Best way to qualify for Stars 1Million?

[Hartlin]

I would love to play in the tournament, but I'm not sure the best/cheapest way to qualify is.

I have limitations due to my BR of $65. Can anyone give me suggestions on how I can get in this tournament as cheaply/easily as possible. A win in this tournament (ITM) would help me greatly!

[midas06]

Don't. Every way to get to the Mil requires a greater br than what you have.

Also, with the size of the field, the quality of some of the players, and your respective skill as a poker player, do you think you could win this? Not being a douche here.

[Les_Worm]

With your BR don't pay cash. For 375FPPs you can play a 36man sng. Only pays 1 place but first gets a seat. Thats the cheapest way but also most frusterating b/c when you get HU and all in with KK vs. 66 Lee will push F2 and make you cry.

[Hartlin]

Midas - I don't think I could WIN the tournament, but I'm honestly confident that I could place ITM (which is what I would want). My BR is very small, yes. What about if I played a $3 rebuy and didn't rebuy, just played it as if it was a $3 + $0.30 tournament?

I only have 27 FPP's. Not sure how to get these quicker. Only get one for each tournament/SNG I play.

[Xo_Sirk_oX]

I only have 27 FPP's. Not sure how to get these quicker. Only get one for each tournament/SNG I play

here is from the PS Website..

How Do I Earn Frequent Player Points?

Accumulating Frequent Player Points is as easy as playing poker. Every time you play real money poker games on PokerStars, you earn FPPs. Every time you play real money multi-table poker tournaments, you earn FPPs. Every time you play a Sit & Go tournament that include a tournament fee, you earn FPPs. Simply put, if you're playing for real money, you're earning FPPs.
1. Earn FPPs for cash game play

One (1) Frequent Player Point (FPP) is awarded for playing a hand in which the rake reaches:

* $0.50 for fixed limit poker games with stakes $0.50/$1.00 and lower
* $0.75 for fixed limit poker games with stakes $1/$2
* $1.00 for
o pot limit poker games
o no limit poker games
o fixed limit poker games with stakes $2/$4 and higher

2. Earn FPPs for tournament play

Five (5) FPPs are awarded for each $1 in tournament fees paid.

For example, if you play in a $20+$2 poker tournament, you will be awarded 10 FPPs (5 FPPs x 2). Please note that partial Base FPPs (FPPs that you earn from actual game or tournament play) are rounded up to the next whole number. However, extra FPPs that you get because of VIP levels do not get rounded up - they are stored as fractional numbers and accumulate accordingly. FreePlay tournaments do not award FPPs because you pay no entry fee for those tournaments.

[Renton]

Midas - I don't think I could WIN the tournament, but I'm honestly confident that I could place ITM (which is what I would want).

Even the best players can't be confident that they will make the money in a given tournament. It's largely luck. You have to last over 3 1/2 hours to make the money in that tournament, doubling up several times in the process. Things have to go your way.

[Xo_Sirk_oX]

Look at the time stamps of lambs go at the Mill...

His HH is Here

[dpe8598]

Ha, if your that sure that you will get in the money, then just scrape up the money and buy into the tourney. I'm guessing you really aren't that sure, but its just a guess.

Its actually pretty tough to get in the money in that tourney, because there are so many players. You will almost certainly have to win a at least one coin flip (or at least a hand where you are barely ahead) in order to get in the money.

I play that tourney pretty frequently and I think I'm a decent player and still get in the money less often than I don't.

[dpe8598]

I will add this though. Unlike many on this site, I do advocate being a little risky (remember only a little) with the bank roll once in a while. If your feeling frisky, spend the 13 bux or 27 bux for a 1 or 2 table sitngo to try to get into the tourney. If you don't win, spend some more time building up your bank roll and try again.

Plenty of players spend their winnings only on things like this and I think thats fine. It can be plenty of fun to go for the big win once in a while.

[Rondavu]

Hartlin, I don't think you quite understand how good the players are in this tourney. To finish under 1000 is a great feat. It's the cadillac of online tournaments. People never let up on you. You don't get cheap cards. You don't get easy decisions. The whole table puts you to the test. Implied odds are laughable at the early stages. Sets don't get payed off. People fold outkicked top pairs. The only way you double up is if you have a hidden monster over a very strong hand.

