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PASCOOP Smashes Guarantees With $3.2M Paid Out At PokerStars PA

The first ever Pennsylvania Spring Championship of Online Poker (PASCOOP) wrapped up on Monday at PokerStars PA.

The consistently high turnouts and oversized prize pools suggest PASCOOP was a huge hit among poker players in the Keystone State.

$3.2 million in prize pools easily tops $2M in guarantees

The series featured 50 distinct events, each with a “High” and “Low” tier to make 100 total tournaments, with the guaranteed prize pools adding up to $2 million.

Guarantees were easily met in nearly all of the events, with the prize pools ultimately totaling a remarkable $3,232,460.95.

All told, there were 79,892 total entries in PASCOOP events, including 56,737 players and 23,155 re-entries.

Out of 100 tournaments, only four had overlays adding up to just $4,741.50. All four came in “Low” tier events and occurred in tournaments featuring the series’ lowest $5 and $7.50 buy-ins.

PokerStars PA ambassador wins PASCOOP event on Twitch

Among the many highlights was PokerStars PA Ambassador Jennifer Shahade who while playing on Twitch was victorious in Event No. 28-H, the $200 buy-in Sunday Special.

Playing as “JenShahadePA,” Shahade topped a 422-entry field to win $11,527 following a three-way final table chop.

Read our PlayPennsylvania interview with Shahade describing the event and more: “Jennifer Shahade Tries Twitch, Wins PASCOOP Event at PokerStars PA.”

Main Events crush guarantees

The series culminated with the Main Event (High) that sported a $200K guarantee. That threshold was easily exceeded when 1,315 total entries created a $368,200 prize pool.

After two days’ worth of poker, “LiveMonster179” outlasted that huge field to earn the first PASCOOP Main Event (High) title and a prize of $57,394.54.

The Main Event (Low) was also a two-day affair, with 2,073 total entries and another guarantee-busting $94,321.50 prize pool, well over the $50K guarantee. “Tobes37” was the champion in that one, earning $11,645.24 following a heads-up deal.

More poker players staying at home, playing online

The big PASCOOP numbers weren’t exactly a surprise given the historically-high traffic on PokerStars PA over the last several weeks.

Since the shutdown of Pennsylvania casinos due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, more players have been showing up at the PokerStars PA virtual tables since the site first launched at the start of November 2019.

The site has consistently shown 4,000-5,000 players logged on during the evenings over recent weeks, more than double the numbers earlier this year. Peak days of PASCOOP saw more than 6,000 online at times.

Over at PokerStars NJ the annual running of NJSCOOP began a week after PASCOOP. There, the story has been largely similar. With 56 of 100 tournaments completed, only three have had overlays with prize pools frequently exceeding the guarantees by large margins.

