European Poker Tour Extra

There are some smug poker players out there who like to talk dismissively about all of the "dead money" at the major poker tournaments nowadays. You know, all of those online satellite winners, the nerdy little greenhorns who are there to make up the numbers, just waiting to give up their stacks in awe as soon as they see a reraise from a "real" player.



Well, they had better not make any disparaging comments when I am around. If so, they are liable to get an earful from me on (a) the positive impact of satellites on the world's top poker events, including the World Series of Poker, (b) the skill of many satellite winners (the thousands of Chris Moneymaker wannabes from Omaha to Oslo), and, finally, © the respect due online qualifiers, who have typically had to outplay hundreds, if not thousands, of hungry rivals to claim a seat at the top table.

Take Michael Cribbs, for example. He lives in Detroit, Michigan, where he works for Independent Opportunities, an organization that helps mentally challenged children and adults. "I probably make more money from poker than from my job," says Michael. At midnight on Oct. 5, he won a satellite entry on PokerStars to the £3,000 London European Poker Tour (EPT) event. He'd made the money a few times, but this was his most exciting win yet. Michael had never been to Europe before. In fact, he'd never left the United States, which is why – at the age of 23 – he hadn't gotten around to getting himself a U.S. passport. This usually takes one month. Michael had three days, so he grabbed every personal document he could find and used a fast-track service to get him on a plane. The precious passport was delivered with just a few hours to spare, and Michael was off to London.

And take Mark Rayson. He is from the Channel Islands, and is currently studying computer sciences at Oxford Brooks University. Mark's uncle and aunt were all set to take him out for a meal to celebrate his 19th birthday, but Mark had to make a tricky phone call. "Sorry, no can do. I'll be playing poker in London. I just won a £3,000 seat on getminted.com." Uncles and aunts don't take that kind of news very well, and Mark had to sit through an entire sermon on the perils of gambling, but he stuck to his guns: "I figured this was a one off." On day one at the Victoria Casino, he sat down opposite a player he'd just been watching on a borrowed DVD, Dutch master Marcel Luske. "He totally had my number," said Mark. "I raised once with A-J and he looked at me and said, 'My kicker is better,' and then showed A-Q." Both Michael and Mark doubled up early in the tournament and looked thoroughly at home in this strange new environment. I wish I could say that they went on to eat up the opposition and claim the big money. Alas, not, although they would have won a last-longer bet with any number of well-known pros, both finishing in the 40s in a strong field of 175 players. They more than held their own, and they also got the chance to play an EPT event, see the world, and take on the best, and that's something they'll remember for a while. Dead money? Don't get me started! ´

Conrad Brunner works for PokerStars.com.