How to successfully run a Replay marathon

Since May 2023, Replay Poker has periodically run a two-week promotion we call a marathon. It’s not as physically exhausting as it sounds! But it has proved immensely popular with get-up-and-go players with an eye on chasing down some MTT chips.

So far, our marathons don’t have a defined regular seasonal schedule in the annual calendar, but we have taken every opportunity to launch one!

Here was the October version: https://www.replaypoker.com/promotions/2023-halloween-marathon

As you can see, the marathon games are a mixture of Hold’em and Omaha Hi/Lo. So, whichever is your favorite game, you can find plenty of MTTs to get into action.

The idea is to earn tickets from the first week’s freeroll satellite events to play in week 2’s higher games. These, in turn, allow you to qualify for the big money games happening on the second Sunday. 

Importantly, the Grand Finals, as we call them, can only be accessed with a tournament ticket won in week 2. 

Replay marathon tickets are unique to each series, so any unused tickets expire at the end of the week they were issued and have no redeemable value. But all play chips earned are yours to keep and use in any game.

Week 1: Freeroll Satellites

Week 1 freerolls are in addition to the regular schedule of Replay freerolls.

For the first week, there are eight free MTTs throughout the day which pay out 400,000 free chips for anyone to win. As a special bonus, the top 27 players also win a designated week 2 tournament ticket to play in any week 2 marathon game for free.

You are under no obligation to play any week 2 games if you win one or more tickets, nor do you have to re-invest the chips you win from the week 1 games, but we hope you get into your stride and want to complete the full course. There is no limit to the number of tickets you could win and there are 48 events in week 2 to use them.

Week 2: Satellites to the Grand Finals

Satellites in week 2 are also running eight times a day, and this is where the tempo begins to build. Each MTT can be entered with a week 2 ticket won in week 1. If you run out, or choose to skip week 1, there is also the option to use 10,000 play chips. The prizes are worth catching too, as each MTT pays out 2 million chips — as well as the precious tickets to play the Grand Finals of your choice.

As if 27 players winning tickets wasn’t enough, we also give the remaining players in the top 50 a new week 2 ticket to compensate for just missing out, so they can play again in a week 2 game at no cost.

The Grand Finals on the second Sunday. The finish line is in sight!

Remember, entry to a Grand Final is by ticket ONLY! You have to qualify by finishing in the top 27 places in a week 2 satellite.

Each Grand Final pays a 20,000,000 prize pool. With over 100 players in each, up to 30 players collect between 150,000 and 4,000,000 chips in each one.

Is there a good marathon strategy?

With the 50/50 mix of Hold’em and Omaha Hi/Lo, you have the option to concentrate on your strongest game variant, but you lose nothing by playing both. You have to be in it to win it!

With all the added chips, there is a great incentive to give as many games as possible a shot.

In week 1, the tickets available are effectively 10,000 chips for a week 2 event, so you might want to make sure you stick around for the final laps in these. Earning more chips for placing higher is always nice but securing that ticket should be a priority.

In week 2, tickets are everything. If you don’t get tickets, you miss out on the main events. Play as many as possible. Use 10,000 chips if you run out of tickets because the Grand Finals are where the big money is at.