WSOP packages and prelim chips

Here's an listing of some of the various online sites' WSOP qualifying offerings, which I will update many times in the next couple of months:

Party Poker

• Runs a number of daily freerolls into a Saturday tournament. These freerolls are like the old zombie fests. Try to protect your monster hands against 3,500 undead poker players trying to tear you limb for limb. I believe 100 out of this field (which fills up quickly when registration opens) move on to the Saturday tournament. Survive another mine field and win some main event seats or even a $50K HORSE seat. Definitely a long shot, but you can't complain about free!
• Runs a daily $200+$15 sat in which two or three win a ME seat. Another tough road.
• The good ol' Steps and their impossible ladder is back. This year, it's five steps to the top, rather than six, which is a double-edged sword -- fewer rungs to climb but fewer chances to move up. For example, last year on Step 1 I believe the top 2 went to Step 2, now it's only the winner. If you're a good SNG player with a hefty bankroll, play the $500 Step 4s to try for the win. I know one local resident who already won his seat this way.

Poker Stars

• The Sunday $650 qualifier continues, with about 600 people competing on a recent Sunday, which yielded about 33 seats. The trick is getting there, and PS continues to run a ton of qualifiers. If you like SNGs you'll like PS new focus on these $16 double shootouts in which the winner gets a $650 seat. PS runs a ton of these around the clock, which means fewer of the $73+$7 or $25+$2 with rebuys multi-table tournaments that other players (like me) prefer.
• PS has released their list of WSOP bracelet events they will allow players to use their W$ to buy into with. All of the tournaments are NLHE and the list can be found here: http://www.pokerstars.com/wsop/fpp/

Ultimate Bet

• As usual, UB is running their $100 and $200 buy ins for main event seats, with sats into these. As with Party, only a handful of people will get seats in these tournaments.
• An interesting thing UB is doing this year is a new series of tournaments every day for specific bracelet events. Buy ins are $30 + rebuys or $50 freezeout. Here's the schedule: http://www.ultimatebet.com/promotions/6-weeks-wsop.html?l=may30

Bodog

• Good overlays here, as Bodog is running multiple tournaments each weekend with buy ins of $67.50, $125 and $250 guaranteeing a ME seat in each one. There haven't been enough people to make the prize pool large enough to cover the $12K package; in fact, some of the fields have had overlays of $6K or so.
• Small overlays are also available in bracelet event packages run on weeknights. The prize is a $1,500 entry and $1,000 cash for a $50 buy in. There are usually only 45 players or so entered into each of these, creating an overlay of about $250 most nights.

Poker Share

• Saving the best for last, as overlays here are astounding! Each Sunday, the site runs a $250 or $500 buy in tournament in which a $13K package is added. For example, I played recently with 30 other patrons, creating a prize pool of $8K. First got a package and second took the prize pool. Does a $13K overlay sound good to you? Not only is the ME tourney a great deal, but so are the satellites to get into them. Each one guarantees two seats into that Sunday's ME tourney. I won a seat recently with 19 players in a $25 buy in. That's a prize pool of $475. But the site guaranteed two $500 + $30 seats!
• PS also runs a $50 + $5 buy in tournament every Wednesday that adds a $1,500 WSOP bracelet event entry to the prize pool. So if there's $1,000 in the pool, the winner gets the seat and second takes the $1,000 (as in the Sunday event). Astounding sats for this one too. Played one this afternoon that guaranteed two seats. Buy in = $5.50. Players = 6. Show me a better deal. Anywhere.