The organizers of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) have finalized the full schedule of its upcoming 50th annual return.
After continuously unveiling piece-by-piece details of the schedule for its golden jubilee edition, the WSOP has finally confirmed the number of online bracelet events in this year’s series.
Earlier this month, Seth Palansky, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Caesars Interactive Entertainment and the World Series of Poker told pokerfuse that this year’s schedule will see “an increased number of online events over last year.” The organizers went one step further adding nine online bracelet events to more than double the four online events from 2018.
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This is a significant increase in the number of online events on WSOP USA sites, especially given that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) recently issued a new interpretation of the 1961 Wire Act stating that the law’s restrictions are applicable to all types of online gambling rather than just sports betting.
WSOP.com/888 operates on the All American Poker Network (AAPN)—the only interstate online poker network in the US, with players in Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey sharing a common player pool.
Doubts about whether New Jersey players will ultimately be able to play in these online bracelet events have surfaced, however, the DOJ has yet to issue enforcement guidelines which has created further confusion.
Presumably as a result of this uncertainty, the WSOP has decided not to attach guarantees to any of these online bracelet events, reversing direction from 2018 when 3 of 4 online events had guarantees including back-to-back $1 million guarantees in its final two online events. The organizers have also stated that “eligibility for New Jersey players … has yet to be determined.”
Meanwhile, the DOJ has given operators a 90-day period to become compliant with its new opinion on the Wire Act.
Record Nine Online Bracelet Events
One of the complaints received by the organizers last year was that most of the online bracelet events were scheduled too close to each other. Three of the four events in 2018 were scheduled within a span of nine days. After listening to player’s feedback, this year the online bracelet events have been spread throughout the schedule.
There will be one online bracelet event on each of the Sundays for seven weeks with the remaining two events taking place on Wednesdays (June 19 and July 3). Each of them is scheduled to run at 3 PM (Pacific time)
A number of new events have been added such as a knockout tournament, a turbo deepstack event, and a double stack NLHE event. There will also be a 6-max PLO tournament (not available on mobile) with a buy-in of $600, as well as a $1000 buy-in NLHE Championship event and a $3200 High Roller. All except for the knockout tournament will allow re-entries. Buy-ins range from $400 to $3200.
WSOP Online Bracelet Events 2019
| DATE | EVENT | BUY-IN |
|---|---|---|
| June 2 | No-Limit Hold’em | $400 |
| June 9 | 6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha | $600 |
| June 16 | Knock-Out BountyNo-Limit Hold’em | $600 |
| June 19 | Turbo No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack | $500 |
| June 23 | Double Stack No-Limit Hold’em | $1,000 |
| June 30 | No-Limit Hold’em Championship | $1,000 |
| July 3 | High Roller No-Limit Hold’em | $3,200 |
| July 7 | 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em | $800 |
| July 14 | Summer Saver No-Limit Hold’em | $500 |
The WSOP has also announced a 25 Seat Scramble satellite giving away at least 25 seats to the Main Event. It will take place on June 30 at 4 PM (Pacific time). Satellites to other WSOP events are already underway at both WSOP.com and 888poker.com.
“Just like the land-based WSOP, the annual summer series is also the best time for online poker players in the U.S. to chase big prize pools and WSOP gold bracelets,” said WSOP.com head of online poker Bill Rini.
“WSOP.com is offering a consistent gold bracelet schedule this year, plus non-stop satellites to both the online and live events, giving players the best opportunity to participate in the 50th Annual WSOP.”
History of the Online Bracelet Events
Since 2015 when the WSOP spread its first online bracelet event, the WSOP has hosted nine such tournaments awarding over $10 million. Last year, for the first time in the history of the WSOP, players based in New Jersey were able to compete for a gold bracelet thanks to the advent of the shared liquidity. A player from New Jersey made history by becoming the first player to win an online bracelet outside Las Vegas.
WSOP Online Bracelet Event History
| Year | No. of Online Bracelet Events | Avg Buy-in | Avg Prizepool | Total Entries | Avg Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 | $1000 | $859,750 | 905 | 905 |
| 2016 | 1 | $1000 | $1,184,650 | 1247 | 1247 |
| 2017 | 3 | $1555 | $1,111,566 | 4245 | 1415 |
| 2018 | 4 | $1283 | $1,115,806 | 6310 | 1578 |
| 2019 | 9 | $955.56 | - | - | - |
A number of records were set in 2018 including a record for the biggest turnout and biggest prize pool.
WSOP Online Bracelet Events 2018
| Event | Buy-in | GTD | Prizepool | Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #10 Online NLHE | $365 | $500,000 | $974,816 | 2,972 |
| #47 Online PLO 6-Max | $565 | - | $635,960 | 1,223 |
| #61 Online NLHE Championship | $1000 | $1M | $1,553,250 | 1,635 |
| Event #63 Online NLHE High-Roller | $3200 | $1M | $1,459,200 | 480 |
However, it seems that it will be difficult to repeat last year’s performance if the US DOJ enforces the new Wire Act opinion.
