FROM THE BB
The BB presents some unique challenges. You’re facing attack from two different seats, facing a wide variety of opponent ranges, already have (an often substantial) part of your stack in the pot and are getting a better price to call to boot. You’ll be forced to play fairly differently based on who makes the opening raise – the button or the SB – so we’ll consider each class separately.

NOTE: Of all the seats, this one relies most heavily on your knowledge of your opponents. Proper play varies wildly based on the tendencies of your opponents, and covering every possible scenario is beyond the scope of this article. We’ll try to provide some % ranges to illustrate how widely your play can vary in certain spots, but this is definitely a seat you’ll want to investigate further on your own via SNG Wiz or some similar tool.

Very Loose (70-100%)
VS BUTTON
You should be playing this almost ATC range when you’re very short (1.5 BB or less after posting) or when your opponent is very short and you have some chips to spare. You’re facing a basic balancing act here – you don’t want to feed an opponent chips by not defending your BB frequently enough, but you also don’t want to double them up and (often) surrender your position in the process. Pay attention to the game dynamic and attempt to assess how much of a motivation the button has to shove light given stacks, etc. Pay close attention to the button’s shoving frequency and make notes for future games.

Some samples from SNGW:
Call 100% with 1BB left / 2.5 BB starting
Call 75% with 10-14BB stack facing a sub 3BB shove from button

VS SB
A lot of the same logic applies here, except that you can expect the SB to be raising with a much wider range and should arguably loosen your calling ranges somewhat to compensate.

Some examples:
Call 80% if you have 6.5 BBs and SB is shoving ATC with 4BBs
Call 85% with 10BBs and 3BB SB shoving 75%
Call 90% if you have 2.5BBs and SB is shoving atc

Loose (40-70%)
This range, along with the 20-40% range, represents some of the trickiest, most marginal decisions you’ll make on the bubble in satellite play. The more you know about your opponent’s likely ranges, the better off you’ll be, but you’re still going to often be dealing with situations where you’re rarely going to have a very substantial edge when you get involved.

VS BUTTON
You’ll be correct to play this range versus a button shove under two basic conditions – you and the button are both pretty short or the button is short and you have a reasonable stack. The basic assumption is that a short stacked button is going to be playing a very wide range with the blind breathing down their neck, and may perceive that even with only a few BBs, they still have some fold vig, so the general bubble nitiness they may have been displaying will now evaporate. While it might seem a little foolish to call them light when you’re short as well, their wide range plus the huge amount of chips in the pot relative to your stack makes much looser calls than most people assume correct.

Some example scenarios from SNGW:
Call 70% vs loose 3.5BB UTG when you have 8BB – 12BBs
Call 45% vs TAG UTG with 3BBs when you have 10-14BBs
Call 50% if you are in distant 2nd and slightly smaller stack shoves (if you have 5bbs and they have 3.5)
Call 70% vs reasonably TAG UTG when you both have 3ish BBs – even if they’re pretty darn tight, still call 50%

vs SB
Your toughest decisions often occur right in this spot. Versus a loose SB, you’re correct to call off a pretty wide range when you have a 3rd place stack or a slight lead on the SB. Most SBs are going to be shoving pretty wide in this spot, reasoning that they can exert maximum pressure on you and also fearing shoving on their button, where they’re going to have to contend with a deeper stack in the BB. If the SB gives you a few walks 3 handed when the two of you are battling for second, that’s generally a clear sign that they’re tight and usually an inexperienced satellite player. You should obviously tighten up quite a bit against these opponents.

Interestingly enough, you’re generally a bit more correct to call when you have a medium stack or a short stack; if you have a deeper stack or a solid lead, you should be playing tighter against the SB when they have a 6BB stack or greater. As the SB starts to get shorter and shorter (and looser), you can loosen up with your deeper stack.

Examples:
Call 65% with 6.5 BBs when SB has 5BBs and shoves ATC
Call 50% when you have 14BBs and SB has 8.5BBs and shoves ATC
Call 70% when you have 14BBs and SB has 5BBs and shoves ATC

Call 45% with 6.5BBs when SB has 5 BBs and shoves 65%
Call 40% with 8BB-12BBs when SB has 5 BBs and shoves 65%
Call 45% with 10BBs and tight SB shoving 3BBs
Call 47% with 2-3BBs, move up to 60% as they get looser

A couple of caveats: as with any advice, the below is based on a generalized picture of a typical opponent. Your opponents may be much tighter or much looser; our models are based on players who have some knowledge of proper SNG play and are generally TAG. It would be a pretty massive undertaking to account for every variation based on opponent type. While we’ll note some adjustments here and there, the basic rule of thumb is this: if a player is tighter, you should be raising them more and calling them less; if a player is very loose you should be calling them more and raising them less.