PASCOOP by the numbers

Buy-in / Name Buy-In Guarantee Entries Re-Entries Prize Pool
Event 1-H: NLHE, Nightly Stars, PASCOOP Warm-Up $100 $50,000 730 387 $102,540.60
Event 1-L: NLHE, PASCOOP Warm-Up $10 $10,000 1,794 1,173 $26,999.70
Event 2-H: NLHE $50 $35,000 849 340 $54,099.50
Event 2-L: NLHE $5 $6,000 1,284 506 $8,144.50
Event 3-H: NLHE, 6-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO $200 $25,000 194 70 $49,104.00
Event 3-L: NLHE, 6-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO $20 $10,000 934 422 $24,679.20
Event 4-H: NLHE, 8-Max, DeepStack $100 $40,000 469 208 $62,148.60
Event 4-L: NLHE, 8-Max, DeepStack $10 $8,000 1,095 548 $14,951.30
Event 5-H: NLHE, 6-Max $50 $30,000 428 247 $30,712.50
Event 5-L: NLHE, 6-Max* $5 $6,000 787 453 $6,000.00
Event 6-H: NLHE, Progressive KO $150 $35,000 259 90 $48,057.30
Event 6-L: NLHE, Progressive KO $15 $8,000 625 226 $11,616.15
Event 7-H: NLHE, Sunday Special SE $100 $70,000 733 343 $98,776.80
Event 7-L: NLHE, Mini Special $10 $10,000 1,107 538 $14,969.50
Event 8-H: PLO, 6-Max $100 $15,000 175 92 $24,510.60
Event 8-L: PLO, 6-Max $10 $5,000 537 277 $7,407.40
Event 9-H: NLHE, Hyper-Turbo, Sunday SuperSonic SE $50 $15,000 262 72 $15,698.00
Event 9-L: NLHE, Hyper-Turbo, Mini SuperSonic* $5 $3,000 448 155 $3,000.00
Event 10-H: NLHE, 6-Max, Progressive KO, Battle Royale SE $50 $30,000 640 343 $44,726.50
Event 10-L: NLHE, 6-Max, Progressive KO $5 $3,500 1,125 605 $7,871.50
Event 11-H: NLO8, 6-Max $150 $15,000 105 42 $20,241.90
Event 11-L: NLO8, 6-Max $15 $3,500 354 109 $6,319.95
Event 12-H: NLHE, Super Tuesday SE $250 $50,000 239 99 $78,754.00
Event 12-L: NLHE, Mini Super Tuesday $25 $20,000 1,077 557 $37,173.50
Event 13-H: NLHE, Escalating Antes $150 $20,000 152 67 $30,156.30
Event 13-L: NLHE, Escalating Antes $15 $6,000 506 228 $10,019.10
Event 14-H: NLHE, 6-Max, Progressive KO $75 $17,500 283 127 $27,982.50
Event 14-L: NLHE, 6-Max, Progressive KO $7.50 $5,000 612 274 $5,927.34
Event 15-H:NLHE, 6-Max, High Roller $500 $50,000 117 60 $83,190.00
Event 15-L: NLHE, 6-Max, High Roller $50 $25,000 560 354 $41,587.00
Event 16-H: NLHE, Progressive KO $100 $30,000 334 118 $41,493.60
Event 16-L: NLHE, Progressive KO $10 $7,500 1,112 600 $15,579.20
Event 17-H: NLHE, Progressive KO, Thursday Thrill SE $250 $50,000 203 82 $66,405.00
Event 17-L: NLHE, Progressive KO, Mini Thrill $25 $20,000 1,048 510 $35,44.50
Event 18-H: PLO, 8-Max $150 $15,000 100 60 $22,032.00
Event 18-L: PLO, 8-Max $15 $4,000 367 197 $7,698.60
Event 19-H: NLHE, Turbo $75 $15,000 237 93 $22,522.50
Event 19-L: NLHE, Turbo $7.50 $3,500 602 238 $5,619.60
Event 20-H: 8-Game $200 $17,500 92 28 $22,320.00
Event 20-L: 8-Game $20 $4,000 344 105 $8,171.80
Event 21-H: NLHE, Turbo, Progressive KO $150 $22,000 235 80 $43,375.50
Event 21-L: NLHE, Turbo, Progressive KO $15 $7,500 750 317 $14,564.55
Event 22-H: NLHE $100 $25,000 391 196 $53,886.60
Event 22-L: NLHE $10 $5,000 987 495 $13,486.20
Event 23-H: NLHE, 4-Max $200 $30,000 149 73 $41,292.00
Event 23-L: NLHE, 4-Max $20 $12,000 651 309 $17,472.00
Event 24-H: NLHE, Progressive KO, BigStack Turbo $150 $25,000 203 42 $33,736.50
Event 24-L: NLHE, Progressive KO, BigStack Turbo $15 $10,000 733 226 $13,090.35
Event 25-H: NLHE, 8-Max, Turbo $50 $12,000 308 83 $17,790.50
Event 25-L: NLHE, 8-Max, Turbo $15 $3,000 633 195 $3,767.40
Event 26-H: NLHE, Marathon $150 $35,000 218 96 $43,237.80
Event 26-L: NLHE, Marathon $15 $8,000 515 242 $10,333.05
Event 27-H: NLHE, 6-Max, Progressive KO $50 $22,000 418 178 $27,118.00
