Satellite
A tournament whose prize is a seat, not cash. Every seat is worth the same, so chips stop mattering the moment you are safe.
Ten seats are awarded and eleven players remain. You have forty big blinds; the shortest stack has three and is about to be blinded away. You look down at aces in the big blind and someone shoves. The fold is correct, and it is not close: every seat pays exactly the same, so winning the pot gains you nothing you do not already have, while losing it can put you out.
That is what makes satellites strange. In a normal tournament each extra chip is worth a little less than the last; in a satellite the curve falls off a cliff. Once your stack is large enough to be safe, additional chips have almost no value at all, and the only thing that matters is not being one of the players who misses out.
The strategy that follows is unusual and uncomfortable. Big stacks should stop playing pots entirely near the end — there is nothing to win. Short stacks have to gamble early, before the field tightens, because folding into elimination is the one guaranteed way to lose. And the mid-stacks should count seats rather than chips: if two players shorter than you are all-in against each other, you are already through.
The mistake is playing a satellite like a freezeout. Accumulating chips is a habit that costs money here, and calling an all-in with a hand that is ahead can be a disaster if a shorter stack is about to bust anyway. Watch the other tables, count who is shorter than you, and remember that the prize is a ticket, not a trophy.
FAQ
What is a satellite in poker?
A tournament that pays out seats in a bigger event rather than cash. Every seat is identical, so the value of a chip collapses once your stack is safe — which makes correct satellite play very different from a normal tournament.
How do you play the end of a satellite?
Count seats, not chips. If you are comfortably above the bubble, fold everything, including aces — winning gains you nothing and losing can cost you the seat. If you are short, get chips in early, before the field tightens and folding becomes a slow death.
Should you ever fold aces in a satellite?
Yes, and it is one of the few spots in poker where that is clearly right. If your stack already secures a seat and calling risks it, the fold wins. Aces gain you chips you cannot spend; losing the flip costs you the whole prize.