[toc]The big poker attraction in Nevada every summer is always the World Series of Poker (WSOP). However, this year WSOP.com is going big with the kind of non-stop poker action typically exclusive to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.
The site is hosting the Summer Grind Tour. This online poker series will run concurrent with the WSOP from May 30-July 17. The event features three online bracelet tournaments. There are also countless satellites to live bracelet events, and a calendar of online tournaments with over $850,000 in guarantees.
Bill Rini, WSOP.com’s head of poker, spoke about the growth of the online site, the only regulated Nevada online poker operator:
“In just four short years WSOP.com Nevada has gone from no online bracelet events to three this year with millions of dollars in guarantees and bonuses. As awareness of our offering has grown, we have seen continued growth. It is our mission to keep growing our selection of games and believe players of all levels and from inside and outside Nevada will find something to their liking while in town for the WSOP.”
Rini and the WSOP.com team are taking this mission seriously. One glance at the lofty summer schedule confirms the company is bent on making the online poker site a home for can’t-miss value in the highly competitive Las Vegas poker economy.
Summer Grind Series features $2.5 million in guarantees
With so much on the calendar for the Summer Grind Series, it is tough to keep tabs on all the events and offers. Here are some of the highlights:
Three online bracelet tournaments
After introducing an online bracelet in 2015, the WSOP is expanding the official online competition to three tournaments:
- The Little Grind – Sunday, June 3 at 3:33 p.m. – A new $333 buy-in bracelet event with unlimited re-entry. The price point is a record low for the WSOP. The tournament features a $333,333 guarantee.
- The Big Grind – Saturday, July 1 at 3:33 p.m. – A $3,333 buy-in event for the high rollers set. Like The Little Grind, this event features unlimited re-entries.
- The Classic – Friday, July 7 at 2:00 p.m. – The familiar $1,000 buy-in bracelet event is back for a third time. This time around there will be no live final table; the entire event plays out in one day online.
Mega satellite events with big guarantees
There are satellites for bracelet events running every single day. There are also a few big mega satellite tournaments certain to draw a crowd thanks to large numbers of guaranteed seats. Here is a look at the rundown:
- The Marquee 33 – Friday, June 2 at 5:00 p.m. – This $22 buy-in mega to the $333 buy-in Little Grind event is guaranteeing, surprise of surprises, 33 seats into the new online bracelet event.
- The Colossal XXII – Saturday, June 3 at 5:00 p.m. – This is another $22 buy-in mega, but for the $560 buy-in Colossus live event at the WSOP. The mega satellite is guaranteeing 22 seats.
- The 25 Seat Scramble – Saturday, July 8 at 3:00 p.m. – The popular WSOP Main Event mega is once again offering 25 guaranteed $10,000 seats into the biggest live poker tournament of the year.
Online Championships series
Not everything taking place on WSOP.com this summer is going to tie back to bracelet events. The site is hosting its own prestigious tournament series, the Online Championships. The series runs from June 3- July 7 and features 108 different tournaments. There are three events running each day, but here is a glance at some of the marquee tournaments:
- $100 buy-in Opening event – Saturday, June 3 at 4:00 p.m. – The kickoff tournament for the series features a $20,000 guarantee with just a $100 buy-in. The is a deepstack structure with rebuys and add-ons.
- $500 buy-in Event #25 – Sunday, June 11 at 4:00 p.m. – One of the biggest guarantees on the schedule is the $50,000 on this $500 buy-in re-entry tournament.
- $500 buy-in Event #85 – Saturday, July 1 at 4:00 p.m. – If you miss Event #25, you can always hop in this event, which is also a re-entry tournament with a $50,000 guarantee.
Daily bracelet satellites
In addition to the mega satellite events, the Nevada online poker site is also offering countless daily satellite events to live WSOP bracelet events. Players can win their way in to bracelet tournaments for as little as $10.
One daily satellite of note is the evening $20 buy-in rebuy and add-on tournament with two guaranteed seats into any $1,000 buy-in WSOP bracelet events. The tournament plays every night at 8 p.m.
There are also satellite events catered towards specific bracelet events like:
- Millionaire Maker
- Little One for One Drop
- Monster Stack
- Ladies Event
- Seniors Event
- Crazy Eights
Every day of the summer, there are countless online events running each afternoon and evening. Be sure to check in the tournament lobby frequently in order to ensure you do not miss out on any of the action.
