Claims that Ignition Poker´s Super Millions Poker Open is “this summer´s biggest and best poker series” may be a little optimistic; but, at a time when online poker sites are trimming back their guaranteed prize pools, it is noticeable Ignition has increased the series guarantee by nearly a third over last year.
If you were to consider candidates for “this summer´s biggest and best poker series”, Ignition Poker probably wouldn´t enter your thinking. More likely candidates in the US would include the WSOP, Wynn Summer Classic and Borgata Summer Poker Open; while over in Europe you have the EPT Barcelona and Party Poker Millions at Dusk till Dawn as contenders.
Even online, Ignition Poker´s claims fall flat. Compared to the Wining Poker Network´s forthcoming [geolink href=”https://www.usafriendlypokersites.com/august-oss-cub3d-confirmed-following-successful-boss-series/”]OSS Cub3d series[/geolink], the Super Millions Poker Open has fewer events and less money on the table. Nonetheless it is a series worthy of some attention – not least because there is nothing to stop you playing more than one tournament series simultaneously when you play online poker.
101 Tournaments – $3.3 Million in Guaranteed Prize Money
Ignition Poker´s Super Millions Poker Opens runs from this coming Sunday – July 29th – until Sunday August 26th. Over the four weeks of action, 101 tournaments are scheduled offering a good range of formats and consistently good guaranteed prize pools. Indeed, the series guarantee of $3.3 million is nearly a third more than the corresponding series last year.
The highlight of the series is the $300,000 guaranteed Main Event at 5:18pm (ET) on the final day of the series. The Main Event has a buy-in of $450 and, in order to enable as many players to qualify for the tournament as cheaply as possible, Ignition Poker is running a comprehensive schedule of satellites and sub-satellites with buy-ins starting from $4.40.
How to Negotiate the Main Event Satellite Schedule
Negotiating the Main Event satellite schedule is not easy because of the range of options available to you. It is important to know which sub-satellite feeds into which satellite because otherwise you could end up with a load of satellites tickets you are unable to use and miss the Main Event altogether. Therefore I have compiled a brief guide to the various routes to Main Event glory:
Route 1 – the Direct Route
Direct route satellites are already live in the Ignition Poker lobby. They consist of “SMPO Main Event” satellites with buy-ins of between $44.00 and $77.00. Each satellite guarantees between one and five seats for the target event depending on the buy-in and the day of the week/time of day the satellite is played. Last minute direct satellites will be running every three hours from Saturday August 25th.
Route 2 – the Grinders Route
The Grinders Route consist of four-times-daily sub-satellites with buy-ins of $4.40 that feed into three-times-daily satellites with buy-ins of $27.50. If you win a satellite ticket in a $4.40 sub-satellite, you have the option of using the ticket to play in any SMPO event with a $27.50 buy-in. You are not committed to playing in a Main Event qualifier.
Route 3 – the High Roller Route
The High Roller Route may have bigger buy-ins than the Grinders Route ($7.70 and $55.00 respectively), but this is because each stage of the route typically offers more tickets for the next stage – for example, a $7.70 buy-in sub-satellite will more likely guarantee two seats into the $55.00 satellite. Again, you can use any satellite ticket won in a $7.70 buy-in sub-satellite to enter an SMPO event with a $55.00 buy-in.
Route 4 – The Sit & Go Route
The Sit & Go Route to the SMPO Main Event is a two-stage route consisting of a 6-Max Sit & Go game with a buy-in of $16.50, followed by another 6-Max Sit & Go game with a buy-in of $82.00. Usually, the second stage of this route doesn´t see much action until the week before the Main Event, but you can use the $82.00 satellite tickets won in Stage 1 to enter any SMPO event with a similar buy-in.
A Series Worthy of Some Attention
Ignition Poker´s Super Millions Poker Open may not be the biggest or the best tournament series of the summer, but it is certainly worthy of some attention. The range of formats should appeal to most players, plus there are satellites running around the clock for all the bigger buy-in events. The series is a great introduction to Ignition Poker for players who have never played at the site before and, if you fall into this category, be sure to [geolink href=”https://www.usafriendlypokersites.com/ignition-poker/”]check out my Ignition Poker review[/geolink] which explains how you can take advantage of a 100% match bonus on your first deposit up to $1,000.
