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PokerStars recently concluded the Michigan Championship of Online Poker (MICOOP), the state’s first legal online poker series. The festival ran Feb. 20 through March 8 with more than $1 million guaranteed and attracted some major numbers.

The site went live at the end of January and didn’t waste time rolling out a major series. Poker players seem to have embraced the action and company officials were pleased with the turnout.

“Throughout the series, we were blown away by the overwhelming support from the poker community in Michigan,” PokerStars associate director of consumer engagement and public relations Rebecca McAdam Willetts said in a news release. “We are very encouraged by the success of our inaugural MICOOP and look forward to hosting future poker events for Michigan players.”

Michigan PokerStars players turn out big

The state’s first online poker series turned out to be quite a success. The festival included 60 events and crushed the guarantee with a total prize pool of $2.2 million.

PokerStars quickly saw the demand and even increased guarantees as tournaments overwhelmingly topped original expectations. 

On Feb. 27-28, Pokerstars ran a double-up weekend to boost prize pools. The company saw the rising number of registrations and awarded players by increasing the guaranteed payouts. Overall, 58 of 60 events met guarantees.

Main Event hauls in plenty of players

The $300 Main Event ran on March 7 and brought in 1,284 entries. That swelled the  total prize to $359,520, almost double the initial guarantee of $200,000. 

After two days of play, “smftt” took the title and $56,398 for the victory. This player becomes the state’s first major online championship event winner. Here’s a look at the top payouts.

PokerStars MICOOP Main Event

Finish	Player	Payout
1	smftt	$56,399
2	zscoro	$40,202
3	cbauer6789	$28,657
4	LayThePipeDream	$20,428
5	nldoublej	$14,562
6	GigglyGrizzlies	$10,380
7	PuntnStacks	$7,399
8	Ryan Haury	$5,274
9	sexycaitlyn	$3,760

MICOOP proved a success and even outscored the Pennsylvania COOP in overall totals. In October, PokerStars ran a similar series in the Keystone State.

That $300 Main Event brought in a $283,640 prize pool. The Michigan Main Event produced more than $75,000 above that total.

Mixing it up in MICOOP

Michigan PokerStars took an aggressive game plan with Michigan’s first series. The schedule included more events than the COOP series in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 

MICOOP also topped those in number of events, just 54 for NJCOOP and 50 PACOOP. The Michigan series included No Limit Hold’em freezeouts, re-entries, and progressive knockout (PKO) tournaments.

PokerStars also mixed it up by offering Pot Limit Omaha and some less frequently spread forms of poker. This included Five Card Draw, Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo, HORSE, and Eight-Game Mix. 

PokerStars remains only operator in Michigan

Currently PokerStars is the only platform that has gone live in Michigan so far. All three Stars markets currently feature “ringed-in” poker environments, meaning players can only play others in the state.

There is no timeline for a merged shared liquidity market. However, the January ruling on the Wire Act issue could clear the way eventually for grouping players in those states. 

Players are anticipating much larger prize pools when this occurs. All three states create a population of 31.7 million for PokerStars to market its product.

★★★ Ready to get in the action at PokerStars? Click here for a complete site review with exclusive USPoker bonus offers. ★★★

The post PokerStars Smashes Guarantees in Michigan, Main Event Scores Big appeared first on .

Poker may be in a state of flux, but Tom Wheaton remains a big believer in the industry. The founder and CEO of Faded Spade playing cards recently announced the launch of a new poker talent agency.

Above the Felt Entertainment hopes to parlay some of his business savvy to marketing poker players. The goal is to connect players and businesses across industries, and Wheaton believes there are numerous opportunities available.

His efforts have already paid some dividends and his initial roster of players includes some of the biggest names in poker. Chris Moneymaker, Jamie Kerstetter, Darren Elias, and Matt Berkey are all on board as the first clients.

The group accounts for more than $16.5 million in poker tournament winnings. Wheaton hopes to develop partnerships with businesses and other entities to market their brands.

