The Global Poker Index (GPI) recently announced a relaunch of the rankings after a pause of live poker during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the live game still on pause outside the US for the most part, Americans are dominating the rankings so far.
The GPI races are now current for 2021 and retroactive to Jan. 1. The organization also gets more players in the ranking mix with the debut of the new “Mid-Major Player of the Year” leaderboard.
With live poker now returning in the US, numerous American players are among the top spots on the rankings. On June 30, 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Joe McKeehen became the GPI’s 20th top-ranked player in the index’s history.
McKeehen replaced Alex Foxen, who won back-to-back GPI Player of the Year awards in the last two Global Poker Awards. Before McKeehen’s rise, Foxen and Stephen Chidwick were the only players ranked No. 1 since April 18, 2018.
Several Americans sit behind McKeehen including Brian Altman in third after winning the WPT Tampa Championship in June for $613,225.
Ali Imirovic leads in the 2021 POY race, followed by four US-based players: Jesse Lonis, Qing Liu, Foxen, and Adam Hendrix. Imirovic is originally from Bosnia-Herzegovina, but now calls Washington home.
In the female rankings, Foxen’s new fiancée Kristen Bicknell has won the last three POY titles. However, Florida’sNadya Magnus stopped Bicknell’s streak at 144 consecutive weeks as the No. 1-ranked woman. She also begins 2021 as the top player in the female POY race.
In the Mid-Major POY rankings, a pair of New York players have battled for the top spot. Jordan Cristos initially led last week, but has been eclipsed by Jesse Lonis.
COVID-19 restrictions in other countries skew rankings to US-based players
Americans aren’t the only players battling in the rankings. However, with no major tournaments in other countries, mostly US-based players dot the GPI leaderboards.
Other players from outside the US, such as Bicknell (Canada) and Matas Cimbolas (Lithuania), have also found spots in the rankings. But these players have been active in US tournaments in 2021.
Many European poker tours and events are still on hold, and most of those players are still only playing online. International online poker has surged over the last year because of pandemic restrictions.
How will this ultimately affect GPI rankings? It seems like US players, or at least those based in the US, have a leg up. The market offers tournament action that most international players won’t have an opportunity to play.
Even if European, Asian, and South American events return, US-based players have a big head start in this year’s GPI. Here’s a look at all the rankings so far as of July 7.
Live poker may have been on pause in 2020, but the game is alive and well in 2021. That apparently goes for televised poker as well.
Triton Poker announced Monday that the “Triton Million for Charity Poker Tournament is coming to American viewers. The record-breaking £1 million buy-in event took place in London in 2019.
The tournament now makes its television debut on NBC Sports this week.
The event was dubbed as the “Triton Million: A Helping Hand For Charity.” This mega high roller attracted 54 pros and business people for a £54 million prize pool.
First place paid out £19 million, the biggest prize in poker history.
Additionally, £50,000 was collected from each player for a total of £2.7million. That was then donated to various charities around the world including: One Drop Foundation, Healthy HK, and Raising for Effective Giving.
The 10-episode series features Daniel Negreanu and Ali Nejad guiding viewers through the action. That includes exclusive behind the scenes player interviews and the stunning highs and brutal lows of playing at such high stakes.
The tournament has previously been broadcast in Canada, Israel, the United Kingdom, and other countries. Broadcasting times vary and here’s a look at the schedule in some major markets:
Wednesdays at 5 pm (PT) – NBC Sports Bay Area
Thursdays at 9 pm (ET) – NBC Sports Philadelphia+
Fridays at 10 pm (CT) – NBC Sports Chicago
Saturdays at 11 pm (ET) – NBC Sports Boston
Sundays at 8 pm (ET) – NBC Sports Washington
A look at Triton Poker
Triton Poker was founded in 2015 by Malaysian businessmen and poker fans Richard Yong and Paul Phua. The series produces exclusive tournament series for wealthy business professionals and some of the world’s best pros.
Tournaments are held in some of the most luxurious casinos in the world at some of the highest stakes. This 2018 hand between Jason Koon and Elton Tsang is a perfect example of that, becoming the biggest televised cash game pot in history.
Funds from Triton Poker events have raised millions of dollars for charity as well. Some of those organizations have included Project Pink, the Red Cross, and more.
Some of the series’ champions have included Fedor Holz, Daniel Cates, Justin Bonomo, John Juanda, Dan Colman, Koon, and Phil Ivey.
Adding Triton to American TV comes on the heels of other televised poker news. In February, PokerStarsannounced a deal with FOX Sports to broadcast the 2019 PokerStars Players Championship from the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas.
The World Series of Poker also announced a new deal with CBS Sports recently. The agreement calls for expanded Main Event coverage as well as airing 18 additional gold bracelet events. That includes coverage on CBS Sports Net and Paramount+.
Poker fans will also once again find WSOP coverage on PokerGO. The platform also offers live coverage of its own high roller events.
The PokerGO Cup kicks off on the network today with all final tables shown on the app. The company also partners with NBC Sports as well to air many of its series on traditional TV.
The World Poker Tour also continues to grow its media presence. Televised events air on Bally Sports, but the company has also moved to more streaming options in recent years.
YouTube, Twitch, and other online options also remain important options for many poker tours and online poker operators. Poker viewing choices continue to grow and Triton Poker now adds to that in the US.
Even though the live World Series of Poker in Las Vegas is delayed until fall, players can still collect some hardware online. WSOP.com is grilling up tons of summer action this July.
The site is offering the Summer Online Circuit Series alongside the Online Championships series. Combined with the WSOP Online bracelet series this month, July offers a packed month of action.
WSOP.com fires up July with the Summer Online Circuit Series, running July 16-27. The Online Championships are also scheduled for July 7-27, offering players plenty of online poker options. The events are available to players in the New Jersey and Nevada markets at WSOP.com.
A look at the WSOP.com Summer Circuit Series
The Summer Circuit features 12 championship gold rings up for grabs and over $1 million guaranteed. The $525 Main Event on July 25 and comes with a $200,000 guarantee.
