Current system too restrictive
Online poker room partypoker recently announced that it is bringing back tournament dollars as prizes for satellite wins. The new policy will take effect on Sunday, October 27.
Currently, most satellites award tournament tickets that can only be used to enter specific tournaments. They cannot be combined into higher denomination tickets. Some satellites automatically enter players into the higher-level tournament if they win; players cannot typically withdraw from those contests and use the tickets in a different event.
Tournament dollars replacing tickets
With the new system that will begin next weekend, most satellites on partypoker will award tournament dollars instead of tickets. The difference is that tournament dollars can be spent on any future tournament.
Tournament dollars will have a 12-month expiration date, which is longer than tournament tickets have at the moment.
Some partypoker satellites will still award tournament tickets as they do now. There are plenty of players who still enjoy this prize format, particularly those who are aiming to qualify for a specific, expensive tournament that they could not otherwise afford. Most satellites, though, will shift to tournament dollars for the flexibility.
Coincides with resurrection of partypoker MILLION
The announcement of tournament dollars comes on the heels of a reworked online tournament schedule. The poker room has increased the number of daily tournaments, bumped up many of the guaranteed prize pools, and has added more options for low and mid-stakes players. Overall, it has been well-received by the poker community.
The $215 buy-in, $1 million guaranteed tournament was once a staple of partypoker’s Sunday schedule
The highlight of the new tournament schedule is the return of the partypoker MILLION (not to be confused with the live partypoker MILLIONS events). The $215 buy-in, $1 million guaranteed tournament was once a staple of partypoker’s Sunday schedule, but ended in 2006. It comes back the same day that tournament dollars go into effect.
The first running of the new partypoker MILLION will have four starting flights, one each Sunday starting on October 27. The ‘Final Day’ will be on November 3 and is scheduled to end around 2:00am.
Concept worked for partypoker LIVE
partypoker implemented a similar tournament dollars system with its partypoker LIVE satellites last April. Because of the positive player response, it is using that experience as the template for the new online poker version.
a player can take the equivalent monetary value and use it to pay for an entry into any of a number of partypoker-sponsored live events
With the partypoker LIVE tournament dollars, called PPL$$$, players can enter online satellites to win entries in major live poker tournaments, such as MILLIONS.
Instead of being forced to play in, say, the MILLIONS Europe upon winning a satellite, a player can take the equivalent monetary value and use it to pay for an entry into any of a number of partypoker-sponsored live events. PPL$$$ can also be used for lodging and transportation.