prize $200,000*
January 12 grand prize $400,000*
Buy In - $1,000
January 8 Day 1 start 12 pm
January 9 Day 2 start 12 pm
January 10 Day 3 start 4 pm**
Buy In - $2,500
January 10 Day 1 start 12 pm
January 11 Day 2 start 12 pm
January 12 Day 3 start 4 pm**
Buy In - $5,000
January 12 Day 1 start 12 pm
January 13 Day 2 start 12 pm
January 14 Day 3 start 12 pm

**start time may be delayed**

Each tournament has been given a guaranteed grand prize of $80 000, $200 000 and $400 000 respectively.

The Casino has said they will be hosting step-structure satellites for the events. In previous years the old Casino Niagara has typically run step 1 satellites as well, however you may want to check in advance before pursuing that alternative.

This should be a very entertaining event, and an even better excuse to visit Niagara.

Stay tuned to the blog for possible upcoming online qualifiers!

Harli, a 26 year old Torontonian and an 888 regular is tearing apart the competition. If you've ever been deep in a tournament on 888, you've surely come across Harli at some point or another at the final table.

Harli has always been a consistent winner, however this past month of October the young Canadian raised his game. With online tournament winnings over $85 000 that I know of (likely much more), Harli seems to have found his stride and elevated his game to the next level. Now that Harli has stepped up his game, look for him to go deep in the Daily Challenges on 888 as he is always a threat to win.

Congratulations Harli, long may it continue!

For a limited time, if you are thinking about making your first cash deposit at Pacific Poker, now is the time to do it.

Starting August 15th and running until April, if you make your first deposit at 888, you can climb your way to Gold Status for only 1/5th of the points.

That's a phenomenal time saving deal. In 20% less time than it would normally take you to earn Silver, you could already have Gold status and be reaping all the benefits to go along with it. Gold AND Silver freerolls as well as Gold quality Frequent Player Points.

All you have to do is...

For GOLD Status – make your first deposit and generate at least 300 Status Points (normally 1,500!) from August 15 – 31

For SILVER Status – make your first deposit and generate at least 100 Status Points (normally 500!) from August 15 – 31

Upgrades will be granted on September 1st!

With the new Reward Scheme available to all players on 888, it pays to pay attention.

Besides the monthly freerolls per status, there are also weekly Silver status freerolls. Make sure you are taking full advantage of all the freerolls available. The VIP 10k freeroll is a fantastic tournament and should be the aspiration of every regular player on 888.

As well, frequently there are restricted tournaments that you may be able to enter that you hadn't heard about. Make sure you are paying close attention to the restricted section of the tournaments to find a tourney for you.

The Mega Stack Tournament at the Hard Rock in Vegas is taking place this weekend. Luckily for you, the CPT championship aren't until the August 22nd weekend. Even better still, there are Qualifiers running at 888 right now!

A $200 qualifier can earn you a $4500 package to the main event tournament.

The main event is the largest tournament ever held at the Hard Rock as the starting stack is a massive 50 000 chips.

The next CPT qualifier on 888 is August 16th, but take advantage of the many step satellites from now until then to get in for as little as $3! You could be walking home a CPT champion for three dollars!

So I didn't get much time to play this week, and I sit here writing this having busted out of the Saturday $50 000 challenge in minutes.

The reason why? I spent the last two nights at concerts in Toronto. First was Coldplay at the Skydome (I refuse to use Roger's Centre). Second was Rise Against and Rancid at the Molson Ampitheatre at Ontario Place.

Both put on fantastic shows.

No, this is certainly not a Brag post. This is just a friendly reminder that no matter the reason why you play poker, you need to make sure the end result is "fun."

If you're playing recreationally, winning may not be your focus, but you better be enjoying the game.

If you play for a living, make sure you take some time (and some winnings) to spend on luxury or entertainment. Like a concert.

I know first hand that paying your bills with Poker income can bring you to stress levels you probably didn't know you had. That's why it's even more important to make sure that you get some enjoyment out of the game from time to time. Make sure it doesn't start to feel too much like work ;)