Ever since the days of the Poker Boom and Chris Moneymaker’s win at the WSOP Main Event, online poker has attracted thousands of players with the same dream of one day becoming champion at a major live poker tournament.
Of all the online poker operators out there, PokerStars has made more of such dreams come to life than anyone — most recently for Romanian poker player Razvan Belea, who was crowned champion at EPT Paris after winning his seat in the tournament via a PokerStars satellite.
Belea made his way to the EPT Paris Main Event by playing in a $530 satellite at PokerStars, one of many the operator had in place for this EPT stop. Players could also win their way into the $530 satellite, with first qualifier steps starting as low as $1.10.
- Deposit $20 and get $30 worth of free play
- One of the best mobile apps
- Biggest MTT guarantees
The Romanian EPT champion started his poker journey by playing freeroll tournaments at PokerStars. Within a few short years, he was playing EPT Main Events across the continent before finally winning the title he had so long anticipated.
With 2023 being a massive year for poker, you too can win your seat to one of the many PokerStars-sponsored live poker tournaments across Europe and the rest of the world, with plenty of qualifiers available in the operator’s lobby as you read this.
PokerStars Making Dreams Come True
Since its inception, the operator has ensured that online players could win seats to PokerStars LIVE events, with EPT being the room’s flagship poker tour.
Over the years, thousands of players have won their EPT seats and entered into smaller PokerStars live tours like EUREKA, APPT, LAPT, etc. For many of these, this was their first major live poker tournament, while many also managed to win seats to various venues over the years.
The biggest story of an online satellite winner from PokerStars who made their dreams come true is the one of Ramon Colillas, the winner of the inaugural PSPC, who took home $5.1 million in the prestigious $25k event after winning the coveted Platinum Pass.
In 2023, PokerStars brought the PSPC back to life, and the Platinum Pass, allowing players to qualify for this massive tournament through many different venues.
While the champion was not a Platinum Pass winner this time, two online qualifiers managed to make their way to the PSPC final table where every prize was a staggering amount well worth fighting for.
- Online Qualifiers now running, including Freerolls
- PokerStars’ first-ever EPT stop in Cyprus!
- EPT Main Event October 16 – 22
- Includes Mystery Bounty, High & Super High Roller Events
Everyone Has a Fair Shot
The satellite tournament section at PokerStars is wide open and offers a way to more live poker tournaments than perhaps ever before.
As this article is published, PokerStars offers satellites to the Irish Open in Dublin, EPT Monte Carlo, Estrellas Madrid, LAPT Montevideo, APPT Cambodia, and more.
Throughout the year, the operator will continue to list new satellites as the new live tournament stops approach, with freeroll and low buy-in first-step satellites always on offer, making it possible for anyone to qualify for valuable live tournament packages.
PokerStars ensures that each qualifier gets a complete package, which is why every satellite offers more than just a buy-in, with accommodations and travel costs often covered in whole or in part.
If you want to grind the live tournament poker circuit in 2023, PokerStars is a great starting point, as it allows you to win entry to all major tournaments sponsored by the operator for a fraction of the price.
This means you get to play more with the same bankroll as you use your poker skills to win seats for less than what direct buy-ins would cost you, giving you a greater chance to win a live tournament and make huge strides in your poker career.
Head over to PokerStars and sign up for your free player account to start your journey and possibly make your poker dream come true over the coming months!
Learn more about PokerStars LIVE qualifiers and more in our new guide!