All events feature No Limit Hold’em with the exception of three Omaha tournaments. Some other standout events include:
$525 Monster Stack (Event 3, July 18) – $150,000 guaranteed
$320 Pot Limit Omaha Eight-Max (Event 4, July 19) – $50,000 guaranteed
$320 Double Stack (Event 9, July 24) – $100,000 guaranteed
$1,000 High Roller Six-Max (Event 12, July 27) – $100,000 guaranteed
Here’s a look at the entire schedule:
WSOP.com Summer Online Circuit 2021
Date
Name
Buy-in
Guarantee
July 16
#1 – Limit Omaha 8 or Better 8-Max 3X Re-entry
$320
$40,000
July 17
#2 – NLHE 2X Re-entry
$215
$75,000
July 18
#3 – NLHE Monster Stack 3x Re-entry 8-Max
$525
$150,000
July 19
#4 – PLO $320 8-Max 3X Re-entry
$320
$50,000
July 20
#5 – NLHE 6-Max 2x Re-entry
$320
$75,000
July 21
#6 – PLO High Roller 8-Max 2x Re-entry
$1,000
$75,000
July 22
#7 – NLHE Freezeout
$250
$50,000
July 23
#8 – NLHE Deep Turbo 2x Re-entry
$215
$50,000
July 24
#9 – NLHE Double Stack 2x Re-entry
$320
$100,000
July 25
#10 – NLHE Main Event 3x Re-entry 8-Max
$525
$200,000
July 26
#11 – PLO BIG $500 6-Max 3X Re-entry
$500
$50,000
July 27
#12 – NLHE High Roller 6-Max 2x Re-entry
$1,000
$100,000
WSOP officials haven’t announced any live WSOP Circuit events this year. Online Circuit festivals will run monthly throughout the rest of the year.
WSOP offers monthly leaderboard cash promos
Each month, WSOP.com offers a $10,000 monthly leaderboard for each Online Circuit Series. The top 10 circuit grinders each month win WSOP.com tournament tickets.
The winner also wins a seat into the year-end WSOP Online Circuit Championship with a $250,000 guarantee. That tournament is set for Dec. 28 and rewards the champion with a WSOP gold bracelet.
Players qualify for the championship by winning a:
gold ring event
$10,000 Player of the Month leaderboard
Second Chance Freeroll
Players also earn entry by being one of the top 50 players on the cumulative circuit leaderboard. As of Monday, the top five players on the cumulative leaderboard are:
juice – 305.18
APokerJoker2 – 214.85
SwaggyB – 211.97
BrockLesnar – 211.38
Slapshot1085– 209.98
New Jersey’s Daniel “juice” Buzgon remains in the top spot on the leaderboard. He currently has eight rings in his collection.
June’s WSOP Online Circuit event winners
The Online Summer Super Circuit in June awarded 18 championship rings. The online circuit events continue to draw huge prize pools as players continue to chase the gold rings.
Matt Stout added the sixth ring to his collection after taking down a PLO event.
Alex Duvall scored his second ring by winning a $320 Double Stack in a 361-player field. He took home $20,793 after defeating “Cardthartic.”
Brett “BigDumbIdiot” Murray won ring number four after taking down a $300 Knockout. He defeated “Valuetown” heads up and cashed in for $15,129. 2020 Main Event final table player Ryan Hagerty grabbed a ring and $22,924 in a $320 Six-Max.
WSOP.com offers plenty of freeroll cash
Summer Circuit ring winners also earn entries into a $25,000 freeroll set for July 30. Those finishing among the top 10 on the monthly leaderboard also receive freeroll entries.
Daniel Buzgon took down June’s freeroll and was rewarded $5,000 for the feat.
Also on July 30, WSOP.com hosts a Second Chance Freeroll for players who participated in at least three July ring events. The winner-take-all tournament awards a seat in the $250,000 Online Circuit Championship.
Online players have even more tournament opportunities in July beyond the WSOP Online and Summer Online Circuit. The Online Championships run July 7-27 with 93 events more than $2 million guaranteed.
The series includes buy-ins ranging from $5 to $1,000, offering events for a wide range of bankrolls. The Main Event on July 25 also awards a championship belt to the winner.
Each Sunday, WSOP.com will offer some big events for online players. This includes a $100 player appreciation event with a $75,000 guarantee. A $320 Sunday Special runs every weekend with $100,000 guaranteed.
Other notable events include:
$55 NLHE R+A (Event 22, July 11) – $30,000 guaranteed
$500 NLHE Tuesday Special (Event 30, July 13) – $50,000 guaranteed
$50 NLHE R+A (Event 58, July 20) – $25,000 guaranteed
$1,000 High Roller Eight-Max (Event 81, July 25) – $50,000 guaranteed
$75 NLHE Turbo (Event 93, July 27) – $20,000 guaranteed
Here’s a look at the entire schedule:
WSOP.com Online Championships
Online bracelet hunt continues, more WSOP Circuit Online events coming in August
Along with these action-packed series, WSOP.com also offers an official bracelet event every day in July. To preview the entire WSOP.com bracelet schedule, click here.
Next on deck for the circuit series is the Rio Circuit Online in August. Players can expect 12 more ring events running Aug. 20-31. Check back to USPoker next month for a preview of that event.
The full schedule for the live WSOP in Las Vegas was also announced recently. WSOP officials announced in April that the annual live series would be postponed and played in the fall this year. The series runs Sept. 30 to Nov. 23 at the Rio. For a complete preview and schedule, click here.
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The move comes after months of anticipation and now means three operators in the state. Players will find a third option in the form of the online arm of the World Series of Poker.
What can players expect from WSOP.com in Pennsylvania?
The announcement comes at a busy time for WSOP.com. The site is currently running the WSOP Online for players in New Jersey and Nevada.
Players in those states as well as 888poker in Delaware can also compete in the Summer Online Circuit Series alongside the Online Championships in July.
The WSOP.com platform makes use of 888poker’s online poker software client and mobile app. The international 888 site has made major improvements to its software in recent months with the “Made to Play” software.
WSOP hinted that players can expect a similar experience now to carry over to the US.
Online poker has seen some major momentum in the US in recent months. The COVID-19 pandemic brought increased numbers of online players.
While that has ebbed in recent months, traffic and revenue remain at record highs. Online poker is now legal in these states:
Nevada
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Michigan
Delaware
West Virginia (no operator has launched)
Connecticut (recently legalized, still in regulation stage)
PokerStars launched in the Keystone State in November 2019 and remained the only operator until this year. Partypoker US Network launched via the BetMGM and Borgata Poker skins in April.
To launch in PA, WSOP partners with Harrah’s Philadelphia, which is operated by Caesars Entertainment. Caesars ie the company behind the WSOP including the online version.
WSOP.com now fills out a more competitive market in Pennsylvania. Players hoping to join the company’s All American Poker Network may have to wait a bit however.
Initially, players should expect a “ringed-in” poker market as seen in other states. However, the Department of Justice recently let the deadline expire on appealing a January federal appeals court ruling regarding the Wire Act.
The court had ruled that the act applied only to sports betting. This now opens the door for more interstate compacts among states.
With a population of 12.8 million, Pennsylvania would be a nice addition to the All American Poker Network. Adding that to New Jersey (8.9 million), Nevada (3.1 million), and Delaware (1 million) would bring the network’s reach to about 25.8 million.
In the meantime, what can PA players expect? There may not be time to put together a WSOP online bracelet series. However, a WSOP Online Circuit Series, if not a few, is almost guaranteed.
WSOP officials even hinted at such an event in January. The company announced that the entire WSOP Circuit schedule would be played out online in 2021.