Event 27-L: NLHE, 6-Max, Progressive KO $5 $3,000 599 213 $3,694.60
Event 28-H: NLHE, Sunday Special SE $200 $50,000 295 127 $78,492.00
Event 28-L: NLHE, Mini Special $20 $15,000 715 347 $19,328.40
Event 29-H: NLHE, 8-Max, Progressive KO, Big Antes $150 $25,000 233 84 $43,650.90
Event 29-L: NLHE, 8-Max, Progressive KO, Big Antes $15 $6,000 704 302 $13,731.90
Event 30-H: NLHE, Hyper-Turbo, Sunday SuperSonic SE $75 $12,500 185 47 $16,356.00
Event 30-L: NLHE, Hyper-Turbo, Mini SuperSonic* $7.50 $5,000 360 113 $5,000.00
Event 31-H: NLHE, 6-Max, Progressive KO $200 $20,000 104 54 $29,388.00
Event 31-L: NLHE, 6-Max, Progressive KO $20 $5,000 421 174 $10,829.00
Event 32-H: PLO, 6-Max, Hyper-Turbo $150 $20,000 159 42 $28,642.50
Event 32-L: PLO, 6-Max, Hyper-Turbo $15 $5,000 396 101 $7,007.70
Event 33-H: NLHE, Super Tuesday SE $200 $45,000 279 140 $77,934.00
Event 33-L: NLHE, Mini Super Tuesday $20 $17,500 879 450 $24,515.40
Event 34-H: NLHE, 8-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO $75 $17,500 275 82 $24,365.25
Event 34-L: NLHE, 8-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO $7.50 $5,000 576 209 $5,251.65
Event 35-H: NLHE $100 $20,000 408 186 $54,529.20
Event 35-L: NLHE $10 $5,000 720 322 $9,482.20
Event 36-H: NLHE, Heads-Up, Progressive Total KO, Zoom $200 $25,000 156 41 $36,642.00
Event 36-L: NLHE, Heads-Up, Progressive Total KO, Zoom $20 $7,500 645 271 $16,671.20
Event 37-H: NLHE, Progressive KO, Thursday Thrill SE $200 $35,000 257 109 $68,076.00
Event 37-L: NLHE, Progressive KO, Mini Thrill $20 $15,000 977 492 $26,735.80
Event 38-H: NLHE, 8-Max $100 $12,000 127 37 $15,055.20
Event 38-L: NLHE, 8-Max $10 $2,000 303 103 $3,694.60
Event 39-H: Stud Hi/Lo, 6-Max, Turbo, Fast Friday SE $50 $10,000 398 139 $24,433.50
Event 39-L: Stud Hi/Lo, 6-Max, Turbo $5 $2,500 656 266 $4,195.10
Event 40-H: NLHE, 8-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Progressive KO $100 $15,000 232 52 $26,980.00
Event 40-L: NLHE, 8-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Progressive KO $10 $3,500 549 117 $6,260.40
Event 41-H: NLHE, 6-Max, Deepstack $100 $40,000 497 226 $66,371.40
Event 41-L: NLHE, 6-Max, Deepstack $10 $8,000 1,202 690 $17,217.20
Event 42-H: NLHE, 8-Max, Progressive KO $150 $30,000 271 95 $50,398.20
Event 42-L: NLHE, 8-Max, Progressive KO $15 $7,500 868 372 $16,926.00
Event 43-H: NLHE, Turbo, Zoom $75 $25,000 280 136 $28,392.00
Event 43-L: NLHE, Turbo, Zoom $7.50 $6,000 595 319 $6,114.66
Event 44-H: NLHE, Progressive KO, DeepStack $100 $30,000 328 155 $44,339.40
Event 44-L: NLHE, Progressive KO, DeepStack $10 $6,000 793 408 $10,929.10
Event 45-H: NLHE, Main Event (High) $300 $200,000 845 470 $368,200.00
Event 45-L: NLHE, Main Event (Low) $50 $50,000 1,276 797 $94,321.50
Event 46-H: NLHE $100 $25,000 320 119 $40,300.20
Event 46-L: NLHE $10 $6,000 737 334 $9,746.10
Event 47-H: NLHE, Hyper-Turbo $75 $15,000 179 39 $15,369.00
Event 47-L: NLHE, Hyper-Turbo* $7.50 $5,000 288 71 $5,000.00
Event 48-H: NLHE $100 $40,000 434 217 $59,761.80
Event 48-L: NLHE $10 $8,000 830 392 $11,120.20
Event 49-H: NLHE, Phase Day 2 $100 $50,000 959 N/A $88,036.20
Event 49-L: NLHE, Phase Day 2 $10 $10,000 4,811 N/A $43,780.10
Event 50-H: NLHE, 6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, PASCOOP Wrap-Up $150 $20,000 148 39 $26,647.50
Event 50-L: NLHE, 6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, PASCOOP Wrap-Up $15 $5,000 358 81 $6,189.90
TOTALS $2,000,000 56,737 23,155 $3,232,460.95

