Satellite tournaments are one of the big attractions of joining any poker site. Every reputable poker site will have their own poker tournaments where you can qualify from a small tournament.

The main attraction is that a small time player can actually qualify for their bigger tournaments through playing. Just by starting with a small bankroll you can eventually enter high value online tournaments or land based tournaments without having to pay a qualifying fee.

The chance of getting to play in a major tournament is rare with someone with a small bankroll. The normal method of entry is by paying a substantial entry fee so it is not available to most players.

Qualifying for a bigger tournament from a satellite tournament still can win you money as well as qualification. Typically the prizes are lower than what you would find in a standard Hold-em Poker tournament.The attraction of a chance to play in a major tournament with the big fish is usually enough of an attraction to ensure that plenty of players join in.

If you have a slightly bigger stack you can try and enter a major tournament through a mini satellite tournament. There are short cuts into the big leagues, but have a limited entry. The tournaments can be as small as twenty players, with the winner giving an entry ticket to the majors.

The most famous major tournament is the World Series of Poker with a prize pool of millions of dollars, but unless you have the $10 000 entry fee you will not get in. There are many different satellite tournaments that can give you entry by winning a seat.

The satellite events may only have an entry fee of $1000. Super satellites exist as satellites to the main satellite tournaments. The different tournaments offer players lower entry fee to major events.

Step tournaments are a different way to enter. They require more playing time but allow you to enter with a much smaller playing fee.

The satellite tournaments play the same set of poker rules as the main tournament. Generally speaking the smaller the buy in, the more players there will be. Equally, the larger the buy in, the less players you can expect.