While not part of that initial plan, the WSOP also included a possibility for an addition at a later date.
“An additional 13th online circuit event is earmarked pending launch of the WSOP.com service in a newly regulated market,” a news release announcing the circuit launch noted.
That could offer players in the state a shot at some hardware sometime soon. This is a breaking story and USPoker will continue to update the situation.
* Photo courtesy WSOP
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The opening weekend of the World Series of Poker Online has concluded with four new gold bracelets awarded. WSOP.com kicked off the series on July 1 with one events each day until Aug 1.
Germany’s Manig “Ohio77” Loeser was among the winners over the weekend. Several big-name pros also made appearances and were in the hunt for some hardware as well. Players such as Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Michael Gagliano, and Andrew Lichtenberger all notched cashes over the weekend.
The series opened up on July 4 weekend, producing large crowds and large cash payouts. The opening four bracelet event prize pools were just shy of $2 million.
The largest of the four events took place on Thursday. The opening event brought in $574,650 with 1,277 entries. All online bracelet events are available to players in the New Jersey and Nevada markets at WSOP.com.
Players don’t have to live in the state, but must physically be located in New Jersey or Nevada. Here’s a look at the action from the first four events.
WSOP Online 2021
Event
Tournament
Entries
Prize pool
Winner
Winner payout
1
$500 NLHE BIG 500 Kickoff (July 1)
1,277
$574,650
Jose “Deposit” Noboa
$105,161
2
$600 NLHE Monster Stack (July 2)
1,038
$560,520
Manig “Ohio77” Loeser
$104,313
3
$500 NLHE Turbo Deepstack (July 3)
950
$427,500
Donnell “Spreezy52” Dais
$90,801
4
$500 NLHE Super Turbo (July 4)
850
$382,500
Jeffery “Steelvikes7” Hoop
$73,861
Event 1: $500 NLHE BIG 500 Kickoff (July 1)
New Jersey’s Jose “Deposit” Noboa took home the first bracelet of the summer. He defeated Christopher “basile28” Basile heads-up on Thursday night for the title.
A resident of North Bergen, New Jersey, Noboa took home $105,161 after 12 hours at the felt on opening night. Noboa seems to have luck in opening events. In the 2020 opening WSOP.com event, he finished in 21st for $3,936.
Before Thursday’s tournament, Noboa had $39,341 in lifetime WSOP cashes. This was his first six-figure score.
Other final table notables included Shannon “Aulophobia” Shorr and Michael “ParxBigStax” Marder. BigStax spoke with USPoker about his unfortunate run at the final table.
“Disappointing of course to immediately get coolered the second hand of the final table,” says Marder, a poker grinder from Sewell, New Jersey. “But you can’t knock the opportunity to chill at home on the couch playing for six figures and a bracelet.”
Event 2: $600 NLHE Monster Stack (July 2)
Manig “Ohio77” Loeser finally sealed the deal and won his first bracelet. Previously he’s finished second twice and third three times in bracelet events.
On Friday night, he outlasted 1,038 players to take in $104,313 and a bracelet. Even though this was his first bracelet, Loeser is a seasoned veteran with over $11 million in lifetime tournament winnings.
Twitch streamer Justin “LappyPoker” Lapka also found some success in the event, finishing sixth for $17,488.
Kathy “Luckygal” Liebert was among other recognizable names that made a deep run. She finished just out of the final table, coming in 12th for $5,885.
Event 3: $500 NLHE Turbo Deepstack (July 3)
In just six hours, Donnell “Spreezy52” Dais scored his first bracelet and $90,801 in this fast-moving tournament. Dais topped tournament regular Mike “SammyTwizz” Azzaro heads-up for the championship.
The event saw 950 entries and a prize pool total of $427,500. Phil “Lumestackin” Hellmuth, Jamie “DanBilzerian” Kerstetter, Jeff “NedrudRelyt” Madsen ,and Ryan “joeyisamush” Depaulo all cashed in the event as well.
Hellmuth is playing the series from the Aria in Las Vegas and also played in the World Poker Tour Venetian event over the weekend as well. He took some time to offer players some interesting practical advice when playing so much online poker.
My next article: how to take a shower in the middle of a @WSOP Online poker tourney (just did it!). I bet online pros have an ideal system for this! It helps to have someone stalling at your table AND to time it for the 5 min hourly break, any advice from the online young guns? https://t.co/MHcoREBGCC
Jeffery “Steelvikes7” Hoop took down the Super Turbo bracelet event on Sunday. This becomes Hoop’s first bracelet and he also scored $73,861.
This was the smallest event so far, but may have been expected with most Americans celebrating the holiday. The event still produced 850 entries and generated a $382,500 prize pool.
At just under six hours, the Super Turbo tournament was also the shortest event played so far in the series.
Other notable final table qualifiers included regulars Vineet “brownmagic” Pahuja, Jonathan “Art.Vandelay” Dokler, and Ryan “sYchoSiD” Hohner, who finished runner-up for $45,671.
Fresh off his sixth-straight win on PokerGO’s High Stakes Duel, Phil Helmuth is riding quite a wave. Along with 15World Series of Poker bracelets, the Poker Brat attracts what few poker pros can – product endorsements and sponsorships.
The latest is with BitCoin Latinum, a new cryptocurrency offering. Hellmuth has found partnerships in an industry where adding a major company to the ranks isn’t always easy. He spoke this week with USPoker about his own endorsement deals, the poker industry, cryptocurrency, and more.
Hellmuth is no stranger to repping companies or products. Not many players are as well-known as Hellmuth. Love him or hate him, the Poker Brat persona draws fan interest.
When it comes to marketing to the poker segment, Hellmuth offers brand awareness not many other players have. His name or mug have appeared on beer cans, online poker sites, and his own brand of apparel.
More recently, Hellmuth has become the face of Brèinfúel. The “cerebral beverage” promises a blend of vitamins to “provide antioxidants to support the brain’s response to caffeine.”
The company has become a regular sponsor of PokerGO events. The idea of a beverage allowing a player to better focus seems appropriate in poker.
Last week, Hellmuth added another brand to his stable – Bitcoin Latinum. Considering so many poker players involved in cryptocurrency, Hellmuth and Latinum seem a fitting combination.
And when it comes to finding a poker player to get behind, companies could do much worse than Hellmuth. He’s never afraid to sing the praises of his sponsors.
On the most recent High Stakes Duel, Hellmuth started off the match by immediately discussing the new companies he’s involved with. The Poker Brat is quite pitchman.
Adding a crypto brand
Before signing with Bitcoin Latinum, Hellmuth considered a few crypto deals. His interest in Bitcoin goes back several years, but he unfortunately lost out on some investment advice.