Simply put, you need to have a solid grasp of a wide array of poker concepts, moves, reading ability. It's 6 hours of hand to hand Kung Fu, my crap hand better than you. Oh you have a monster? I fold and give no further action. I'll just steal the next five times and drain your stack. In this tournament, bluff reraising a check raise on a your flop continuation becomes a valid move, if you feel an opponent is capable of both making a move like this with air, and folding a somewhat strong flop hand

If you're predictable at all in this tourney, it will seem like everyone at the table sees your cards. It can get ugly in a hurry. This tourney is less about flopping the winning hand and taking down a big pot, and more about table image, fold equity and representation.

If you sit there camping for premium hands, then forget about it. Quite simply you'll be done before you even start.

[skinnyolly]

Sounds like a great 'test' of ones abilities, I don't think i'm ready for something like this yet- I still struggle with the odds mathwise- which is pretty shameful. although i do alright for myself (although i really want to improve this aspect- and my concentration, hence FTR).

However, this sounds like the acid test of all mother fooking acid tests- what a way to see how your doing?
2) I think dep8's comment about doing something like this 'once in a while' and being fun is extremally valid aswell...

let us know if you go for it...

olly

[biondino]

Rondavu, how do you do in this tourney?

[andy-akb]

Midas - I don't think I could WIN the tournament, but I'm honestly confident that I could place ITM (which is what I would want). My BR is very small, yes. What about if I played a $3 rebuy and didn't rebuy, just played it as if it was a $3 + $0.30 tournament?

Im not going to repeat what everybody else has said about your chances in this tourney, I will comment about what you said about the rebuy. If you only play your initial stack, dont immediately rebuy and dont addon you are going to be at a severe disadvantage and wont really have a chance here. Build your bankroll and play satelittes, but make sure you build your bankroll and more importantly your skill before you attempt this.

I only have 27 FPP's. Not sure how to get these quicker. Only get one for each tournament/SNG I play.

Play more.

[mcatdog]

I think Rondavu's post is a little bit exaggerated. No doubt it's the toughest regular tournament on the Internet, but there are still plenty of players in it who aren't that good, who qualified for it through some kind of satellite. Unfortunately, you would be one of them. Don't play it. My bankroll is close to 10K and I still don't think I'm ready to play it.

If you decide that you really want to take a shot at a tournament with a big prize pool, maybe play the 40K guaranteed which has a $22 buyin and runs every evening on Party Poker. Or maybe one of the daily 3R&A's on PokerStars. Those are tournaments with a first prize of between 5K and 10K where you actually have a good shot at going deep if you play a solid game.

[andy-akb]

I think Rondavu's post is a little bit exaggerated. No doubt it's the toughest regular tournament on the Internet, but there are still plenty of players in it who aren't that good, who qualified for it through some kind of satellite. Unfortunately, you would be one of them. Don't play it. My bankroll is close to 10K and I still don't think I'm ready to play it.

I dont think it is the absolute toughest, the $100+ Buyin Freezouts probably have a tougher field than this, the difficulty in this tourney is the field size itself. There is a ton of dead money in this tourney, in some of the other regular freezouts there isnt that dead money.

If you decide that you really want to take a shot at a tournament with a big prize pool, maybe play the 40K guaranteed which has a $22 buyin and runs every evening on Party Poker. Or maybe one of the daily 3R&A's on PokerStars. Those are tournaments with a first prize of between 5K and 10K where you actually have a good shot at going deep if you play a solid game.

I agree that these tournaments have a softer field, but I dont think anybody with a $65 BR should consider playing these, especially the rebuys.

[Hartlin]

Fair enough. I guess I'm steering very clear I can't seem to win on even the micro-est stakes. Very frustrating taking beat after beat by donks, and I can't even move up to a higher stake with smarter players, because of my BR, which is limited to the free $50 I got from partystakers.

[andy-akb]

Fair enough. I guess I'm steering very clear I can't seem to win on even the micro-est stakes. Very frustrating taking beat after beat by donks, and I can't even move up to a higher stake with smarter players, because of my BR, which is limited to the free $50 I got from partystakers.

You have to be able to beat the low stakes before you can think about playing the high stakes, if you stick with it you will get there, but its going to take some time.

[mcatdog]

I agree that these tournaments have a softer field, but I dont think anybody with a $65 BR should consider playing these, especially the rebuys.