We also don’t cover play where stacks are deeper than 12BBs effective, which they rarely are when you’re at this point in a satellite. What that means is that we’re only considering decisions where you’re shoving all in or folding (or calling an all in shove). We’re also not considering decisions where there is both a raise and a call in front of you (that will be tackled in another article).

Whenever we cite specific raise or call percentages, we’re drawing on calculations performed by the excellent ICM software Sit N Go Wizard. SNGWiz has a fully functioning 30 day trial that we strongly suggest checking out (review and link here). As awesome as the software is, however, it doesn’t do much to incorporate game dynamics, so you have to consider for yourself if some unique game dynamic (the SB is walking you way too often, the other two players seem eager to play pots against each other, etc) should override the ‘proper’ decision from an ICM perspective. Our hand %s are also drawn from SNGWiz.

Finally, these are just general guidelines. For every ‘rule’ we cite below, you can likely find a handful of scenarios that are exceptions. The point of this article isn’t to tell you what to do in every possible situation – rather, it’s to outline proper play in a variety of situations in an attempt to get you thinking about the unique logic that applied to satellite bubble play.
Let’s get started with play UTG. Three handed, UTG is the button, so you only have one decision – shove or fold.

Considering your play from very loose to very tight:

Very Loose (70-100% of hands)
When you’re in third place, you should generally be playing very loose from the button. While it might not seem like optimal position, consider: it gives you pretty good leverage on the SB and (in most chip configurations) puts the BB in a tough spot. Even if they have you doubled in chips, the last thing they want to do is double you up, as that will basically result in them swapping places with you. Raising the button also takes advantage of the fact that players tend to be much looser when raising than when calling, and this is the one spot where you’re guaranteed to get to open the action. Finally, you need to get chips somewhere. Even if you have a 12BB stack, it’s going to get eaten up pretty quickly three handed, as a 12BB stack generally has an effective M of 2-3, and compared to your alternatives, the button looks like a pretty attractive spot: in the BB, you’re likely to get shoved on very wide by one of the players in front, and you’re rarely going to have a hand strong enough to call. In the SB, you have to worry about the button shoving first, and you also have to contend with a BB that’s likely to give far less respect to you SB raise than they would to your button raise.

You can also play the button very loosely when you have a large chip lead, the SB and BB are in a close fight for second and the blinds are high – especially if doubling up an opponent would still leave you in a pretty solid first. The logic is that you need the chips, to some extent, and both the blinds are likely to play pretty tightly. Even if they don’t and you lose, you’ll still be in fine shape to cruise into the money.

Here are a few scenarios where SNG Wiz suggests pushing 100% of hands:

When you have 4-8BBs and are in distant 3rd place
When you have 10BBs and are facing stacks of 40BB / 15BB behind
When you have 10BBs and are in a close race for 2nd with the BB
When you have 14BBs and the SB and BB both have about 3.5 BBs

A couple of important notes on MTT, or ‘Mega’ sattys; In addition to the rake, all prize pools lose 3% to the staff. Also, MTT sattys (unlike STTs) appear to pay out in vouchers and not tournament chips – that’s according to the structure sheets provided by Harrah’s. This may change, so check with the floor before you enter a satty. Finally, all MTT sattys share the same structure, more or less – the bigger ones have a few extra levels added at the end.

The payout policy for these sattys: for every $10,200 in the prize pool (after rake and 3%) one seat is awarded. If the prize pool doesn’t get to $10,2000, the winner takes the entire prize pool. If there’s odd money left over, it all goes to the person finishing after the last seat winner.

We’ve copied the basic structure at the end of this article.

Below find the schedule Mega Satellites at the Rio and a couple thoughts from us on each, arranged by buy in. Note that not all sattys run throughout the series and that as the Main Event approaches, some sattys run more frequently.

$330 Mega Satty to Main Event
May 26th – June 30th
Sunday through Thursday 3pm

2000 chips
30 minute levels

This satellite is going to award one seat for about every 35 players or so. That’s not a terrible ratio, and the competition is likely to be soft. However, 2000 chips at this structure will make this a shove fest pretty early on. That might result in some near-bubble edges for those who are satty-savvy, but it also means you’ll need to bring plenty of the ol’ run good to compete for a seat.

$500+ 50 Mega Satty to Main Event
May 29th – June 30th
Friday / Saturday 3pm

July 1st – 5th
Friday / Saturday 10am and 4pm

4000 Chips
30 minute levels

The extra 2k in chips will make a big difference in these sattys, as you’re playing the same structure as the $330. Still, even with 4k, you’re likely to be looking at pretty thin stacks as the bubble approaches. One out of every 21 or so players will be awarded a seat here, and there’s no reason to believe that the extra $200 on the buy in will raise the bar for play quality. Plus, they’re weekend events, so you should get more casual players in anyhow, especially as the Main Event draws closer.