“I’ve been following crypto since my Silicon Valley ‘masters of the universe’ crew told me to buy Bitcoin at $90,” he says. “Then, they pushed it again after it fell to $300. Unfortunately, I didn’t listen. They also told me to buy Apple, Tesla, and Amazon too – and I didn’t listen, oops.”
Bitcoin Latinum’s technology provides faster handling of large transaction volumes, cybersecurity, and digital asset management. Transaction fees are typically priced at $0.10 with a current maximum fee of 1%.
The company is backed with $1 billion in trust assets and completes transactions in seconds to minutes, not days, Hellmuth says.
“I signed with Bitcoin Latinum because I believe the company will make it easier for crypto to be used by everyone on an everyday basis,” he says. “In the future I’ll be able to use Bitcoin Latinum to buy my everyday purchases such as Starbucks coffee. Try doing that with Bitcoin or Ethereum and it’s nearly a $10 fee.”
The company describes itself as the “next generation of Bitcoin.” Additionally, trust assets are constantly increasing as 80% of transaction fees go directly into the trust.
The idea is that a constantly growing trust means constantly growing token value. The Bitcoin Latinum tokens launch in July with an initial value of about $20.
“This is not investment advice, I’m not telling anyone to buy the coin,” Hellmuth says, “but I’m looking forward to watching Bitcoin Latinum list on crypto exchanges all over the world soon.”
Phil Hellmuth on PokerGO’s High Stakes Duel (photo courtesy of PokerGO)
Crypto and poker
As any poker Twitter observer can attest, poker players seem infatuated with crypto. Players document the ups, downs, and latest Bitcoin news on a daily basis.
Hellmuth believes it’s a natural reaction to something still fairly new in the financial world. By their very nature as risk takers, he believes, many players find crypto a unique and interesting investment vehicle.
“I think poker players are rebels in the best possible way,” Hellmuth says. “Decentralization is a cool concept, and there is an element of freedom associated with it. Also, poker players don’t mind a little risk.”
Does he foresee a time when crypto could be used as a deposit method for legal, regulated online poker? The Poker Hall of Famer certainly believes that’s possible.
“We are one step away from that with the Luxon (a multi-currency payment processor) app wallet,” he says. “Luxon allows you to deposit on and off all poker sites, and will let you buy or sell crypto within the same app.”
Whether that happens or not, Hellmuth doesn’t see the crypto interest among poker players letting up. The poker pro serves on the advisory boards of several companies and likes seeing players branch out in the business world.
“The poker world is super smart and pays attention to cutting-edge technology,” he says. “This is evidenced by so many successful pro players going on to make a fortune in other businesses, including crypto.
“Sinatra said, ‘If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere!’ This is apt for pro poker players. I hope that our world continues to crush it outside of poker.”
The World Series of Poker may be planned to run this fall, but plenty of players will be heading to Las Vegas this summer for some poker. Numerous tournaments are already underway as well as the WSOP Online in Nevada and New Jersey.
Cash game players will also be in luck. Plenty of action is underway as live poker begins returning to normal. USPoker put together this summer cash game guide with a look at stakes, promotions, and much more.
Players who enjoy playing cash games have plenty to look forward to over the next few months. Aria director of poker operations Sean McCormack says the Vegas poker scene is returning to normal.
“Cash games have been great,” he says. “We’re happy to continue to welcome back more and more players each day. We are running at 100 percent capacity similar to pre-pandemic except we have remained at eight-handed and our guests’ feedback has been great.”
McCormack expects that to continue despite no WSOP this summer.
“Cash games are going to look great here and throughout Las Vegas for the foreseeable future,” he says. “The pent-up energy in poker players to return to the felt is apparent and a welcome sight.
“After the most unpredictable year, team Aria poker is looking forward to a semblance of normalcy. However normal for us will always be to wow every guest at every interaction in the poker room. Vegas is back!”
Here’s a complete look at Vegas-area casino poker rooms and what players can expect.
If players are looking for higher-limit action, then Aria is a well-known spot for bigger buy-in cash games. Aria is home to 24 tables and the high limit room “Ivey’s Room.” The poker rooms offer $2 per hour comps and table side dining. No summer promotions have been announced at this time.
The casino will play host to many large buy-in tournaments this summer. For more information on live tournaments in Las Vegas, see USPoker’s extensive guide.
Bally’s is located on the Strip and is a Caesars-owned property with 14 cash tables. Comp rates run $1 per hour and the room offers mostly $1-2 and low limit cash games. Bally’s also runs daily small buy-in tournaments and other promotions include:
Top 12 hours earners between 3 am to 7 am Monday through Sunday earn $150 each.
Top 12 hours earners between 8 am to 12 pm Monday through Sunday earn $150 each.
Play four hours in a day and receive a free food item from LaVazza or Nosh restaurants.
Every Sunday at 6 pm Bally’s offers players a chance to get in on a $4,800 freeroll tournament for grinders who put in at least eight hours of cash game play during the week.
Bellagio’s 37-table poker room is the largest poker room in Las Vegas. The casino offers $2 per hour comps, but doesn’t feature any summer promotions at this time.
This casino is located off the Strip and offers 11 tables. Boulder Station is home to daily low limitTexas Hold’em and Omaha games. Other promotions include:
Bad Beat Jackpot starting at $125,000
High hand cash payouts for Quads to Royal Flushes ($100-$599 daily payouts)
Omaha high Bad Beat Jackpot
Progressive hand payouts Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Caesars poker room is currently open on the Strip with 16 cash tables. No cash game promotions are available at this time. Caesars spreads mostly $1-3 and $2-5 NLHE games.
The Flamingo is located in the center of the Strip and has 10 cash tables. Cash games run 24/7 and generally $1-2 and $2-4 is spread. Occasionally you’ll find a $2-5 or small stakes PLO games.
The room gives $1 per hour comps and also runs small buy-in daily tournaments. Cash game high hand promotions include:
$100 for Quads ($500 if hit on the flop)
$200 Straight Flush
$500 Royal Flush
The Flamingo also offers a $10,000 freeroll tournament every Sunday at 10 am for players who accumulate 12 hours of cash play a week.
Planet Hollywood is currently open from Thursday at 10 am to Monday at 10 am. Hollywood currently operates 11 poker tables and players can take advantage of these summer promotions:
Receive one entry into a $80 daily tournament for every six hours of cash play
Play four to six hours for a food voucher
$800 daily cash drawings
*** Note: Planet Hollywood will be closing the poker room on July 11.
Red Rock Casino offers eight-handed games and hosts 20 tables. Currently, players can receive $1 per hour comps while playing poker. Current promotions include:
Bad Beat Jackpot starting at $125,000
High Hand cash payouts for Straight Flushes to Royals ($100-$599 daily payouts)
Progressive hand payouts Monday, Wednesday, Friday
A look at the new Resorts World poker room. (photo courtesy Resorts World Las Vegas)
Sahara is located on the north end of the Strip and has seven tables. Players earn $2 per hour in comps while playing live cash games. Other promotions include:
Bad Beat Jackpot (Aces full of Queens or better beaten by Quads)
Daily High Hand cash payouts (Royal $300, Straight Flush $100, Quads $50)
Each week players that play at least 12 hours of cash games qualify for a $2,000 Sunday Freeroll. Earn an extra 1,000 chips for each hour over 12 hours.