“I’ve known Tom for many years from Faded Spade and am very impressed with the company he’s built,” said Moneymaker, a member of the Poker Hall of Famer and 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event champion.

“The poker community has an enormous amount to offer, and I’m thrilled to be working with Tom and the team at Above the Felt to expand poker’s reach to companies around the world.”

Wheaton recently spoke with USPoker about the new agency as well his efforts in other areas of poker. He offered a look into the business side of the game and some of his hopes for the industry.

Marketing poker players and the game

During the poker boom of the 2000s, adding poker players’ names and likeness to products seemed a no-brainer. The game was in high gear and names like Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, and Daniel Negreanu became poker stars.

Who could forget Hellmuth’s face on a Milwaukee’s Best beer can? Online poker sites embraced players as ambassadors as well. While sites still partner with some players, the market has shrunk since those heady days of the 2000s.

However, Wheaton still believes there are some missed opportunities for successful players with a brand and following. As he begins working with players, he believes he brings a unique background to Above the Felt.

A 20-year career in the corporate marketing world has given him some insight into what companies are looking for.

“Now my team and I will be working with those folks at different corporations to try and develop some really unique activations for our talent,” Wheaton says, “but also help grow their business, connect with employees, or engage with clients.”

That could include public speaking, team building, appearances, and other partnerships. Wheaton believes there is a market for poker players and thinks he can make those connections.

The game’s popularity, he says, carries over to other aspects of business and he hopes to tap into that.

“It’s amazing, the correlations between poker strategy and execution and business strategy and execution,” he says. “I think our talent can deliver those types of messages outside the industry and bring value.”

Working to represent and make some deals

Working with players is nothing new for Wheaton. The new agency simply builds on something he’s already been doing for players on the side for a few years.

That behind-the-scenes consulting found some success. Above the Felt now becomes a natural evolution on that work.

While Moneymaker may be well-known outside poker, some of the others are less so. Kerstetter is a poker pro and commentator and Elias is the World Poker Tour’s only four-time champion.

Berkey is a poker pro and founder of the Solve for Why Poker Training Academy. Wheaton hopes to take advantage of the interests, skills, and background of this roster to reach a wider audience.

“I think there’s going to be a wide array of opportunities across multiple industries,” he says. “It’s not a one size fits all approach.”

Online poker’s growth may be an opportunity

Wheaton believes the timing might be right for a new venture. Live poker is starting to return and online poker has exploded around the world.

The possibilities of the growing US online poker market may also offer possibilities. That all equates plenty of upside for a new talent agency hoping to represent players.

“There’s going to be value added that we bring to card rooms and bring to poker organizations within the industry to help get momentum back to engage players and engage fans,” he says. “In the same light, we have this situation where online poker is starting to expand to new states.

“When you look at the Above the Felt talent, you’d have to ask yourself, ‘Why wouldn’t an online poker operator want to directly with Matt, Jaime, Darren, or Chris,’” Wheaton says.

That seems to have already happened again for Moneymaker. He recently left PokerStars and quickly struck a deal with an offshore online poker site.

As of now, Above the Felt is keeping its roster at the initial four with the possibility of eventually expanding. 

“I’m not that interested right now in having a roster of 20 or 30 people,” he says. “I’m more focused on the best and brightest in the industry who are going to represent themselves, a company, and the industry really well.”

 

Pandemic deals playing card company a setback, moves into online poker

Faded Spade playing cards, Wheaton’s main company, was founded in 2017. He hoped to reinvent the typical deck of cards and gear his brand specifically toward the game of poker.

That included redesigned images, high-quality plastic material, resizing cards for poker, and more. The company offered a unique and modernized update to traditional playing cards.

Despite entering a market packed by a few heavyweights, Faded Spade found some traction. The company reached deals with numerous casinos and also is the official playing card of WPT final tables.

Faded Spade has received positive reviews from poker room managers and payers like. However, the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic shut down many casinos and card rooms. That meant no need for more cards.

The company faced uncertain times. But Wheaton saw a unique online poker opportunity and looked to transition to another niche in the market.

