Everyone knows that there are some major sprawling live poker events like the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour. They soak up most of the attention in the poker world thanks to their huge fields and eye-popping prize amounts. To experience the same fun online, players can participate in a host of tournaments at Ignition Casino, including the Golden Spade Poker Open (GSPO). This tournament series has featured hundreds of events over the years. The GSPO often offers guaranteed prize pools with millions of dollars up for grabs. It’s a way to experience the excitement of a large-format event without having to leave your couch.
When is the GSPO Held?
Typically, the GSPO is held in the fall, running from mid-October into November. This is the last big event series before holiday poker tournaments kick off around Thanksgiving.
What types of games does the GSPO include?
Straightforward qualifiers and tune-up events start the fun in the first week. Then comes a series of over a hundred events, culminating in a Main Event day (typically Sunday). It’s on this day that players can win the bulk of the guaranteed money.
During the GSPO, players can usually find the following special types of games: monster stack tournaments, mystery knockouts, crazy eights, “thousandaire” makers, and more. There’s a lot of room for variety – the GSPO isn’t limited to Texas Hold’em, offering different formats and buy-ins for every player. Buy-ins range from micro to super high-roller, with plenty of variety depending on the year’s schedule.
Changes to regular tournaments
Many of the regular tournaments that players are used to are changed during the GSPO. Prize pools and fields generally both get bigger. A standard Sunday guarantee tournament, for example, can have thousands added to the usual amount. A high roller event can see an even bigger bump in prize money (and buy-in). When the GSPO is live, check the tournament list as many regular events become GSPO ‘special editions’ with larger guarantees. Get ready for more money at stake and more competitors vying for a spot at the final table.
GSPO Main Event Day
The Main Event day at the end of the GSPO typically kicks off around dinnertime (Eastern Standard Time). In the past, there have been a number of events, including an Early Bird Main Event, a Mini Main, and even a Micro Main after the kickoff of the true Main Event. Players can enter as many as they like, provided they can handle multi-tabling and the cost of buy-ins. While a ticket to the Main Event can cost hundreds, the surrounding events are typically much cheaper.
GSPO Strategies for Maximizing Winnings
A month-long online poker event can be a real test of endurance for a player. Even players with large bankrolls won’t want to join every event. The grind of playing long hours in tournaments daily is simply too much to handle. But by picking your spots to play your best game, you can have a fun and profitable GSPO run.
- Have an overall plan. Winging it is fine for fun play, but if you want to protect your bankroll, structure your approach. This will ensure that you don’t over-register. Check out the full schedule beforehand, and figure out what amount you want to commit to the GSPO. It shouldn’t be more than 10-20% of your available poker stack. That way, if things don’t go your way, you’ll still have plenty of bankroll left to play other online poker cash games and tournaments when the GSPO is over. If things go well, you’ll have a nice boost to your stack. Then, you can start taking on bigger games with larger buy-ins.
- Account for “hidden hours.” A poker tournament that kicks off at 7 p.m. might seem totally fine, but as the hours go on, you might find that you are up quite late. A tournament with a field of over a thousand players can easily take more than five hours to complete. Take these hidden hours into account when deciding which tournaments to register for. Make sure that the GSPO won’t interfere excessively with your work schedule or any other obligations.
- Brush up on strategy. If you play the same as you always have, you’ll get the same results. Keep developing your game by studying and researching poker strategy. This could involve reading articles, checking out video breakdowns from pros, or simply analyzing your own hand history. Whatever you do, make sure that you spend some time improving your skills so that you can work towards better results as you take on different Golden Spade Poker Open events. The month is long, so use that to your advantage and show up at the Main Event in your best form.
Should You Play in the Golden Spade Poker Open Main Event?
This question is key to your GSPO experience. Everyone will have their eyes on the Main Event, but with the pricey buy-in, you need to make sure that you’re all in. You don’t want to waste a big shot at a huge prize pool. For players who don’t want to spend hundreds on a buy-in, the best strategy is to register for some qualifiers and satellites. These tournaments are much cheaper and offer tickets to bigger tournaments as the top prizes.
Satellite players exemplify the poker dream, really. Playing a handful of satellites not only puts you in position to possibly play for big money, but it also provides much-needed practice before bigger events come along. If you’re a newer player, focus on these instead of taking a high-risk shot at the GSPO Main Event. When you’re reaching final tables with some regularity, you’ll know you’re ready for a bigger game.
$6M in GTD Prizes
The 2025 event is on from October 17th to November 26th, offering guaranteed prizes exceeding $6 million over 150 events. Get your share of it by joining a table today.