*Indicates event posted an overlay. Events with overlays: 5-L ($358), 9-L ($165.90), 30-L ($1,712.65), 47-L ($2,504.95)

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PSPC POSSIBILITIES: PokerStars Announces Women’s Day Platinum Pass Qualifiers

As part of International Women’s Day on March 8, PokerStars announced a contest for one deserving woman to earn a Platinum Pass. Nominations poured in from around the world and the site announced its finalists on Tuesday.

“We received a huge number of nominations for deserving women all over the world and it has been amazing to see so many inspirational stories and the positivity and support from the whole poker community,” a PokerStars spokesperson noted.

The finalists range from poker pros to business owners to a registered nurse to a volunteer with senior citizens. One thing they all have in common is a love for poker. They also now have a shot at one of the biggest events in the game.

 

A Platinum Pass has become one of the most-coveted items in poker. A pass guarantees a $30,000 all-expenses paid trip to Barcelona for the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC). The tournament will be held Aug. 20-24.

The first PSPC was held in January 2019, and became the biggest $25,000 buy-in live poker tournament in history. The winner took home $5.1 million.

Who are the PokerStars International Women’s Day finalists?

As part of the contest, poker fans nominated any woman they believe has made an impact on the game or is an inspirational woman in poker. In 50 words or less, that person could explain why their nominee deserved the pass.

Originally a panel of judges was to select six finalists, but that was increased to nine. After a month-long selection process, the finalists were announced Tuesday and include:

“I feel so very thankful and excited,” Stone said after learning the news.

Sterner was equally excited about being a finalist, especially considering her role as a nurse.

“It’s amazing and surreal,” she said. “Poker has meant so much to me and given me so much. And for it to happen with everything going on while working as a nurse during these times. It’s just a bright light. It really is an honor.”

The contest called for finalists to play in a live sit and go for the Platinum Pass. That was to take place at a future PokerStars Live event. Due to the current pandemic, a date hasn’t been determined yet.

PokerStars officials also noted that they are monitoring the pandemic situation and there hasn’t been a change in date. The site update players in advance if there is any change to current plans.

A Q&A with two Women’s Day Platinum Pass finalists

With the finalists announced, USPoker spoke with two of the finalists. They offered a bit about their own poker life and story.

Meichelle Culhane

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Age: 61

Profession:  Retired from public education and tax preparation, now volunteer leader for poker lessons at Broken Arrow Senior Activity Center.

Can you describe your work at the senior center?

After five years of asking if I could start a poker group, they had a change in administration and I finally got an okay, as long as it wasn’t real money. The first three weeks I had one veteran gentleman in his 80s – just him and me playing draw poker, Seven Card Stud, and No Limit Texas Hold’em. He had a helper that we made play with us.

Three weeks later, I announced at a Bunco game of 30 women that I was hosting poker lessons on Thursday mornings. The next week I had two ladies, one of them was 87 years young. From there in one year we grew to 15 women, and three poker friends of mine that volunteer deal for them.

Now after 17 months, before the virus I had 19 active female players and even a dealer from a local casino volunteers. I also have a group of men who come, so we have one men’s table and two ladies’ tables every week.

How does it feel to be a Platinum Pass finalist?

This is an OMG moment! Knowing some of the other women who wanted to be nominated, I am humbled to be selected. People always tell me my story is a great poker story, but it’s really about the women at the center I volunteer for.

Thank you PokerStars for getting their story out there. I am just the messenger of hope for other senior citizen women.

How are you going to prepare for the final?

I am going to reach out to all my mentors. Some know me, some won’t. I played in Chris Moneymaker and Jonathan Little’s PokerStars Home Games and received prizes in both. A friend of mine that lives near me was the second to last woman standing in the 2019 WSOP Main Event, so she’s on my list.

I have access to some great tournament players and winners here in the Tulsa area, and I’m going to reach out to them. I have been being the leader, and now find myself the student.

How long have you been playing poker?

My Hendon Mob records states 2012, but the poker rooms here in Tulsa opened in 2005, so 15 years actively. Although, as a family we played penny ante poker on holidays when I was very young.

How did you get into poker?

When the poker room opened at my local casino, they had ladies night. I heard over the speaker: “Ladies, come learn how to play poker and then play in a tournament.”

I headed over, sat down, and 30 minutes later I was playing in my first ladies-only tournament. They have since done away with that weekly tournament, which is something I want to work on getting back.

What do you enjoy about poker?

If capable, you can play into your 90s. I have proof of this with the senior women that I weekly volunteer with on poker. Another point would be meeting women from all over the world – women I would never get to know except through the magic of the poker table.

I would never have gone to Lake Tahoe to play poker if not for an invite from a woman at the poker table or a random pool party during Ladies Poker Week in Las Vegas. The actual playing of the game is the bonus. The competition and challenge at any age makes for the perfect cup of soup.