Along with traditional live poker shut down, charities looking for fundraising tournaments were also out of luck. Faded Spade Virtual Poker was born in April 2020.

The proprietary poker experience is geared toward non-profits, corporations for philanthropic fundraising, client engagement, employee connectivity, and more.

“It’s not real money, just a social poker platform,” Wheaton says. “Since we launched that, we’ve worked with over 80 companies over the last 10 months. From a fundraising standpoint we’ve helped raise over $4 million.”

Building the brand and promoting the game

The move into virtual poker helped the company survive the live poker slowdown. With tournaments and live action slowly returning, the playing card business is now turning around.

The businesses appear to be moving in the right direction. The playing cards and virtual poker have produced a unique niche in the poker industry.

Above the Felt now becomes another part of his entrepreneurial efforts. Wheaton is bullish on poker and the possibilities to help players branch out beyond the game.

More exposure for the game also means more players in the game. Wheaton sees that as a win-win for the industry.

“My ultimate hope is that we’re able to expand upon the opportunities that already exist inside the industry for everyone’s benefit,” he says. “I want to make sure that when we work with a card room, online poker operator, or other corporation, it’s a win all around. Outside of the industry, I want this to broaden the reach of poker.”

* Tom Wheaton photo courtesy WPT

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Online poker has seen huge numbers around the world. One year after the Coronavirus pandemic began, the industry continues to thrive.

Several states have made some noise about legalization as well. Live poker is also slowly returning with the World Poker Tour and other properties seeing nice results.

One WPT player also had a shot at two titles in two days. This month, Chip Chatter takes a look at some of these issues as well as some of other news in the world of poker.

States to watch for online poker legalization

The January Wire Act ruling seems to have quickened the pace of states looking to legalize online gaming, including poker. Budget deficits caused by the Coronavirus pandemic play a big part of that as states search for revenue.

Illinois appears to be one of the most likely. The legislation even includes wording to fast-track potential operators.

“It’s been discussed over the past few years,” bill co-sponsor Rep. Jonathan Carroll (D) told USPoker. “But with the success with online sports wagering it seemed like an appropriate time to further explore this idea.”

Connecticut also seems likely to legalize online poker. Gov. Ned Lamont (D) supports online gaming and also reached an agreement with the Mohegan Tribe, which owns and operates the Mohegan Sun casino.

The Mashantucket Pequot, owner and operator of Foxwoods Casino, may be close to a deal as well. That could clear the way for eventual passage of a bill.

“Assuming all parties agree and a bill passes in the legislature, the deal would allow both tribes to offer sports betting and online casino games,” notes Online Poker Report. “In return, the state’s lottery would get to offer certain products online, as well as open its own sportsbooks.”

North Dakota legislators are also considering legalization with a statewide referendum possibly in the works. Missouri has also introduced legislation giving the go-ahead to sports betting as well as online gaming and poker.

It’s not all good news for online poker however. Kentucky’s bill has been delayed for at least a year. Legalization in Indiana also seems unlikely this year. The good news for players is that the issue is suddenly seeing some traction.

What’s next for partypoker and WSOP.com?

With Michigan now allowing online poker, PokerStars remains the only operator in the state as of now. No timetable has been given for when partypoker/BetMGM and WSOP.com might enter the market.

Neither operator has gone live in Pennsylvania, where GGPoker is also working to be a player. With the Wire Act in the rearview mirror, interstate compacts are inevitable.

It’s a good bet WSOP.com and partypoker will enter either of the markets this year. WSOP.com has even alluded to adding another state to the 2021 WSOP Online Circuit schedule.

Party, WSOP.com, and PokerStars are all in position to greatly expand their player pools. Adding Illinois and Connecticut could only add to the momentum.

WPT live events continue crushing guarantees

Another event, another major prize pool. The WPT held its second major US event March 5-9 since restarting.

The $5,000 WPT Venetian attracted a field of 937 entries for a $4.3 million prize pool. That’s a huge leap over the $1.5 million guarantee.

