For amateur poker players, there’s nothing quite like binking a package to a live event through an online satellite.
Not only have you just spun a few dollars into a few hundred or thousand, with a shot at winning thousands more once you play the target event, but you’ve also now got a paid-for holiday to plan.
When that target event is Lex Live 3 in London, then take our word for it: you’ve got an amazing experience ahead of you.
So far only four players have qualified for the Lex Live Main Event online, winning a full package worth $1,050 ($295 for the tournament buy-in; $755 for travel and expenses).
If you want to join them in qualifying for the £230 Main Event with cash for expenses thrown in for good measure, then you can. Online satellites are running right now.
This Sunday (February 9th) at 16:00 GMT, there’s a $5.50 Mega Path Step 2 Qualifier taking place, which has five tickets guaranteed in the prize pool. You can buy into this directly, or you can qualify for just $0.75 in a Mega Path Step 1 Hyper Turbo (go to Events > Live > Lex Live for details).
Those tickets take you through to the $55 Mega Path Step 3 Qualifier, which has two full packages worth $1,050 guaranteed. That event–which you can buy into directly for $55–begins at 19:00 GMT.
To inspire you, check out our chats with two of of the package winners so far–Frank Waanders and Dariusz Kowalski–to find out how they managed to qualify, what they’re looking forward to, and more.
Frank Waanders is on his way to Lex Live 3
FRANK WAANDERS
Twitch name: Flenk88
Age: 31
From: The Hague, The Netherlands
Occupation: Product manager at a Dutch financial institution
PokerStars Blog: Hey Frank, congratulations on winning a package to Lex Live 3! What were the details of your satellite win?
Frank Waanders: Thanks! To begin with, I played a couple of $0.75 Sit & Gos (Mega Path Step 1). After a few tries, I won a ticket which gave me access to the $5.50 Mega Path Step 2 tournament. After a couple of hours playing that, I managed to survive and got one of the 38 tickets into the $55 Mega Path Step 3 tournament. It was quite a big sweat, but I managed to finish in the top four which won me the Lex Live 3 package. I really had a big adrenaline rush afterwards. I couldn’t sleep!
How did the satellites go for you overall? Any interesting hands you remember?
The $5.50 went quite well. I had a couple of all-ins and double-ups and for most of it I was one of the top 20 stacks. I folded so many premium hands when we were close to the $55 ticket bubble. I just needed to make sure I would survive!
The $55 went great right from the start. I got lucky in one of the first hands when I went all-in preflop with QQ and got called by KK. A queen hit the flop so I won the hand and doubled up. I was in the top three the entire time after that and was really happy with my play.
I think the thing that motivated me the most in the last tournament was to see Croaks buying in three times and getting his ass kicked every time (“hashtag f***croaks!”). After his third entry, I promised him a beer if I won a package.
“I saw a drunk streamer falling down off his blue exercise ball while trying to play poker. I was instantly hooked.”
Have you attended a Lex Live before?
I wanted to go to LL1 & LL2, but sadly I couldn’t make it. The satellites for LL3 were the perfect way to make sure I would go to London. I noticed a lot of fellow beakers of the Twitch community in the tournaments, which was really awesome.
What are you most looking forward to at LL3?
To meet Lex’s beaker army and hang out with them! I think the schedule looks really nice with all the side events and other fun things to do during the week. And last but not least, of course, the Main Event.
How did you discover Lex on Twitch?
I’ve been watching Lex for at least three years now, and I’ve been a sub for two years. I knew Lex of course from the TV tournaments–when he still had colour in his hair–but then rediscovered him again on Twitch. I think the first time was during a Blow-Up Friday. I saw a drunk streamer falling down of his blue exercise ball while trying to play poker. I was instantly hooked.
What do you like about watching Lex?
I usually watch his Sunday streams while I play poker myself, or do I other things at the same time. The music he plays is enjoyable and it’s just a really relaxing atmosphere. Also during the satellites, it was raining outside, but with his stream, a drink and a snack, it was a perfect, relaxing Sunday.
I especially enjoy the late Sunday evenings when Lex has made some final tables. It’s exciting to cheer him on.
It sounds like you play a fair bit of poker yourself. How’s your journey been so far?
I started playing at high school with friends and I’ve since been playing online for years. Usually, I’ll only play low stakes Sit & Go’s or tournaments, but basically, I just want to enjoy the game. LL3 will be my first big live tournament.
What do you like to do outside of poker?
I love to DJ as a hobby (house/dance/hardstyle) and I like to watch motorsport (Formula 1, Indycar etc.).
LEX LIVE 3: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW | WHAT’S NEW AT LL3? | FULL SCHEDULE |
YOUR GUIDE TO LONDON | ONLINE SATELLITES | MEET THE COMMUNITY
DARIUSZ KOWALSKI
Twitch name: TheJNH
Age: 29
From: North London, UK
Occupation: IT Test Engineer
PokerStars Blog: Hey Dariusz! How did you win your Lex Live 3 package?
Dariusz Kowalski: I bought in directly to the $55 satellite and it took me two bullets to get it done. I started off pretty poorly and busted my first bullet in no time. After re-entering, I ran pretty well for the first couple of hands and was able to build a decent stack quickly, which allowed me to keep putting a lot of pressure on the table. Fast-forward a bit and I remember making one terrible call on the final table, doubling up two short-stacks which changed my position from a comfortable second stack to an ICM nightmare. Luckily it worked out in the end and I’m very happy with the result.
What motivated you to play an LL3 satellite?
I haven’t played a big live tournament in a while and I missed both of last year’s editions, so I was going to attend LL3 anyway, planning to buy-in directly. I was watching Lex on stream, heard about the satellite and decided to fire it up. This will be my first Lex Live.
What are you most looking forward to?
Definitely meeting people I recognize from various streams will be a highlight, as it’s a great and diverse community. I’ve also heard many good things about the atmosphere around Lex Live events. And lastly, I haven’t played live in a while so it will be great to throw some chips around again.
Do you watch Lex on Twitch?
I knew Lex back from the days of televised high stakes cash games, probably like a lot of people, so when he started appearing on Twitch it was hard not to hear about it. The community around the stream is great and there’s a bunch of people I look forward to meeting at the event. Lex also clearly knows what he’s doing and is very good at maintaining the high quality of the stream.
What’s your poker background?
Poker is just one of my hobbies – I do not play professionally, so I’m dividing my time after work between poker and a few other things. Lex would most likely label me in red if I were on his table. I mostly play online, sometimes choosing to play the odd local tournament too. Due to my limited time, hyper-turbo tournaments are usually my game of choice.
What are your goals for the future?
Poker-wise I definitely want to play more of the bigger live tournaments, ideally those requiring me to travel around the world. I’m hoping to play some World Series of Poker events in the near future.
You can win your seat to Lex Live 3 on PokerStars from just $0.75. Click here to open an account and get started.
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