$1000+ 60 Mega Satty to Main Event
May 29th – June 30th
Daily 8pm

July 1st – 5th
Daily 1pm and 8pm

6000 Chips
30 minute levels

Better stacks, same structure, higher buy in – these are probably especially great bets on the days when $1500 events run, as people who go busto from those are likely to step into here, and a lot of the online grinders will be tied up in the $1500s as well. One in every 10.5 players move on

$1000+ 60 Mega TURBO Satty to Main Event
July 6th
8am

6000 Chips
10 minute levels

Nothing says ‘degen’ quite like attendance at a live, last-minute turbo satty … at 8 in the morning. Hard to say who’s going to show up for this one, but at 10 minute levels, it doesn’t really even matter that they’ve given you 6k in chips (you’ll likely be looking at a $400 big blind after about 30 hands or so).

$1500 + 70 Mega Satty to 40k event
May 26th, 27th
6pm

7500 Chips
30 minute levels

This one’s not for the Main Event, but if you’re into pure shot taking, you might want to check it out. Be warned: he satty itself will probably be a pretty tough field (likely one of if not the toughest), as it’s early on in the WSOP and for an event that will likely draw an insanely tough field itself.

Structure for WSOP MTT Mega Satellites

25/50
50/100
100/200
100/200/25
200/400/50
300/600/75
400/800/100
600/1200/100
800/1600/200
1000/2000/300
1500/3000/400
2k/4k/500
3k/6k/500
4k/8k/1k
6k/12k/1k
8k/16k/2k
10k/20k/3k
15k/30k/3k
20k/40k/5k
30k/60k/5k
40k/80k/10k
60k/120k/15k

A couple of important caveats: one, this article offers guidelines and makes generalization. It would be a pretty massive undertaking to address every possible situation that could occur in a SNG, even if you just focused on, say, the bubble. We try instead to focus on employing examples that highlight the basic rules of the strategy instead of worrying about noting every possible exception. Second, if you’re going to be playing these tournaments, you must invest in a copy of SNG Wiz (or a similar program) to help you study your game and improve.

Ok, with that said, here’s the approach we’re going to take. We’re going to break the game into two basic sections – the opening game and the bubble game (6 handed play). Future articles on Steps strategy will handle play ITM (in the money).
Step 3s can be played as Regular (10 minute blind level) or Turbo (5 minute blind level). A good amount of the time there’s not much divergence between proper strategy for Regular and Turbo; where there’s something significant , we’ll make a note.

Opening
You start with 1500 chips and blinds at 10-20. For the first few blind levels, there’s actually a reasonable potential for post-flop play. Post-flop play largely disappears by level 5, although depending on the chip distribution, it may make a reappearance in some of the later levels.

There’s been plenty written about the popular early stage approach to SNG play – snug – so we won’t spend too much time repeating what’s already widely covered. Playing tight in the earlier stages of SNGs and essentially conserving your chips until the game becomes a simple push-fold decision is an absolutely reasonable strategy for Step 3, especially given how flat the payouts are – you’re really not rewarded for taking chances early in the structure. Sticking to super premium hands and placing emphasis on pot control over thin value betting will net you positive results.

Some people find this approach too boring, and while boredom is rarely a reason in and of itself to divert from a winning strategy, you can make a case for playing a slightly looser style in the early levels. The basic tradeoff is that you’ll be adding some extra risk in exchange for more chances to get into confrontations with the worst players (assuming that bad players are more likely to bust early and that good players are likely to be playing ABC in the early stages, so you won’t be in pots with them as often).

While you’re still playing solid poker, you’ll be opening up your game a bit. If the table is typical, you’ll be able to limp from a variety of positions with speculative hands and not be confronted with a raise that often. You should also consider challenging the limpers from time to time with a late position raise with the weaker part of your range. Don’t be afraid to take a flop or two against a preflop raiser if you have good position – for the first couple of levels you’re playing fairly deep stacked poker. You can also get away with a light three bet against the right players in later position, but it’s a move you should probably restrict to the first two or three levels, as it becomes prohibitively expensive as the blinds increase.

If you manage to chip up a bit in the early levels with this approach, great – the cushion will come in handy as the game moves into the push-fold stage. If, however, you take a couple of swings and net a couple of misses, put on the brakes and revert to tight play to conserve your chips so that you’re still a stack that can inflict damage as the game moves into the later levels.