How do you think more women can be encouraged to get into poker?

I think we need more women’s day or night activities at our local casinos or online. Make it inviting, food and freebees are always a good thing. Teach them the basics, then the ones it appeals to will feel a part of something and continue to learn.

I start my seniors with the basic “this is a button, this is a blind.” I throw in something that relates to them like, “you know like in the old western movie poker game, everyone puts in an ante.” They all relate to this.

I have been averaging one new woman a month. Some have ventured out to the casinos to live games and tournaments, and now due to the virus are playing online play money games at PokerStars.

What would you say to women who are intimidated by the game of poker?

You teach them with open arms and teach them basics. Create circumstances like more women-only events that they will succeed at. Their intimidation will turn into confidence. Don’t knock them down, build them up.

What is your advice to future female leaders in poker?

My advice would be keeping the game simple. Challenging, but simple. Simple basics will get them in the door. Make it fun and let them succeed easily.

 

Jan Fisher

Las Vegas (originally from Seattle, Washington)

Age: 64

Profession:  Partner in Card Player Cruises over the past 40-plus years and have always worked in the poker community.

What is your poker life like?

I was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2009 and have been the emcee every year other than that one. When I was 21, I moved to Las Vegas as I wanted to be a poker dealer. I dealt for many years in many different casinos, and worked every aspect of a card room and now am quite at home in “my” card room on the ship.

I wrote “Poker 101” for Card Player magazine for many years and wrote for Poker Pages, Poker Player Newspaper, and others. At WPT Bootcamp, I taught for many years and have also given many seminars over the years.

I was the statistician for the WPT the first six seasons and attended every final table during those  years. I am a founder of the Tournament Directors Association as well as the Poker Gives charity.

How does it feel to be a Platinum Pass finalist?

I am thrilled being nominated and, of course, I hope to win the fabulous gift package. My business partner and best friend Linda Johnson took me as her +1 last year and I’d love to be able to return the favor!

How are you going to prepare for the final?

Hmm, prepare? Not sure what to do! I’ll celebrate after I win it, OK?

How long have you been playing poker?

50 years, yes I am old!

How did you get into poker?

I came to Las Vegas with my mom back in the 1970s when she came on junkets and was comped. I fell in love with Vegas initially for the sun – I’m from Seattle. With being a comped guest, I was a bit jaded and moving here I wouldn’t get all the freebies. But I was hooked.

I learned back then that poker dealers didn’t split their tokes and that the game was beatable if you put in the work. Also, I studied blackjack and played that a lot before the casinos made it more difficult to beat. I started dealing in card rooms in 1977 and have been in the industry ever since.

What do you enjoy about poker?

So many things. I love the competition of course, but I love the lifestyle it has afforded me. Lots of travel, friends all over the world, and a calendar that’s always full of exciting things. There are so many wonderful things about poker.

How can more women be encouraged to get into poker?

I have been working on that for many years. I feel that the women’s events are a two-edged sword and I don’t really think that they are making a difference in poker for women anymore.

The WSOP $1,000 ladies’ event isn’t for newbies getting in, but tradition has kept that event going and that’s awesome. The small daily type ladies-only events help to get novice players in the game and also provide a less intimidating venue to venture into.

Seminars and instruction are great ways to introduce more women to the game. If the regular players would behave better, we’d not only get more ladies in the game but gentlemen as well.

Do you think there are any advantages to being a woman playing poker?

Yes, but not necessarily for me. Women who dress sexy can for sure throw men off their games. Those of us who’ve played for so many years aren’t intimidated and for the most part, absent the sexuality component, think it’s a level playing field.

What would you say to women who are intimated by the game of poker?

Get over it! Find someone to get you into your first card room. It is very intimidating and one area that is lacking in nearly all poker rooms is an easy way to get in, get on a list, find out what’s going on without being ignored or made to feel stupid.

Card rooms need to do a better job. One thing we do very well on Card Player Cruises is make a much less intimidating card room and it’s working. Our clientele is about 40% women.

What is your advice to future female leaders in poker?

Listen and learn from many mistakes in the past as well as wonderful things that were/are done right. Listen to your players, both men and women, and don’t be afraid to try new things.

So many new ideas over the years have turned into the gold standard and made many of us wonder why we haven’t thought of that before.