Santa Fe Station hosts eight-handed cash games and houses 14 poker tables. The casino is known for hosting many low limit games. The property gives poker players $1 per hour comp rates and the following jackpot offers:
Bad Beat Jackpot starting at $125,000
High Hand cash payouts for Straight Flushes to Royals ($100-$599 daily payouts)
With only one table, Silver Sevens can be listed as the smallest poker room in Las Vegas. The casino opens the poker table daily at 2 pm. Limit Hold’em is the main game and players earn $1 per hour in comps. Other promotions include:
Play three hours and get a $10 food comp
High Hand Jackpots
A view of the South Point Casino. (photo courtesy of South Point Casino)
South Point Casino is home to 30 tables and offers a variety of Hold’em and mixed cash games every day. This summer the property hosts several cash game promotions including:
A three-tier Bad Beat Jackpot
High Hand cash payouts for Quads to Royal Flushes ($100-$599 daily payouts)
$750 per hour for Hot Seat and High Hands on weekends
Weekly Ace of Spades Flush Rush: every Monday and Wednesday win up to $2,500
From May 1 through July 31, play at least 150 hours of cash games to qualify for a tournament with a $40,000 top prize on Aug.14.
The Venetian is one of the largest poker rooms in Las Vegas and offers 32 cash games on the Strip. The poker room offers a $175,000 Summer Freeroll tournament promotion. To qualify for the Aug. 8 tournament, players must play cash between May 17 and July 31. Other additional qualifiers include:
Top 96 players who earn the most hours will earn a seat
All 96 qualifiers are guaranteed $1,000 minimum
Freeroll winner takes home $20,000
For the entire month of August, the Venetian will award $300 to the highest hand every 30 minutes. The promotion runs from noon to midnight daily.
The Wynn currently has 28 poker tables and offers $1.50 per hour comps. Currently there are no special promotions this summer. The casino will be hosting the Wynn Summer Classic from May 27 to July 14.
The World Series of PokerOnline kicks off tomorrow and promises plenty of bracelet-chasing action. The series is available to players in New Jersey and Nevada, and some of the Catena Media poker team recently noted a few players to watch.
Selecting online players isn’t always easy. But the scope of the WSOP Online at least means some of the regulars will be in action.
A chance at a gold bracelet also brings out some of the bigger name pros. As the WSOP action continues, USPoker will offer regular updates. That includes how our selectors are making out. Here’s a look at some players who may just have a big summer this year.
Major wins: $3,200 High Roller event online bracelet event 2020 runner-up ($219,089); $2,000 High Roller winner 2020 ($44,489); $215 WSOPC online winner 2021 ($15,347)
After finishing runner-up for an online bracelet in 2020, Funaro will be back for vengeance this summer. He currently sits as the top online grinder in New Jersey and scored his first WSOPC ring online in May.
Ryan Dodd (Runnemede, New Jersey)
Ryan Dodd
Major wins: $1,100 NLHE MSPT 2021 (runner-up, $236,927); $1,090 Eight-Max Borgata 2019 (runner-up, $24,500); $525 Spring Super WSOPC online 2021 ($51,300)
Ryan Dodd is the definition of being on a heater. In the last three months he’s cashed in for over $500,000 between live and online events. This includes two online WSOPC rings this spring. Expect to see a full lineup of events this July for Dodd.
In 2019 Kwon scored his first bracelet after defeating Phil Hellmuth. Currently ranked seventh in the US, “LuckySpewy” should be putting in a lot of volume this summer.
Kwon was WSOP 2020 player of the year and recently won his first online WSOP Circuit ring online in April.
Most players know Jarred Gabin from his popular Twitch streams. Keep an eye out for “GodsBigToe” this summer. He may not have some of the deep runs as some other players on this list, but his grind and study habits may cash in big. He plans on playing a lot of WSOP Online events.
Michael Lech (Alma, Arkansas)
Major wins: $888 Crazy Eights WSOP 2016 (runner up, $401,888); $1,500 WSOP High Roller online bracelet 2020 ($164,249); $2,200 WSOPC New Orleans 2017 ($106,377)
Lech is a grinder who currently holds eight WSOPC rings and a bracelet. He has been grinding throughout the pandemic and is ready to grab another piece of jewelry this summer. Lech is an all around player with success live and online.
Ian Steinman is a crusher from Northern California and Lake Tahoe poker tournaments. He’s poker-famous for his unreal, yet correct, fold with top set versus Joe McKeehen at the 2018 WPT Rolling Thunder final table.
He’s ice cold on the felt, which keeps the mountains blue on the Coors Light he sips as he accumulates chips with patience and grit until he’s heads-up for piles of cash. Steinman not only won his first WSOP bracelet in the 2020 online series, but also finished as overall points leader.
Steinman is coming fresh off a win in the recent South Point Benny Binion Summer Shootout. This provides a nice bankroll and confidence boost just ahead of the 2021 WSOP bracelet series. Beware.
Jonathan Dokler (Las Vegas)
Major wins: $500 Kick-Off WSOP online bracelet 2020 ($130,426); $5,100 WPT Borgata High Roller 2020 ($100,829)
His first Hendon Mob cash is from the 2019 WSOP. But his results over the next two years are impressive, even with the long live poker break.
Dokler had 14 WSOP.com cashes in 2020, including his bracelet win in the Kick-Off event. That was after he kicked off 2020 by taking down a live WPT High Roller at Borgata. If last year is any indication, Dokler will be grinding the majority of the 2021 series, hunting for bracelet No. 2. And maybe even No. 3.
Ryan Torgersen (Granby, Connecticut)
Major wins: $600 Monster Stack WSOP online bracelet series 2020 ($172,362); $1,000 Six-Max WSOP online bracelet 2020 ($116,379)
Torgersen notched an extremely impressive breakout with back-to-back final tables in the 2020 online bracelet series. After finishing in second and first, he navigated to another final table before the series concluded.
He already proved he has what it takes to run deep in WSOP.com events. Now armed with a healthy bankroll and another year of experience, Torgersen should be a major threat in 2021. His online moniker may be “im.sorry” but he’ll have no remorse about adding some bracelets to his collection of one.
Ruth Ruffman (Colts Neck, New Jersey)
Major wins: $1,100 Wynn Summer Classic Seniors 2019 ($61,914); $365 WSOPC ring 2018 ($12,718)
Ladies continue to be under-repped in number, but not in heart. As I waded through pages of recent results among Nevada and New Jersey players, it was more apparent than ever women are under-represented in poker, but especially online.
