The 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event starts on July 8 with the first of three Day 1 flights that will see thousands of players stream through the doors of the Rio.

It’s the one poker event that every player universally dreams of playing.

The $10,000 buy in plus the trip to Vegas, though, are expenses not everybody can come up with.

Thankfully, there are cheaper ways to be part of the greatest poker event in the world.

You can still qualify online until the end of June on the official WSOP satellite site, 888poker, for a fraction of the money.

How Can I Qualify for the WSOP?

If you’re not in Nevada already, 888poker is the only place to go for online WSOP qualifiers. You have a few ways to qualify for the WSOP Main Event — some skill-based; some luck-based.

These include Steps tournaments, BLAST SnGs and additional promos. Whichever you pick, you’ll need an 888poker account to play.

Create one via our 888poker review page and you’ll also be eligible for a massive $888 sign-up bonus.

Climb the ladder to the Rio!

1) The Steps System

This is the most popular, and let’s say the poker player’s way to get a Main Event ticket. There are 7 stages in this system and you can enter at the one you’re most comfortable with.

Buy-ins are 1c, 10c, $1, $5, $30, and $160. At each step you can qualify for the next higher level.

At Level 6 (buy-in $160), you can qualify for many 888poker live events but also for the $888 Crazy Eights event which is 888poker’s own branded WSOP event.

Level 6 also gets you to Level 7, which is the last step you have to climb to enter the qualifying step.

Level 7 is a $1,050 satellite where you can win a WSOP Main event prize package worth $12,500. With a 12% of winning and advancing in one of these, it doesn’t get better than that anywhere.

Steps 1-6 run every day on 888poker while the Step 7 direct qualifier runs twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, at 10.30 PM CET.

2) The BLAST Lottery

Blast your way there, too.

BLAST is 888poker’s hyper-fast Turbo Sit-and-Go. Buy-ins range from $1 to $100 but it’s the $10 level you’re looking for to qualify for the WSOP.

The ingredients for the WSOP recipe are 4 players, $10 and very little time. Every now and again 888 will take the regular prize pool away and replace it with a $12,500 WSOP Main Event prize package.

The last time the jackpot was cracked was on June 6 when player Zouzuni from Germany found himself playing for – and winning – the ultimate trip to Vegas.

It took him just 13 minutes to win the $12,500 which gives him a profit per minute of … you do the math.

3) The Ultimate Package

There is a series of national freerolls on 888poker that all lead to a Grand Final where the winner takes a full ME prize package.

That’s right; you can get your main event journey for free. Check the All games > Tournaments > Live Events tab to find out if there are still Ultimate Package freerolls available for your country.

What’s in the WSOP Main Event package?

The $12,500 WSOP 2017 Main Event Prize Package includes

• $10,000 buy-in ticket
• Accommodation at the 4* Vdara Hotel from July 9-14
• $1,200 for travel expenses
• VIP welcome session
• Daily Transportation
• 888Live poker kit

The $3,000 WSOP 2017 Crazy Eights Event Prize Package includes

• $888 buy-in ticket
• Accommodation for three nights at the Rio Hotel
• Flights to Las Vegas

Tonkaaaap’s WSOP Dream Includes You!

Newly appointed 888poker ambassador Parker Talbot is one of the most successful poker streamers on Twitch. He’s also a man with a dream.

His dream is to give somebody the chance of a lifetime so he’s started his own promotion on 888poker.

There’s a series of branded tournaments on 888 with his name on them. The last two tournaments (which are not password protected) run on June 15 and June 18; the final runs June 24.

Parker Talbot is the only poker streamer this year giving away a WSOP prize package, so don’t miss it!

How Long Can I Still Qualify for?

The last Level 7 steps satellite runs on June 25 at 10.30PM CET. The last possible BLAST jackpot event hasn’t been announced but will be around the same time.

The Parker Talbot “Tonkaaaap’s Dream” final is runs June 24.

Apart from the Main Event package you can also win a prize package for the $888 Crazy Eights WSOP event no. 60. It’s the second time this event is on the WSOP schedule and last year the winner got there in pretty spectacular fashion.

Open an account in just a couple minutes through our 888poker review page.