If you’ve ever played in or witnessed a World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament, you know all about the excitement and big money jackpots. If you’ve never played any poker tournaments, get ready to experience the gold standard for events like these with the Ignition Golden Spade Poker Open (GSPO). If you’ve got poker skills and guts, this event is yours for the taking!

Our GSPO is five weeks of poker nirvana with a history of millions of dollars in guaranteed prize pools. This year will be no different and may end up being the largest GSPO ever presented! From October 18 to November 19, we expect the world’s poker players to descend on us with impressive skills, fearless daring, torrents of clever bluffs, and a soupçon of lady or gentleman luck, depending on where you find your good fortune.

The thing about poker tournaments – and we’ve got them by the boatload – is that they provide an exceptional training ground for both newbies and veterans. Now, we’re not suggesting using the GSPO to practice. That would be putting the horse before the cart. We suggest you hone your chops in one of our many online tournaments held through the year. We’ve got plenty of Sit&Gos, knockouts, Wild Wednesdays, Festival of Felt, and other tourneys where you can flex your skills, try some oddball moves, and generally get a feel for the atmosphere of a big tournament like the GSPO.

Tournament Tips and Tricks You Should Know

Tournament poker is a test of skills that are completely different from cash tables. The blinds are always increasing, so get comfortable with a variety of stack sizes. A shrinking stack takes away your leverage with your opponents and limits your plays. 

Efficiently using your stacks demands understanding that tournament poker is all about survival. Better to stay in the tournament than grow your stack. You’ll see the veterans sticking to tighter openings than in cash games, beginning with stronger hole cards instead of using their cleverness to win post-flop pots. They will fold more often after the flop rather than raising or calling with minimal holdings.

Choose your moves based on how tightly the other guys and gals play. A baseline strategy is a good thing, but if your opponents are playing too tight, open more hands. Are they too loose? Open less often, but don’t be afraid to call their open-raises.

Your most essential strategy adjustments are dealing with pay jumps – especially at the final table. Every upward move in the standings implies a bigger prize, so play more cautiously and get ready to increase the pressure on opponents who fold as they rise up the ladder. We’ve got more poker tournament tips and strategies for you.

Ignition’s GSPO is similar to the WSOP

The World Series of Poker switched from cash games to tournaments more than 50 years ago. It was the most important decision in poker history of. The format transformed a simple card game into an authentic sports event, including titles to be won and champions to crown.

Then the internet made tournaments the most popular way to play poker. No matter your playing level or the size of your bankroll, these events are unique. That’s why at Ignition, we offer so many different poker tournaments. They are ideal for building your skills to be ready for the WSOP and our GSPO can take you to poker prominence. Check out our tournament page to learn more about the game you love.

Ignition Golden Spade Poker Open: 9th Edition  – Coming very Soon!

This year’s GSPO will feature a series of more than 150 poker tournaments. Here are the key dates to remember: 

Saturday, September 11 – The complete event schedule is posted.

Tuesday, October 12 – Qualifiers start with a $470 + $30 Tune Up event.

Wednesday, October 13 – Qualifying continues with a $1,000 + $55 Tune Up event.

Monday, October 18 – Weekly $259,000 guaranteed tournaments with a $150 + $12 buy-in on Sundays for all 5 weeks.

Sunday, November 14 – The Main Event with a $425 + $25 buy-in and a yet-to-be-determined guaranteed prize pool that’s expected to be at least $500,000.

Thursday, November 19 – Last day of the tournament.

This year’s GSPO at Ignition will be among our biggest and best tournaments. It’s the perfect setting for poker players from all over the globe to apply their skills and cunning in search of enormous cash jackpots. This only happens once a year, so be prepared and brush up on all the tips and strategies you can find online and right here at Ignition.

We’re looking forward to an amazing event and we wish you the best of luck to add magic to your playing skills. See you online.