Beware of Deals With Strangers
By Debbie Burkhead

Deal making in one-table satellites is very common among players at poker tournaments and until recently I never gave it much thought. But during the Queen's Classic, while watching a one-table satellite for the championship event, I witnessed a big problem with making a deal with a stranger in a satellite. When it got down to heads-up play in this particular satellite Player A asked Player B if he would like to make a buy-in save and Player B asked, "What does that mean?" Player A answered, "If you win, you give me $560 and if I win, I will give you $560." Player B agreed and play resumed.

Player B won the satellite and Player A said, "You have to give me $560." Well, here's where the problem began. Player B said, "Okay, as soon as they pay me, I'll give you your money." Guess what, when you play a one-table satellite for the championship event, you don't get chips you are automatically registered to play the event. The only way you receive chips or cash is if it was your second win.

Player A says again, "You owe me $560." Player B confesses, I'm broke, I don't have any cash, I thought they were going to give me chips or cash and then I would be able to pay you."

At this point Player A says, "How about going to the ATM machine?" Player B says, "No can do, did that and can't get anymore money today."

The next thing I saw was Player B canvassing the room for anyone who would loan him $560. Player A is furious but I have to admit it was a little his fault for not knowing who he was making a deal with. Secondly, for not explaining to Player B that neither chips or cash would be awarded to the winner but instead a buy-in to the championship event.

I am not sure if Player A ever received his buy-in save but it sure taught me a lesson. I strongly recommend explaining the situation to novice players and players you are not familiar with. It's better to safe than short-changed by a misunderstanding.

There are some players that are not aware of how satellites pay the winner. Most one-table satellites pay in tournament chips but some are designed to increase the entries in the championship event. Players who win the one-table satellites for the championship events are automatically signed-up to play in that event and do not receive any money or chips.

Buy-in saves are quite common among most veteran tournament players and having to explain how it works is generally not necessary. On the other hand it wouldn't hurt to make sure the player you are making the save with can pay in cash if he wins.

It's not the responsibility of the casino or tournament personnel to enforce these types of deals. One-table satellites deals are the responsibility of the players involved and that makes it risky if you don't know the player you are dealing with.

Deals made at the final table of a tournament are usually discussed with the tournament director. This practice assures everyone involved that the deal will be handled by the tournament director and no one will be taken advantage of or cheated out of his fare share. The tournament director will fully explain the save or the split and make sure everyone involved agrees before it is finalized. Once the deal has been agreed upon by everyone involved the tournament director will take care of making sure each player gets his correct share of the prize pool.

Satellites are an inexpensive way to win your way into major tournaments and can be an invaluable learning experience. Satellites are a great way to practice your short-handed game and can also allow you some heads-up practice for that day when you make that final table.

There are lots of poker players today that specialize in satellite play. They just play satellites and very rarely venture into the major tournaments. These players like the idea of a small investment that can earn them up to ten times their buy-in within an hour of play. These players enjoy tournament play but don't want to play for eight to ten hours, so one-table satellites provide the challenge of tournament play on a much smaller scale and in a much shorter time frame.

Play smart, know your players and if you offer a deal, make sure your opponent understands all the particulars involved.