Caesars Entertainment postponed the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and most live tournaments in April. The company is currently planning to host the world’s largest poker tournament in Las Vegas this fall.
In the meantime, Caesars has been moving its live tournaments to WSOP.com. As a result, for the first time, the Global Casino Championship (GCC) will take place completely online.
The WSOP.com Season Finale will lead poker players into the GCC. This is a series of 12 online poker tournaments beginning Wednesday, June 3 with the Online Finale Kick-Off tournament. The $215 buy-in tournament has a $100,000 prize pool.
The series of online tournaments will wrap up on June 14 with the Online Finale Circuit Main Event. This tournament has a $525 buy-in with a $300,000 prize pool. Altogether, there’s $1.5 million in guaranteed prize money available in the WSOP.com Season Finale.
WSOP.com ‘Season Finale’ online circuit event
The WSOP.com “Season Finale” will take place from June 3-14. This event will award 13 guaranteed spots into the invite-only WSOP Global Casino Championship on Sunday, September 13. The championship has more than $1 million in guaranteed prize money.
Here’s the current schedule of official ring events for the WSOP.com “Season Finale.”
| Date | Event | Buy-in | Guarantee | Re-entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 3 | Kick-Off | $215 | $100,000 | 2x |
| June 4 | No Limit Hold’em | $320 | $100,000 | 2x |
| June 5 | No Limit Hold’em Turbo Deepstack | $250 | $100,000 | 2x |
| June 6 | BIG 500 | $500 | $150,000 | 3x |
| June 7 | Monster Stack | $525 | $200,000 | 3x |
| June 8 | Freezeout | $320 | $100,000 | NA |
| June 9 | High Roller 6-Max | $1,000 | $150,000 | 2x |
| June 10 | No Limit Hold’em | $215 | $100,000 | 2x |
| June 11 | No Limit Hold’em | $320 | $100,000 | 2x |
| June 12 | No Limit Hold’em Monster Stack | $320 | $100,000 | 3x |
| June 13 | Double Stack | $320 | $150,000 | 2x |
| June 14 | Main Event | $525 | $300,000 | 3x |
In addition to cash prizes, winners will receive points based on the number of participants and payout percentages from each ring event. Players can qualify for the Global Casino Championship in one of two ways:
- Win a WSOP.com Online Finale circuit ring event.
- Win the WSOP.com Online Circuit Casino Championship by accumulating the most points through the 12 – event schedule above.
More information and full terms and conditions for WSOP.com players in Nevada can be found at WSOP.com.
Global Casino Championship moves online
The Global Casino Championship is usually a live poker tournament that takes place at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina. Due to social distancing limitations, the GCC has been moved entirely online. Players must be in one of three states to participate:
- Nevada
- New Jersey
“We want to do right by our players and see the promised prize money put up for grabs,” said Ty Stewart, Executive Director of the World Series of Poker.
“Hopefully the choice of an East Coast or West Coast destination makes it more viable for qualifying players. Our Online Circuit events have been huge successes to date and WSOP.com is a viable alternative for the last qualification spots and this year’s championship. We look forward to returning to Harrah’s Cherokee in 2021 but until then, the show must go on…online”
Moving a live poker tournament online is somewhat controversial. However, it could prove to be a boon for Nevada residents who might not have taken the trip to the east coast to participate in the GCC in North Carolina.
Many Nevada poker players have flocked to WSOP.com while casinos have been closed.
New social-distancing practices inside casinos and larger tournaments online could keep players at WSOP.com instead of going out to brick and mortar casinos.
Limited live poker at Nevada casinos
Some Nevada residents will choose to skip the online poker tournament and head to a casino and play a live poker game. While casinos have the green light to open on Thursday, June 4, some poker players are skeptical about playing a live game right away.
There are a few reasons that might keep poker players away from live games in casinos right away. Poker players may avoid playing in casinos because there’s a concern about contracting COVID-19.
This is understandable for anyone visiting a casino but it isn’t the only reason poker players might stay away from the casino game they love. Not all poker rooms will reopen as soon as casinos are allowed to open in early June.
The Venetian and South Point will open their respective poker rooms on day one. However, it seems as if Wynn and Caesars Palace will keep their rooms closed for a while longer.
In accordance with the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB), the poker rooms that do open will have to keep the games socially distanced. Live poker games in casinos will only have four players per table when Nevada casinos reopen.
Four-handed poker is just simply not enough for some players. This should change in the future when the NGCB reviews requirements for social distancing inside casinos. For the time being, playing online poker will have to suffice.