There are two basic varieties of STTs at the WSOP – STTs that pay the top two finishers 50% of the prizepool each and STTs that pay one finisher 100%. Those are marked as SW (single winner) and DW (double winner) below. Buy in levels available are as follows:

$55 + 10 (800 chips, 15 minute levels) – SW
$110 +10 (1000 chips, 20 minute levels) – DW
$112 +13 (1000 chips, 15 minute levels) – SW
$162+ 13 (1000 chips, 15 minute levels) – SW
$212+ 13 (1000 chips, 15 minute levels) – SW
$220 +15 (1500 chips, 20 minute levels) – DW
$262 + 13 (1500 chips, 20 minute levels) – SW
$312 + 13 (1500 chips, 20 minute levels) – SW
$320 + 15 (1500 chips, 20 minute levels) – DW
$420 + 15 (2000 chips, 20 minute levels) – DW
$512 + 13 (2000 chips, 20 minute levels) – SW
$520 + 15 (2000 chips, 20 minute levels) – DW
$620+ 15 (2000 chips, 20 minute levels) -DW
$1015 +15 (5000 chips, 20 minute levels) -SW
$1020 + 15 (5000 chips, 20 minute levels) -DW
$2035 + 15 (10,000 chips, 20 minute levels) – DW

There are some minor difference between the buy in levels for one winner and two winner satellites, but it’s mostly a couple of bucks on way or the other to make the prize pool split evenly.

The satellites from $120 to $635 share the same structure:

25 / 25
25 / 50
50 / 100
100 / 200
150 / 300
200 / 400
300 / 600
400 / 800
600 / 1200
800 / 1600

The structure for the 1k and 2k sattys is similar, but removes a level at the start and adds more at the end

25 / 50
50 / 100
100 / 200
150 / 300
200 / 400
300 / 600
400 / 800
600 / 1200
800 / 1600
1000 / 2000
1500 / 3000
2000 / 4000
3000 / 6000

With that established, what’s the right satellite for you? We’ll put aside bankroll considerations for a moment and assume you have a basic understanding of the bankroll you need to play a certain level comfortably as focus instead on value. Let’s examine some key considerations.

Rake
This is a pretty critical one, as the rake structure for STTs at the WSOP is more or less flat. You’re paying basically $15 bucks in rake (with the exception of the $120s) no matter what level you play, which means the rake as a percentage of your buy in can vary wildly. At the $120 level you’re paying about a 9% rake; at the $2k level you’re paying less than a 1% rake. That’s a significant difference, especially if you’re planning on playing a solid amount of satellites. It’s not a reason in and of itself to jump ahead a few buy in levels, but it’s something to consider.

Structure
The two critical gaps here are the jump in stacks from the $120 to the $235 (1000 to 1500) and the $635 to the $1035 (2000 to 5000). Considering the blind levels, 1000 chips won’t result in much play – after 30 hands or so blinds will be approaching 50/100 and the game will quickly turn into a push-fold contest with much of the table likely remaining. That’s a poor scenario for players who have strong push-fold skills, as they just don’t get as many spots to utilize them. 1500 chips fares a little better – not only will you get an extra level or two before people are likely to be open-shoving, but you’re also likely to be bit shorter player-wise, as more hands = more confrontations = more chance of eliminations.

2000 chips with 20 minute levels allows for plenty of play. You’re likely to see frequent opportunities for post-flop play or legitimate three-bet steals preflop well into levels 5-6, but the structure is quick enough that you should still be playing push-fold at or around the bubble.

5000 chips is some deep stacked poker for a satellite, even with the first level removed. If you’re a SNG specialist, this may actually work a bit to your disadvantage, as it might be quite some time before the game becomes push-fold and the cash-game regulars likely to populate the higher buy in levels will be far more correct to play the satellite as they would a cash game.

Likely Caliber of Opponents
This gets into some pretty speculative stuff, but here’s a few thoughts on what types of players are likely to be drawn to the various iterations of STTs available. Keep in mind that your ideal satellite opponent is a recreational player who is tight-passive – basically, scared money that won’t be willing to shove or call light as the stacks get short and won’t be in tune with the math behind satellite play.

So, what type of satellite will attract those types of players? They’re probably going to be on the lower end of the buy in scale more often than not (the casual players at the higher end of the buy in scale tend to be more LAG players). You’ll also probably find more of them at the 2 place payout satellites than the single place payout satellites, as the former seems like a safer gamble than the latter.

There’s also something (albeit possibly of negligible impact) about the prize awarded. Casual players often don’t grasp the idea of tournament chips or don’t want to deal with the ‘hassle’ of selling them, so they are a bit likely to gravitate to sattys that award a prize amount that corresponds closely to the buy in for an event. The most likely candidate for this player’s attention: the $335, which essentially awards two $1500 event seats.

The Best Satellite Value is …
It’s a close call between the satellites in the $300-$600 range, but we’d suggest (bankroll permitting) going with either the $320+15 or the $420+15 two payout satellites. Both have reasonable structures and stacks and are likely to attract very weak fields to to their buy in size (affordable), and both offer a very beatable rake (roughly 4% and 3%, respectively). We’d suggest gauging the quality of play between the two when you’re at the Rio, and preferring the $420+15 because of its superior structure and rake % if the players seem more or less interchangeable.

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