WSOP Qualifier Poker Sites
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Many people entering the WSOP Main Event (and the many ‘side events’) win their entry online. Each year, poker sites offering World Series qualifiers compete to send players to the games. This page gives you an overview of how the qualifiers to poker’s biggest live event work – and then shows you where you can find them.
Qualify for the 2024World Series of Poker Online
| Rank | Poker Site | Bonus Amount | Bonus Code |
 Start Playing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ignition Poker | 100% up to $2000 | *Use Link | IgnitionCasino.eu |
| 2 | Bovada Poker | 100% up to $1000 | *Use Link | Bovada.eu |
| 3 | BetOnline Poker | 100% up to $2500 | *Use Link | BetOnline.com |
| 4 | Intertops | 100% up to $600 | *Use Link | Intertops.com |
| 5 | SportsBetting | 100% up to $2500 | *Use Link | SportsBetting |
| 6 | America's Cardroom | 100% up to $2000 | *Use Link | America's Cardroom |
| 7 | Blackchip Poker | 100% up to $2000 | *Use Link | Blackchip Poker |
WSOP Qualifier Poker Sites – What Can I Win?
Online poker sites usually offer prize packages which include hotel and travel expenses as well as entry into the target tournament. For the Main Event, the value of these vary between $12,000 and around $14,000 depending on your site. You’ll find the hotels are usually fixed in advance, and you’ll sometimes get party invitations thrown in too.
A lot of sites now offer side-event packages. These are entry into one or more of the $1000 to $1500 buy-in games, with a short hotel stay and travel expenses. Since not all sites wish to use the official trademarks, you’ll sometimes find these listed as ‘Vegas Tournament Vacations’. The timing and wording leave little doubt which event you’ll be playing in.
How Are the Online WSOP Qualifiers Structured?
With prize packages worth a lot of money, the games giving these away directly are usually high buy-in – at least compared to most regular online poker tournaments. Since only a fraction of players can afford to spend $500+ on a satellite qualifier, the sites put in systems which allow you to work your way from small buy-in games to bigger ones.
For example, you might join a $5 sub-qualifier to win a seat in a $50 qualifier to the $500 event which gives away prize packages. Some WSOP qualifier poker sites take this to an extreme – starting their satellites at just one penny!
The standard game format for satellites is a multi-table tournament with a single buy-in. There are plenty of variations on this theme. These include rebuy tournaments, which allow you to buy-in as many times as you want during a set time period. There are also turbo speed qualifiers, where the blinds and antes escalate very quickly.
In addition to the multi-table tournaments, 1-table sit n go tournaments are a popular way to qualify. Several sites have series of 5 or 6 of these, where you win entries to the next level up by finishing first or second in the lower buy-in games. These are known as ‘Steps’. You can often use your entry into a higher-level step Sit N Go to enter a multi-table tournament instead.
More recently, sites have started to use their 3-handed lottery Sit N Goes to award WSOP entries. These prizes are awarded at random for lower buy-in games.
Where Can I Find WSOP Qualifiers Online?
For US-based players, there is a choice of offshore sites which offer World Series Qualifiers. These include a novel approach from America’s Cardroom. Last year this site offered WSOP packages as prizes for their lottery Sit n Goes. While most of these 3 handed games had the usual cash prizes, once in a while all 3 players in a random game would be given a $12,000 Main Event package. You will also find ‘Vegas Vacation’ type prizes at Ignition Poker; assuming that they continue the tradition of the former Bovada brand owners of this room.
If you are based in Nevada, Delaware or New Jersey, you’ll be able to reach sites which partner with 888 Poker. With 888 the official sponsors of the World Series, there are plenty of opportunities to win prize packages to both the Main Event and to Side Events too.
Worldwide players can win seats at just about all the poker sites. Again 888 make the biggest splash, offering multiple ways to win WSOP packages. PokerStars no longer run WSOP-specific qualifiers, though their ‘PokerStars Passport’ games are very popular – and allow you to choose your prize package from the yearly calendar. You’ll also find qualifiers at Party Poker and on the iPoker Network.
Short History of the World Series of Poker
This event started off very small, with only just a handful of pro gamblers meeting once a year in Las Vegas to decide on that year’s champion. The early years saw some of the icons of the game winning the coveted bracelets, for example Doyle Brunson and Johnny Moss.
Things grew slowly through the 1980s and 1990’s. Legends like Johnny Chan, Stu Ungar and later Phil Helmuth made names for themselves during this period.
It was the invention of online poker, and the introduction of online qualifiers which gave the game a real boost. By 2005 there were more than 500 players entering the main event. In 2006, Chris Moneymaker – an accountant from Atlanta, Georgia – won the main event after winning a $30 qualifier at PokerStars. This is credited with kicking off the poker boom, and certainly caused an explosion in interest in the WSOP.
The modern World Series takes place at the Rio Casino, and features more than 60 events. These range from $1000 buy-in games to the $50,000 player’s championship. The Main Event has become big enough to have 4 ‘day 1’ sessions, and the winner takes home up to $10,000,000 as well as the coveted winners bracelet.