Though there are plenty of strong contenders, Ruffman shined through. Ruth had some solid 2020 WSOP Online results including a fourth-place finish in a $1,000 Six-Max for $58,000. Incidentally, Torgersen (second) and Steinman (sixth) accompanied her at that final table. Ruffman can carry that momentum into the 2021 WSOP.com online bracelet series.
Joon Kim shipped not one, but two tournaments in 2020, showing his versatility with both an online and live victory. His first and only six-figure win on record came in the WSOP Online $800 Knockout last summer.
This Las Vegas-based player carried the momentum from that win into another in a Venetian Deepstacks $400 event in the fall. A lot like hitting streaks in baseball, no one can argue the importance of momentum in poker. Watch out for Kim to add to his bankroll and bracelet wins in 2021.
This New Jersey grinder and Borgata Poker ambassador is no stranger to the winner’s circle. He already has a
recent WSOP.com win, taking down a Money Madness event in June for $14,500.
Buzgon also scored three PokerStarsNJSCOOP titles in May and added a partypoker Mega Tuesday win as well. In February, he added two WSOPC online rings and just continues to roll.
Dan Lupo (West Milford, New Jersey)
Dan Lupo
Major wins: WSOP.com $500 Turbo Deepstack bracelet win 2019; WSOP.com Circuit rings (2019 and 2021); numerous NJ online titles
Not many US online players are as decorated as Lupo. He’s won just about everything a US online player can win. That includes a WSOP bracelet, WSOPC rings, SCOOP titles, and more.
That record includes four NJSCOOP titles this year alone. Look for him to make a run at another bracelet this summer. He’s an online poker monster and should be ready to roar.
Phil Hellmuth (Palo Alto, California)
Phil Hellmuth
Major wins: 15-time WSOP bracelet winner; 1989 WSOP Main Event
This may be a bit out of the box when it comes to an online series. But Hellmuth always craves a bracelet and actually has some decent runs the last few years online.
He took fifth in a $400 online bracelet event in 2019 and an 11th-place finish in 2020. Can he put together another deep run online this summer?
Hellmuth plans on playing in Vegas all summer. He’s also got some “positivity” (the title of his latest book) after a huge run of matches on High Stakes Duel.
This is obviously a bit of a “gamble” considering this Texan only plans to play the Omaha events. That gives him only four shots at a title, but Gamble excels in four-card poker.
His name is certainly fitting for the games he plays, but he has a knack for running deep in Omaha events. That should continue in at least a few of those events this summer.
Upeshka De Silva (Katy, Texas)
Upeshka De Silva
Major wins: WPTDeepStacks title 2017; three WSOP bracelets
De Silva had the misfortune of making the WSOP Main Event US final table, but missing out on playing due to COVID-19. After some recent nice finishes online, he may be looking for more deep runs at WSOP.com
De Silva already has success winning a bracelet online. In 2019, he took down the $600 Online Knockout Bounty for his third bracelet. This summer’s events offer a chance for this tough player to add another.
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We’re still a few days away from Fourth of July fireworks. Meanwhile, on PokerStars Pennsylvania the first ever Summer Stacks Festival series concluded last night with a bang.
The last of the 100 events completed last night, with PokerStars PA players winning almost $1.3 million over the course of the series.
Events attract over 35,000 entries, Main Event awards over $132K
All of the Summer Stacks Festival events featured buy-ins of $100 or less, with the overall guarantees for the series totaling $1,045,000.
Ultimately those 100 tournaments attracted 35,376 total entries or a little over 353 per tournament. The $1,295,035.20awarded meant an average prize pool of about $12,950.
Of course some prize pools were much bigger than others, including the two-day $100 buy-in Main Event that finished Monday night. The Main Event attracted a series-high 1,443 total entries and built the series’ largest prize pool of over $132,000. Player “Ambiter” ended up taking the title and a first prize worth just over $20,000.
There were some overlays along the way, although most were on the small side. Exactly one-fourth or 25 of the tournaments had overlays, totaling about $22,000 altogether. Meanwhile, 16 events had prize pools worth at least 1.5 times the guarantee, with a couple more than doubling the guarantee.
In the end, the Summer Stacks Festival awarded about half the $2.6 million won in the recent Pennsylvania Spring Championship of Online Poker (PASCOOP), a series featuring much bigger guarantees and buy-ins. The guarantees-to-prize-pool ratio was about the same, however, as the PASCOOP guarantees totaled $2 million.
Ambassador Foresta lands second series win on final day
Among the highlights of the final night of the 17-day series was PokerStars PA Ambassador Mark “NaigoPA” Foresta capturing his second Summer Stacks Festival title in Event #98, the $50 8-Max Nightly Summer Stack. Foresta topped a 413-entry field to win a first prize worth just over $3,400.
Foresta had earlier won a title in one of the Sunday Specials (Event #50), landing a nice first prize of over $11,000.
In the end both Foresta and his fellow PokerStars PA Ambassador Keith “AccidentalGrenade” Becker, a.k.a. “whoopsboom,” collected a number of deep runs in the series as they continue to battle one another along with other PokerStars PA players. Becker made a couple more final tables during the final days, collecting two fifth-place finishes.
PA tops three PokerStars US sites for biggest Summer Stacks series
PokerStars ran separate Summer Stacks Festivals on all three of its US sites from June 12-28.
In Michigan, the series on PokerStars MI featured an almost identical 100-event schedule with guarantees adding up to $1 million even. Meanwhile in New Jersey, the PokerStars NJ version also featured 100 events but with guarantees totaling $500,000.
In the end, PokerStars PA won the “three-handed” competition between PokerStars’ US sites. Its $1.295 million awarded exceeded Michigan’s total of just over $1.09 million. New Jersey came third, with its players winning almost $566,000 in the series.
PokerStars PA also won the competition between the three sites for largest Main Event.
In each case the tournaments were $100 buy-in, two-day tournaments. As noted, in Pennsylvania there were 1,443 entries and a prize pool of over $132,000. In Michigan, the Main Event drew 1,224 entries and had a prize pool of little more than $112,000. The guarantees for both tournaments were $100,000.
Meanwhile in New Jersey, the Main Event had a $50,000 guarantee, and with 539 entries had a small overlay.
