In April, Caesars Entertainment postponed the World Series of Poker(WSOP) in Las Vegas. Today the organizers of the world’s largest poker tournament announced World Series of Poker Online.
WSOP Online isn’t a replacement for the live WSOP event held annually at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. This will be the largest online tournament series of all time with 85 tournaments and a prize pool of $134 million. Additionally, players will have the chance to win gold bracelet glory on two different gaming platforms, WSOP.com and GGPoker.
WSOP Online schedule
WSOP Online begins on July 1 with the $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold‘em Kickoff. The WSOP.com portion of the tournament’s schedule includes one bracelet event a day, throughout the month of July. The tournament will end for players in Nevada and New Jersey on July 31.
On Sunday, July 19, official WSOP Online bracelet tournaments begin on the GGPoker Network for players outside of the U.S. The international series will run through Sept. 6. This will be the first time that players outside the country will be able to compete for an official WSOP bracelet online. GG Poker will roll out specific event details shortly.
2020 WSOP.com NV/NJ online bracelet schedule
Here is a look at the schedule for domestic events
| Event | Date | Time | Event | Buy-In |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 1 (W) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em Kick-Off | $500 |
| 2 | July 2 (Th) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em 8-Handed Deepstack | $1,000 |
| 3 | July 3 (F) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em | $400 |
| 4 | July 4 (Sa) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em Super Turbo | $500 |
| 5 | July 5 (Su) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em Freezeout | $1,000 |
| 6 | July 6 (M) | 3:00 p.m. | PLO8 6-Handed | $600 |
| 7 | July 7 (Tu) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em Knockout Deepstack | $800 |
| 8 | July 8 (W) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em Freezeout | $500 |
| 9 | July 9 (Th) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em 6-Max | $1,000 |
| 10 | July 10 (F) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em MonsterStack | $600 |
| 11 | July 11 (Sa) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em Turbo Deepstack 6-Handed | $500 |
| 12 | July 12 (Su) | 3:00 p.m. | The BIG 500 No Limit Hold’em | $500 |
| 13 | July 13 (M) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em High Roller Freezeout | $1,500 |
| 14 | July 14 (Tu) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em High Roller | $3,200 |
| 15 | July 15 (W) | 3:00 p.m. | PLO 8-Max HR | $1,000 |
| 16 | July 16 (Th) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em Turbo | $500 |
| 17 | July 17 (F) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em | $777 |
| 18 | July 18 (Sa) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em 8-Handed Turbo DeepStack | $1,000 |
| 19 | July 19 (Su) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em | $400 |
| 20 | July 20 (M) | 3:00 p.m. | PLO 6-Handed | $500 |
| 21 | July 21 (Tu) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em 6-Handed | $777 |
| 22 | July 22 (W) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em Turbo Deepstack | $500 |
| 23 | July 23 (Th) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em Knockout | $500 |
| 24 | July 24 (F) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em 8-Handed | $400 |
| 25 | July 25 (Sa) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em Summer Saver | $500 |
| 26 | July 26 (Su) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em Grande Finale | $500 |
| 27 | July 27 (M) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em Freezeout | $400 |
| 28 | July 28 (Tu) | 3:00 p.m. | Omaha 8 6-Max | $1,000 |
| 29 | July 29 (W) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em Turbo Deepstack 6-Handed | $600 |
| 30 | July 30 (Th) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em Senior’s Event | $500 |
| 31 | July 31 (F) | 3:00 p.m. | No Limit Hold’em Championship | $1,000 |
WSOP.com event buy-ins range from $400 to $3,200 for the No-Limit Hold’em High Roller event.
“There’s nothing in the world like winning a WSOP bracelet,” said GGPoker ambassador Daniel Negreanu. “Bringing this experience online will open the door for a new generation of poker players to feel the rush of competing for the game’s biggest prize.”
Las Vegas casinos reopening but WSOP still on hold
This year was should have been one of the largest for the WSOP in Las Vegas. There were more than 100 online and live bracelet tournaments on the schedule to take place at the Rio this summer. WSOP is currently on hold with hopes of the poker tournament taking place sometime this fall.
“It wouldn’t be summer without WSOP,” said Executive Director of the World Series of Poker Ty Stewart. “While we are thrilled to be reopening our venues and optimistic about future offline events, we couldn’t be more excited about deepening our relationship with GGPoker and watching some history unfold online this summer.”
Caesars Entertainment is starting to reopen its Las Vegas casinos. Caesars Palace, Flamingo, and Harrah’s have opened without live poker. The Rio remains closed for the time being. It will reopen as visitation to Las Vegas grows.
Life is different and so is this WSOP event
WSOP Online isn’t a replacement for the live tournament. The tournament was postponed because of the public health emergency involving COVID-19. Gatherings of more than 50 people in one room still aren’t allowed in Nevada. Caesars Entertainment is still holding out hope that it can host the event sometime this fall as restrictions may be lifted.
The spread of coronavirus is changing how everyone goes about their day. WSOP is offering more online poker for those that would like to play.
In a way, WSOP Online is similar to the live event in that interested players may have to travel to play. The WSOP.com event is only available to US players in Nevada and New Jersey. Similar to the traditional WSOP, interested players can travel and play in either state whether or not they’re a resident.
Choice to have so many online WSOP bracelets generates controversy
WSOP Online is different and is only offering a limited number of different types of poker tournaments. The U.S. players will only be able to partake in Hold’em and Omaha events. Additionally, some players feel as though WSOP might be diluting the prestige of winning a gold bracelet.
A rant about @WSOP pic.twitter.com/s9WKUmErRz
— 🎈Brandon Shack-Harris (@Oscillator_WSOP) June 8, 2020
WSOP Online isn’t a replica of the live poker tournament that’s taken place in Nevada for more than 50 years. It may or may not be enough of a substitute for players looking to play cards this summer.
