WSOP NV has announced another one-off tournament series, just when you thought the online poker festivities in Nevada were over.
The Last Chance Series, fittingly named, stands as the 4th tournament spectacle hosted by the most frequented network in the state since the live WSOP began just six weeks ago.
Did you lose in the Main Event? Don’t rush to leave just yet. If you do, you’ll miss the opportunity to recover your valuable buy-in and potentially earn more.
Breaking Down the Last Chance Series
Starting July 10, WSOP.com will be the venue for a series of eight mid-to-high stakes buy-in tournaments. Out of these, seven will be No Limit Hold’em tournaments.
The schedule is organized as follows:
- Event #1: No Limit Hold’em Rebuy and Add-on with a $55 buy-in and $6,000 guaranteed prize pool
- Event #2: No Limit Hold’em Rebuy and Add-on with a $22 buy-in and $4,000 guaranteed prize pool
- Event #3: No-Limit Hold’em Re-entry (up to 3 total) with a buy-in of $109 and $15,000 guaranteed prize pool.
- Event #4: No Limit Hold’em Freezeout with a $215 buy-in and a guaranteed prize pool of $25,000
- Event #5: No Limit Hold’em re-entry (up to 3 total) with a buy-in of $109 and a guaranteed prize pool of $15,000.
- Event #6: No-Limit Hold’em Rebuy and Add-on with a $55 buy-in and a $10,000 guaranteed prize pool.
- Event #7: Pot Limit Omaha Rebuy and Add-On with a $27.50 buy-in and $5,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
- Event Number 8: No-Limit Hold’em with a $215 buy-in, $20,000 guaranteed prize pool, with the option to re-enter up to 3 times in total.
A few notes:
- The Last Chance Series guarantees a total prize pool of $90,000.
- Events are scheduled daily, with weekend events starting at 3 PM and weekday tournaments beginning at 8 PM.
- The majority of Last Chance events (six out of eight) on WSOP are set to include either re-entries or rebuys and add-ons, continuing a recurring theme.
- Most of the larger guaranteed events occur mid-series. The Main Event’s July segment concludes on July 14, a deliberate strategy by WSOP to boost player participation.
Is WSOP.com taking a big risk holding another tournament series?
Yes, to some extent. In the most probable situation, players who fail in the Main Event or Aria 500 will probably rush home as soon as their flight schedules permit.
With that in mind, most Last Chance Series events only necessitate 100 – 200 entries to meet their guarantee. Given that players are allowed to fire multiple shells in all but two events, it’s difficult to envision a situation where WSOP NV would be forced to hand out significant overlays.
The series will also function as a future benchmark. The participation numbers for the last three events will provide an early sign of how significantly WSOP’s cross-promotion strategies affected Nevada residents.
I believe that WSOP has done an excellent job in increasing the awareness of online poker across the Silver State. I would be somewhat surprised if the traffic numbers fell back to their levels before WSOP’s involvement. Of course, there will be some decline, but it might not be as severe as some people expect.
Also, the efforts of WSOP have laid a groundwork for future plans. While a peak cash-game traffic limit of 484 may seem significant at present, the network might be aiming for figures like 600, 700, or even 1,000 by the next June.
Regardless of the situation, the Last Chance Series clearly demonstrates WSOP NV’s dedication to the poker community. Its inclusion has established a high minimum standard for the network to aim for in the coming year.
This is simply great news for poker players.
