Playing in MTT games is not the same as playing in certain satellite events
If you are a poker player who enjoys playing satellites, you need to build a different skillset than what is required to play in a regular MTT tournament. There is a slight difference when playing these events because there is no need to finish in the first place, as all the players in the money received the same prize. This means that, on average, 10% of the field finishes in the first place.
It probably sounds like a simple task to focus on getting to the money during a satellite event, but it has its tricks. One factor to consider is that these kinds of events often report a large number of players, most of them weak. There are many players who crave cheap options to get into large events, and many of them probably have some sort of strategy on their own.
Most satellite tournament players tend to play in a very passive way throughout the tournament mainly because the first place doesn’t matter that much; it’s not common to find a player that will be going all-in just because. This is something you can take advantage of this situation by chipping away at the players who are not taking aggressive actions to survive and make it to the money. Since most players tend to play with fear, you can keep the pressure on because there will always be one player who will take the risk of calling your bet to get your share of the chips.
During the first levels of the tournament, remember to dedicate some focus to building your chip stack to ensure your survival, safety and security. Having a large stack at the beginning almost guarantees a spot in the money. Playing with a large stack while the bubble is approaching is much less stressful than trying to make your small stack survive enough time. But you can always try to risk it a little before the bubble to increase your stack as much as possible.