That comes after the Lucky Hearts Poker Open at the Seminole Hard Rock brought in 1,573 entries in January. That produced a prize pool of $5 million, a massive increase to the $1 million guarantee.

In Las Vegas,  Qing Liu came out on top for $752,880 and now has a chance to win his second tour title in two days. After winning on Tuesday, Liu plays in another final table on Wednesday.

The WPT recently announced that delayed final tables from 2020 would now be played in March and May. Liu also qualified for the final table of the WPT Gardens Poker Championship.

That event was set to be played on Wednesday and Liu has a chance at back-to-back titles. Liu overcame a 2-to-1 chip disadvantage when heads-up to win the title. Can he do it again on Wednesday?

“I don’t think so,” Liutold WPT.com. “I used up all my luck today. Tomorrow I won’t be so lucky.”

That remains to be seen. Liu will sit fifth in chips when the Gardens action resumes in the PokerGO Studio. Chance Kornuth returns as chip leader. Here’s a look at the remaining final tables left to play:

• Borgata Winter Poker Open – May 16
• LA Poker Classic – May 17
• Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown – May 18 

Report shows number of Vegas poker rooms continues declining

Despite big numbers at live tournaments, poker rooms continue to close. The Las Vegas Sun recently reported a steep decline in Las Vegas area poker rooms.

After casinos reopened in June, several properties decided to keep their poker rooms closed. Some major rooms not returning include Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, and Mirage. 

The Sun notes that in January 2020, 35 casinos in Clark County reported revenue from 418 tables. January 2021 saw only 21 casinos with earnings from 282 tables. That’s a decrease of about 33% and other states are seeing rooms stay closed as well.

While some consolidation may take place, fewer opportunities to play means less poker and fewer jobs for staff. An end to the pandemic may help.

More players appear to be heading to the virtual tables and US online poker revenue remains strong. February numbers should be released soon. With several major events running on all platforms, February has a chance to see big numbers as well.

McKeehen comes up just short in bid for WPT title

After winning the 2015 WSOP Main Event for $7.6 million, Joe McKeehen has shown impressive staying power. He has two other WSOP bracelets and more than $17 million in live tournament winnings.

That includes some big numbers on the WPT with $1.1 million in winnings and five final table appearances. Adding a WPT title would be a nice to addition to his resumé and he came up just short on Tuesday.

McKeehen finished runner-up for $491,960 after coming into the final day as chip leader. He now also has two third-place finishes and has also finished fourth twice.

Throw in two ninth-place finishes and it’s quite an impressive record of success.

The post CHIP CHATTER: WPT Numbers, Online Poker Legalization, Joe McKeehan, Vegas Poker Rooms, and More appeared first on .

The launch of PokerStars MI and the inaugural Michigan Championship of Online Poker might have grabbed most of the US online poker-related headlines over recent weeks.

But in Pennsylvania, the PokerStars and FOX Bet Bounty Builder Series did quite well in its own right. Players in the PokerStars PA series won over $2 million across 75 events played using the popular progressive knockout format.

Few overlays among 75 events, Main awards $178K

The PokerStars PA series featured guaranteed prize pools adding up to just over $1.67 million. Ultimately events attracted more than 35,000 total entries, with prize pools totaling $2,012,204.25.

Nearly all 75 tournaments produced prize pools that exceeded the scheduled guarantees. Just seven events had overlays, most of which were small. The largest overlay of just over $6,000 came in one of the earliest events, a $100 buy-in Sunday Special with a $100,000 guarantee, the largest of any tournament other than the Main Event.

Speaking of the Main Event, that tournament sported a $150,000 guarantee. With 957 total Main Event entries, players built a prize pool of just over $178,000. Player “KennytheRipper” took away the top prize, earning more than $23,000 including bounties.

Pennsylvania series awards more than NJ, less than MI

The PokerStars PA Bounty Builder Series ran during the same Feb. 20-Mar. 8 window as did both the first-ever MICOOP at PokerStars MI and a similar Bounty Builder Series at PokerStars NJ.