PokerStars PA Summer Stacks Festival by the numbers
Event
Event
Buy-in
Guarantee
Entries
Prize Pool
Overlay
1
NLHE (Summer Stacks Warm Up – Stars-B-Que)
$10
$4,000
658
$5,987.80
n/a
2
NLHE (Summer Stacks Kick Off)
$100
$30,000
347
$31,854.60
n/a
3
NLHE (Summer Stacks Mini Kick Off)
$30
$10,000
555
$15,151.50
n/a
4
NLHE (8-Max, Nightly Summer Stack)
$50
$12,500
335
$15,242.50
n/a
5
PLO (6-Max, Progressive KO)
$5
$1,000
292
$1,328.60
n/a
6
NLHE
$50
$8,000
229
$10,374.00
n/a
7
Razz (6-Max)
$10
$1,000
138
$1,255.80
n/a
8
Stud Hi/Lo (6-Max)
$50
$3,500
85
$3,867.50
n/a
9
NLHE (6-Max, Sunday Storm – PKO Edition)
$10
$3,000
402
$3,658.20
n/a
10
NLHE (Sunday Special)
$100
$60,000
764
$70,135.20
n/a
11
NLHE (Mini Sunday Special)
$25
$10,000
744
$16,926.00
n/a
12
NLHE (Micro Sunday Special)
$5
$3,500
722
$3,500.00
$214.90
13
NLHE (8-Max, Nightly Summer Stack)
$50
$12,500
366
$16,653.00
n/a
14
NLHE (The Big Freeze)
$100
$15,000
181
$16,615.80
n/a
15
PLO (6-Max)
$30
$4,000
140
$4,000.00
$178.00
16
NLHE (6-Max, PKO, Battle Royale Early Ed.)
$10
$3,500
492
$4,477.20
n/a
17
NLHE (8-Max, Nightly Summer Stack)
$50
$10,000
426
$19,383.00
n/a
18
NLHE (6-Max, Progressive KO, Battle Royale)
$50
$20,000
393
$20,000.00
$2,118.50
19
NLHE
$5
$1,500
432
$1,965.60
n/a
20
PLO8 (8-Max)
$20
$2,500
214
$3,894.80
n/a
21
NLHE (Super Tuesday Early Edition)
$10
$3,500
554
$5,041.40
n/a
22
NLHE (8-Max, Nightly Summer Stack)
$50
$10,000
423
$19,246.50
n/a
23
NLHE (Mini Super Tuesday)
$30
$10,000
509
$13,895.70
n/a
24
NLHE (6-Max, Summer Freeze)
$50
$5,000
137
$6,233.50
n/a
25
NLHE (8-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO)
$10
$1,500
357
$3,248.70
n/a
26
NLHE (6-Max)
$20
$5,000
255
$5,000.00
$359.00
27
NLHE (8-Max, Nightly Summer Stack)
$50
$10,000
356
$16,198.00
n/a
28
NLHE (6-Max)
$100
$20,000
190
$20,000.00
$2,558.00
29
NLHE
$30
$6,000
254
$6,934.20
n/a
30
8-Game
$50
$4,000
89
$4,049.50
n/a
31
NLHE (Progressive KO, Thursday Thrill Early Edition)
$10
$4,000
527
$4,795.70
n/a
32
NLHE (8-Max, Nightly Summer Stack)
$50
$12,500
461
$20,975.50
n/a
33
NLHE (Progressive KO, Mini Thursday Thrill)
$30
$10,000
485
$13,240.50
n/a
34
NLHE (Summer Freeze)
$25
$3,500
218
$4,959.50
n/a
35
PLO (6-Max, Turbo)
$5
$1,000
210
$1,000.00
$44.50
36
NLHE (4-Max, The Big $10 – 4-max Edition)
$10
$3,000
298
$3,000.00
$288.20
37
NLHE (8-Max, Nightly Summer Stack)
$50
$10,000
295
$13,422.50
n/a
38
NLHE (8-Max, Mega-Stack Turbo)
$100
$20,000
278
$25,520.40
n/a
39
NLHE
$20
$4,000
278
$5,059.60
n/a
40
NLHE (6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Progressive KO)
$5
$1,000
255
$1,198.50
n/a
41
NLHE
$10
$3,000
282
$3,000.00
$433.80
42
NLHE (6-Max, Saturday Warm Up)
$20
$5,000
247
$5,000.00
$504.60
43
NLHE (8-Max, Nightly Summer Stack)
$50
$12,500
277
$12,603.50
n/a
44
NLHE (8-Max, Progressive KO, Bigstack)
$100
$30,000
327
$30,018.60
n/a
45
NLHE (8-Max, Progressive KO, Bigstack)
$30
$10,000
422
$11,520.60
n/a
46
NLHE (6-Max, Summer Freeze)
$30
$4,000
108
$4,000.00
$1,051.60
47
5-Card PLO (6-Max)
$10
$1,500
138
$1,500.00
$244.20
48
HORSE (6-Max)
$50
$5,000
63
$5,000.00
$2,133.50
49
NLHE (6-Max, Sunday Storm)
$10
$3,000
259
$3,000.00
$643.10
50
NLHE (Sunday Special)
$100
$65,000
676
$65,000.00
$2,943.20
51
NLHE (Sunday Special – Mid)
$30
$15,000
559
$15,260.70
n/a
52
NLHE (Sunday Special – Low)
$5
$3,500
635
$3,500.00
$610.75
53
PLO (6-Max)
$30
$3,500
95
$3,500.00
$906.50
54
NLHE (8-Max, Nightly Summer Stack)
$20
$3,000
217
$3,949.40
n/a
55
NLHE (Summer Freeze)
$50
$10,000
286
$13,013.00
n/a
56
NLHE (7-Max)
$5
$1,000
419
$1,906.45
n/a
57
NLHE (8-Max, Nightly Summer Stack)
$50
$12,500
396
$18,018.00
n/a
58
NLHE (6-Max, Progressive KO, Battle Royale)
$100
$25,000
263
$25,000.00
$856.60
59
NLHE (6-Max, Progressive KO, Mini Battle Royale)
$30
$10,000
364
$10,000.00
$62.80
60
NLHE
$15
$3,000
263
$3,589.95
n/a
61
NLHE (Super Tuesday Early Edition)
$20
$6,000
455
$8,281.00
n/a
62
NLHE (8-Max, Nightly Summer Stack)
$50
$10,000
365
$16,607.50
n/a
63
NLHE (Mini Super Tuesday)
$75
$17,500
407
$27,777.75
n/a
64
NLHE (6-Max, Summer Freeze)
$15
$2,500
220
$3,003.00
n/a
65
NLHE (4-Max, Turbo)
$30
$4,000
177
$4,832.10
n/a
66
NLHE (6-Max, The Big $10 – 6-max Edition)
$10
$3,000
371
$3,376.10
n/a
67
NLHE (8-Max, Nightly Summer Stack)
$50
$12,500
410
$18,655.00
n/a
68
NLHE (6-Max)
$50
$10,000
212
$10,000.00
$354.00
69
NLHE
$100
$15,000
181
$16,615.80
n/a
70
NLHE (8-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO)
$15
$2,000
382
$5,214.30
n/a
71
NLHE (Progressive KO, Thursday Thrill Early Edition)
The World Series of Poker may be playing out this fall, but the bracelet hunting gets started this week. Any player in Nevada and New Jersey can compete in 33 championship gold bracelet events at WSOP.com from July 1 to Aug. 1.
