Just when you thought the online poker festivities in Nevada were over, WSOP NV has announced yet another one-off tournament series.
The aptly titled Last Chance Series resides as the 4th tournament extravaganza hosted by the state’s most heavily traversed network since the live WSOP got underway a mere six weeks ago.
Bust from the Main Event? Don’t pack your bags and head home just yet. Otherwise you’ll miss out on a chance to recoup your precious buy-in and more.
Breaking Down the Last Chance Series
Beginning on July 10, WSOP.com will host a series of eight mid-to-high stakes buy-in tournaments, seven of which are of the No Limit Hold’em variety.
The schedule breaks down as follows:
- Event #1: $55 buy-in, $6,000 GTD NLHE R & A
- Event #2: $22 buy-in, $4,000 GTD NLHE R & A
- Event #3: $109 buy-in, $15,000 GTD NLHE Re-entry (up to 3 total)
- Event #4: $215 buy-in, $25,000 GTD NLHE Freezeout
- Event #5: $109 buy-in, $15,000 GTD NLHE Re-entry (up to 3 total)
- Event #6: $55 buy-in, $10,000 GTD NLHE R & A
- Event #7: $27.50 buy-in, $5,000 GTD PLO R & A
- Event #8: $215 buy-in, $20,000 GTD NLHE Re-entry (up to 3 total)
A few notes:
- In total, the Last Chance Series boasts a $90,000 guaranteed prize pool.
- Events will be held at a rate of one per day, with weekend events kicking off at 3 PM, and weekday tourneys at 8 PM.
- In what has become a recurring theme on WSOP, most Last Chance events (six of eight) will feature either re-entries or rebuys and add-ons.
- The majority of the bigger guaranteed events fall during the middle of the series. With the July portion of the Main Event ending on July 14, this ends up being a strategic move on WSOP’s part to maximize player turnouts.
Is WSOP.com taking a big risk holding another tournament series?
To a degree, yes. In the most likely scenario, players who bust the Main Event or Aria 500 will most likely scrambled home as quickly as flight schedules allow.
That being said, most Last Chance Series event only require 100 – 200 entries to fulfill their guarantee. Considering that in all but two events players are invited to fire multiple shells, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which WSOP NV would have to dole out serious overlays.
The series will also serve as a benchmark for the future, with turnout figures for the final three events in particular serving as an early indicator of how great an impact WSOP’s cross-promotional efforts had on Nevada residents.
I’m of the mind that WSOP did a more than admirable job of raising online poker awareness throughout the Silver State, and would be mildly surprised if traffic numbers reverted to their pre-WSOP low points. Naturally, there’s going to be some sort of falloff, but it may not be as drastic as some anticipate.
WSOP’s efforts also set the precedent for the future. Whereas a peak cash-game traffic margin of 484 may seem like a big deal right now, the network may have its sights set on 600, 700 or 1,000 come next June.
In either case, the Last Chance Series is a firm indicator of WSOP NV’s commitment to the poker community, and with its inclusion, the network has set a high minimum benchmark in which to strive for next year.
And that’s simply good news for poker players.