The MICOOP was a 60-event series that awarded just over $2.2 million across those same 17 days. The MICOOP had originally featured just over $1 million in total guarantees. However, PokerStars boosted the guarantees in many of the events, pushing that total up to more than $1.4 million.

Meanwhile, the PokerStars NJ Bounty Builder Series featured 58 events and awarded just under $700,000 total. A number of events in the New Jersey series featured overlays, although the total amount awarded did manage to exceed just over $650,000 in guarantees.

Here’s a look at the turnouts and prize pools for the entire PokerStars PA Bounty Builder Series.

2021 PokerStars PA Bounty Builder Series by the numbers

Event	Buy-in	Guarantee	Entries	Re-Entries	Prize Pool
1: NLHE [8-Max, Series Kick-Off]	$100	$40,000	414	194	$55,814.40
2: NLHE [8-Max, Mini Kick-Off]	$25	$15,000	777	370	$26,094.25
3: NLHE [Turbo]	$10	$5,000	588	238	$7,516.60
4: NLHE	$50	$20,000	424	209	$28,801.50
5: NLHE [Warm-Up – Bounty Builder Edition]	$30	$12,500	428	162	$16,107.00
6: NLHE [6-Max, Storm – Bounty Builder Edition]	$10	$5,000	485	229	$6,497.40
7: NLHE [Sunday Special – Bounty Builder Edition]	$100	$100,000	631	391	$100,000.00*
8: NLHE [8-Max, Mini Special]	$200	$15,000	615	298	$16,616.60
9: NLHE [6-Max, Sunday High Roller – Bounty Builder Edition]	$250	$35,000	129	45	$40,542.00
10: NLHE [8-Max]	$50	$10,000	266	103	$16,789.50
11: NLHE [8-Max, Turbo]	$20	$7,500	331	129	$8,372.00
12: NLHE [Hyper-Turbo, SuperSonic – Bounty Builder Edition]	$50	$10,000	176	51	$10,669.00
13: NLHE [6-Max, Battle Royale SE]	$50	$35,000	552	283	$37,992.50
14 :PLO [8-Max]	$100	$20,000	153	85	$21,848.40
15: NLHE [8-Max]	$75	$30,000	384	195	$39,516.75
16: NLO8 [6-Max]	$100	$10,000	99	39	$12,668.40
17: NLHE [8-Max, Turbo]	$50	$15,000	311	105	$18,928.00
18: NLHE [6-Max]	$50	$20,000	420	201	$28,255.50
19: NLHE [8-Max, Super High Roller]	$1,000	$75,000	73	15	$83,600.00
20: NLHE [8-Max, Hyper-Turbo]	$20	$5,000	326	107	$8,140.40
21: PL Badugi	$50	$4,000	84	62	$6,643.00
22: NLHE [Thursday Thrill SE]	$200	$50,000	188	73	$50,000.00*
23: NLHE [Mini Thrill]	$25	$20,000	638	345	$22,363.25
24: NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, BigStack]	$75	$15,000	202	83	$19,451.25
25: NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo]	$50	$10,000	208	85	$13,771.00
26: 5-Card PLO [6-Max]	$30	$7,500	244	191	$11,875.50
27: NLHE [8-Max, Escalating Antes]	$50	$20,000	450	202	$29,666.00
28: NLHE [6-Max, Turbo]	$20	$10,000	497	244	$13,486.20
29: NLHE [8-Max]	$100	$25,000	201	97	$27,356.40
30: NLHE [8-Max, Turbo]	$50	$10,000	232	78	$14,105.00
31: NLHE [8-Max]	$200	$35,000	161	75	$43,896.00
32: NLHE [4-Max]	$20	$10,000	605	333	$17,071.60
33: NLHE [8-Max, Hyper-Turbo]	$50	$10,000	228	76	$14,288.00