Players will find at least one gold bracelet event daily throughout the series. Many of the states’ regular online rounders will be out in force looking to score.
The WSOP Online is part of a poker wave over the next few months. There are several major live series this summer in Las Vegas including the World Poker Tour.
More is planned this fall during the WSOP and the international WSOP Online picks up at GGPoker in August. The bracelet hunting at WSOP.com this summer offers extra opportunities to score some hardware.
“It feels like an added bonus this year compared to last year since they are running the normal WSOP in the fall,” New Jersey grinder Dan Buzgon says. “I know there’s not the same kind of variety in events as there is when they run this live, but it’s the best option they have for now. I’m definitely excited for the month-long grind to start and going to try and play as many as I can.”
What to expect from WSOP Online
While the bracelet hunting may only be allowed in two states, there’s a good bet quite a few players will be booking trips to Vegas or Atlantic City to jump in the action.
Both states have a community of regulars looking to mix it up. The series features buy-ins ranging from $333 to $7,700. Players will find No Limit Hold’em events with some Omaha mixed in as well.
The first week, Premier Week, brings the $777 Lucky Sevens on July 7 and $888 Crazy Eights on July 8. Micro Madness is set for July 9-12, with four consecutive bracelet events priced at $500 or less.
PLO Week runs July 14-21 with four events on tap including the new $1,000 Online PLO Championship on July 26.
High rollers will also find several events as well including the $7,777 Lucky Sevens on July 25. The $1,000 Championship runs July 31, which produced 2,126 entries for a $2 million prize pool last year.
The WSOP has added an extra event to close out the series. The $500 Grand Finale comes with a $1 million guarantee on Aug. 1. This is the largest tournament guarantee since WSOP.com launched in 2013.
Here’s a look at the complete schedule.
2021 WSOP Online
Date
Event
Tournament
Buy-in
July 1
1
No Limit Hold’em The BIG 500 Kick-Off
$500
July 2
2
WSOP Event #2 No Limit Hold’em MonsterStack
$600
July 3
3
No Limit Hold’em Turbo Deepstack
$500
July 4
4
No Limit Hold’em Super Turbo
$500
July 5
5
No Limit Hold’em 8-Max
$1,000
July 6
6
No Limit Hold’em Deepstack
$2,000
July 7
7
No Limit Hold’em Lucky 7’s
$777
July 8
8
No Limit Hold’em Crazy Eights
$888
July 9
9
No Limit Hold’em 6-Max
$400
July 10
10
No Limit Hold’em
$333
July 11
11
No Limit Hold’em Ultra Deepstack
$400
July 12
12
No Limit Hold’em Turbo Deepstack
$500
July 13
13
No Limit Hold’em Freezeout
$1,000
July 14
14
No Limit Hold’em
$500
July 15
15
No Limit Hold’em High Roller Freezeout
$5,300
July 16
16
PLO8 6-Handed
$600
July 17
17
No Limit Hold’em 8-Max
$400
July 18
18
No Limit Hold’em North American Open
$1,000
July 19
19
PLO Crazy Eights – 8 Handed
$888
July 20
20
No Limit Hold’em High Roller
$3,200
July 21
21
PLO 6-Handed
$600
July 22
22
No Limit Hold’em Knockout
$600
July 23
23
No Limit Hold’em Turbo
$500
July 24
24
No Limit Hold’em MonsterStack
$400
July 25
25
No Limit Hold’em Lucky 7’s High Roller
$7,777
July 25
26
No Limit Hold’em The BIG 500 Encore
$500
July 26
27
PLO Championship
$1,000
July 27
28
No Limit Hold’em High Roller Championship
$3,200
July 28
29
No Limit Hold’em 8-Max Turbo Deepstack Championship
$800
July 29
30
No Limit Hold’em 6-Max Championship
$600
July 30
31
No Limit Hold’em Summer Saver
$500
July 31
32
No Limit Hold’em Championship
$1,000
Aug. 1
33
No Limit Hold’em Grand Finale
$500
Plenty of big names heading online
The shot at a gold bracelet will also bring out some bigger name pros. That’s been seen in some bigger online events throughout the pandemic.
Brian Altman just captured his third WPT title in Tampa, Florida. He also scored a WSOP Circuit Online ring in March 2020.
That came right after qualifying for the final table of the Borgata Winter Poker Open and at the beginning of the pandemic. Two-time WPT champion James Carroll also got in on the act, winning a ring online the same month.
With live events underway this summer, many players may be doing a double – playing live while also battling in the WSOP Online. When it comes to bracelet hunting, 15-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth is always looking to get in the action. He made his online plans known over the weekend.
I’m playing @WPT Venetian July 2-7 AND @WSOP online tourney at same time! It’s the first time you can play in both WPT and WSOP at the same time: look for 60% of WPT field to have laptops, IPAD’s or phones out (IF they allow it). PokerGo Cup July 6-15 WILL allow it #POSITIVITYpic.twitter.com/kiUt2QVClc
No doubt Hellmuth would love to grab an online bracelet to add to his collection.
During his heads-up battle with Hellmuth last week, Daniel Negreanu also gave up some of his plans. The six-time bracelet winner said he’d be playing the PokerGO Cup while also playing WSOP Online.
Faraz Jaka is also planning on playing this summer and offered to sell some action on Twitter.
Selling some shares of Wynn $10m GTD, WPT Venetian $3m & 2m gtd Main, & buncha WSOP online bracelet events. If want a piece reply here or DM me & I’ll send you details. Min investment $1795
As the poker world gets back to normal, turnout for the series will be interesting to watch. The US online poker market surged during the pandemic.
Online revenue in individual states has ebbed in recent months, but still remains at historical highs. The big question may be: can that can continue?
The WSOP Online offers a chance for online traffic to at least spike through July. The event also adds some more traction to recent good news. The number of regulated states has increased the overall online player pool in the US.
Online poker is now available in Michigan, and Pennsylvania now has two operators. Connecticut also recently legalized online poker.
Also, it looks as if the Department of Justice won’t be appealing the Wire Act ruling by a federal appeals court. That means interstate compacts may be on the way.
It’s a good moment for US online poker. The WSOP Online may help fuel even more in the coming months.
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aren’t the only players battling in the rankings. However, with no major tournaments in other countries, mostly US-based players dot the GPI leaderboards.
Summer Circuit ring winners also earn entries into a $25,000 freeroll set for July 30. Those finishing among the top 10 on the monthly leaderboard also receive freeroll entries.
The court had ruled that the act applied only to sports betting. This now opens the door for more interstate compacts among states.
When it comes to marketing to the poker segment, Hellmuth offers brand awareness not many other players have. His name or mug have appeared on beer cans, 