I was just saying, if he really feels the urge to play in a "big" tournament, he should consider the ones I mentioned, not the Million Guaranteed. But I agree with you, anyone who can't control the urge to play above their roll, will probably never be successful at poker. I don't understand why people can't just start small and grind their way up. I have never played in a tournament that I paid more than 2% of my bankroll to enter.

[Hartlin]

I can fight the urge, heh. I was just interested in playing in it I already stated that I was going to steer well clear of it.

I find it sort of startling to see my live game results compared to my online results. I've played 8 lives games and I've came in 1st place (of about 6-10 players) 4 times, 2nd place 2 times and 3rd place once.

Most of my actual poker profit is from live games. The players at these live games almost all play online as well and do very well, so they aren't just crappy players.

Not sure where I'm going wrong :S Anyone able to help?

[skinnyolly]

Interesting, I find Exactly the opposite.

I'm not sure why but I think its to do with the money actually seeing it, in my pocket one minute and then not- i'm sure its a psychological thing, but it completely changes my game- and not for the better. Thats kind of the reason I stopped going down to the casino- in fact it was the only reason!

I had been thinking about going back, as I have significantly improved my game since... but I think I need to deal with my ''money issues''.

[SuperDave9x19]

Midas - I don't think I could WIN the tournament, but I'm honestly confident that I could place ITM (which is what I would want). My BR is very small, yes. What about if I played a $3 rebuy and didn't rebuy, just played it as if it was a $3 + $0.30 tournament?

I only have 27 FPP's. Not sure how to get these quicker. Only get one for each tournament/SNG I play.

For our (yours n mine) comparatively small bankrolls, Making FPPS off of Ring games is near impossible. What I try to do is find the SnG which pays off the most FPPs since you get the FPP for enterring a SnG where you get FPPs for being involved in a high rake (ie. not OUR bankroll) hand in ring games.

The $1+.20 stars 5 table SnGs give 1 FPP. The $5+.50 SnGs pay 3 FPP. So if you want to economize on FPP, the $1+.20 is the way to go. Cheezy cheap, but that is how I play LOTS and get my occasional bonus (based on FPPs) at PStars.

[biondino]

Hartlin, can you not put your live winnings into your BR and move up in stakes?

As for playing MTTs, you should, they're fun (if you can afford to take 3-8 hours out of your day). But play the $2 entry ones - you can afford them, they're full of fish, and you have a genuine chance of going deep. So you might only win like $8 for 5 hours work, but you'll enjoy yourself and get a decent amount of experience. This level of MTT is designed for you - take advantage of it!

[Hartlin]

No biondino, I can't put any of my own money into anything to do with gambling. Parents won't allow it. They're already worried enough with me playing with this free money Time isn't an issue at all for me I play the MTT's when I can, but school conflicts, as I usually don't have 6 hours on a schoolnight. I play at least 6 MTT's on a weekend and usually almost always place.

[biondino]

But this other money you earned FROM gambling... Ah well, I understand their concerns. Glad you're doing well.

(Also, how about playing cash games to up your BR?)

[Rondavu]

Rondavu, how do you do in this tourney?

Finished around 600th and 400th. Other times aren't worth a mention. I think I played it 4 times though. Once for the $550 buy in. That's when I finished 600th out of about 3800.

[Hartlin]

Just got home from a live game 7 players. Took 1st place again (back to back to back, 3 times in a row) now. $25 prize

[ChipTime67]

Hi mate, I would say that it would be better to gain some experience in smaller mtt. I like the $10 mtt on Stars. The first prize in one of these mtt's is more than enough to pay directly into the Big Sunday game.

I have lost count of the amount of times, I have failed to qualify using FPP. The 375 36 man satallite is tough. I have had alot of 2'nd places. Unfortunately 2nd doesn't give you anything. Then it is back to the start again.

Even a $3 mtt at the micro limit pays around $300 for first prize.

Try and play some of these first to gain experience. They will also boost you bankroll

There is a great 180 man sit and go. The buy-in is $4 . That is a nice game to play. $276 for first ( If I remember correctly )

You have to remember the players in the Sunday game are the real deal. Alot of them are names you may not be familiar with. But most of them are really good players.

Very best of luck mate. I hope you do it