34: NLHE	$100	$25,000	245	119	$33,415.20
35: HORSE [6-Max]	$50	$5,000	128	47	$7,962.50
36: NLHE [Warm-Up – Bounty Builder Edition]	$30	$10,000	402	193	$16,243.50
37: NLHE [6-Max, Storm – Bounty Builder Edition]	$10	$5,000	511	264	$7,052.50
38: NLHE [Sunday Special – Bounty Builder Edition]	$100	$100,000	656	402	$100,000.00*
39: NLHE [Mini Special]	$25	$25,000	674	354	$25,000.00*
40: NLHE [6-Max]	$500	$35,000	91	38	$60,630.00
41: PLO [8-Max]	$100	$15,000	112	66	$16,340.40
42: NLHE [8-Max, Turbo]	$75	$20,000	215	80	$20,133.75
43: NLHE [Hyper-Turbo]	$50	$10,000	168	57	$10,575.00
44: NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Battle Royale SE]	$100	$20,000	203	99	$27,723.60
45: NLHE [6-Max, BigStack]	$50	$25,000	379	273	$29,666.00
46: NLHE [4-Max, Turbo]	$20	$10,000	366	186	$10,046.40
47: NLHE [8-Max]	$50	$10,000	255	133	$17,654.00
48: NLHE [Super Tuesday – Bounty Builder Edition]	$200	$50,000	173	74	$50,000.00*
49: NLHE [Mini Super Tuesday]	$20	$12,500	528	250	$14,159.60
50: 8-Game [8 Game]	$50	$5,000	95	62	$7,143.50
51: NLHE [8-Max, Turbo]	$50	$12,500	219	103	$14,651.00
52: NLHE [8-Max, Hyper-Turbo]	$100	$10,000	109	27	$12,920.00
53: NLHE [8-Max]	$200	$30,000	127	49	$32,736.00
54: NLHE [8-Max]	$50	$20,000	316	124	$20,020.00
55: PLO [6-Max]	$500	$25,000	40	20	$28,200.00
56: NLHE [6-Max, Turbo]	$100	$15,000	120	54	$15,973.20
57: NLHE [Thursday Thrill SE]	$200	$50,000	188	79	$50,000.00*
58: NLHE [Mini Thrill]	$20	$15,000	580	291	$15,852.20
59: NLHE [6-Max, Turbo, BigStack]	$50	$15,000	257	124	$17,335.50
60: NLHE [8-Max]	$20	$7,500	473	228	$12,758.20
61: PL 5-Card Draw [PL 5 Card Draw]	$30	$3,000	100	42	$3,876.60
62: NLHE [6-Max]	$50	$20,000	373	187	$25,480.00
63: NLHE [8-Max, Hyper-Turbo]	$100	$10,000	111	28	$13,205.00
64: NLHE [8-Max, 25% KO]	$100	$30,000	275	130	$37,179.00
65: NLHE [Turbo]	$50	$12,500	318	95	$18,791.50
66: NLHE [8-Max, Turbo]	$10	$5,000	505	212	$6,524.70
67: NLHE [Marathon]	$50	$15,000	325	183	$23,114.00
68: NLHE [Warm-Up – Bounty Builder Edition]	$30	$12,500	456	230	$18,727.80
69: NLHE [8-Max, Main Event]	$200	$150,000	576	381	$178,002.00
70: NLHE [8-Max, Mini Main Event]	$50	$40,000	646	347	$45,181.50
71: NLHE [8-Max]	$100	$20,000	200	87	$26,346.60
72: PLO [6-Max, Turbo]	$50	$10,000	167	80	$11,238.50
73: NLHE [8-Max, Hyper-Turbo]	$75	$20,000	188	76	$20,000.00*
74: NLHE [8-Max]	$100	$25,000	222	92	$28,825.20
75: NLHE [Heads-Up, Turbo, Zoom Total Knock Out]	$20	$10,000	427	275	$12,776.40
TOTALS		$1,677,000	24039	11634	$2,012,204.25

*Events with overlays: Event No. 7 – $6,180.40; Event No. 22 – $1,454.00; Event No. 38 – $2,875.60; Event No. 39 – $1,613.00; Event No. 48 – $4,058.00; Event No. 57 – $338.00; Event No. 73 – $1,388.00.

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