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World Series Of Poker At Rio Las Vegas Officially Postponed

The 51st World Series of Poker (WSOP) is officially being postponed by Caesars Entertainment. The world’s largest poker tournament was slated to begin on May 26 at Rio Las Vegas. The move to postpone WSOP comes as a result of the public health emergency involving COVID-19 which has closed Nevada casinos until at least May 1.

WSOP 2020 has not been canceled yet. Caesars is just hitting pause on the live poker event. The WSOP brings tens of thousands of visitors to Las Vegas and Caesars would like to have the tournament at a later date if possible.

The company says that they are targeting the fall of 2020 to host the WSOP at the Rio. Caesars has not set a target date for the fall just yet. This year fall will officially begin on Sept. 22 and will end on Dec. 21.

Caesars says the 2020 WSOP schedule will be revisited as a result of the postponement. There could be changes to the original WSOP tournament schedule that was announced earlier this year. When this year’s WSOP does take place, it will include poker’s world championship, the $10,000 buy-in Main Event championship. Once again Caesars expects this to be the richest prize pool on the poker calendar each year.

“We are committed to running the World Series of Poker this year but need additional time to proceed on our traditional scale while prioritizing guest and staff well-being,” said Ty Stewart, Executive Director of the World Series of Poker.

“In the interim, official WSOP competitions are expected to be played online this summer, and we will soon announce details of an expanded series of tournaments to be played on WSOP.com and through a partnership with international operators, which will allow players to chase WSOP glory from their homes.”

WSOP.com Spring Online Championships Continue

WSOP.com is the only active online poker website in Nevada. While playing online poker may not be a perfect substitute but it’s an option for Nevada residents who want to play poker. WSOP.com’s Spring Online Championships will continue through May 3 as previously scheduled.

The monthlong event is featuring over $4 million in guaranteed prizes. There are still more than 50 events on the schedule. The buy-ins for the remaining tournaments range from $10 to $1,000.

WSOP Events Outside Of Nevada Remain On The Schedule

The next live event on the WSOP calendar remains the Global Casino Championship. This event is still scheduled for Aug. 11-13, 2020 at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina. This is an invitation-only event, open to those who have qualified.

Additionally, WSOP Europe, hosted at King’s Resort in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, remains on the calendar for the Fall 2020.

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World Series of Poker Moved to Fall; More Online Events Added for Summer

After considerable speculation about this summer’s World Series of Poker, organizers announced Monday that the series has been postponed to fall 2020.

The move comes as the Coronavirus pandemic has left Las Vegas casinos a virtual ghost town. That includes the Rio All-Suites Casino and Hotel, home to the WSOP since 2005.

The series was set to run from May 27 to July 15, but now that has been delayed. An exact date wasn’t announced on Monday. The number of events may also be altered as part of the postponement.

 

“The 2020 WSOP schedule will be revisited as a result of the postponement, and changes are anticipated,” WSOP news release noted. “Once details for the revised 2020 WSOP are finalized, plans will be communicated.”

Details on WSOP this summer emerge

Running the WSOP during its usual summer slot certainly seemed unlikely during the current environment. Organizers scheduled 101 events this summer, 87 live events and 14 online.

Speculation ranged from a complete cancellation to postponement to running the entire series at WSOP.com. It appears WSOP owner Caesars Entertainment hopes to salvage the 2020 edition, the 51st running of the series.

“We are committed to running the World Series of Poker this year but need additional time to proceed on our traditional scale while prioritizing guest and staff well-being,” WSOP executive director Ty Stewart said in a news release.

However, WSOP.com online bracelet events will go on as planned this summer. Stewart also made clear that additional online offerings are a big part of those plans.

“In the interim, official WSOP competitions are expected to be played online this summer,” Stewart noted, “and we will soon announce details of an expanded series of tournaments to be played on WSOP.com and through partnership with international operators, which will allow players to chase WSOP glory from their homes.”

The WSOP made news last week by signing a deal with GGPoker. The agreement allows GG to run an international version of the Super Circuit Online Series in May. That includes hundreds of events and 18 WSOP Circuit tournaments awarding championship rings.

WSOP online options expanded

With 14 WSOP.com online bracelet options planned for 2020, emphasizing more online options certainly seemed inevitable. Caesars and WSOP officials confirmed that on Monday.

The US online poker market has received a considerable boost recently with so many players at home. That has included record turnout to WSOP.com and other sites as well.

Players in Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware continue to battle it out this week in the WSOP Spring Online Championships. That should continue this summer during online events if many players are still shut out of live poker.

wsop poker app

Not yet known is if the WSOP’s international events will be held in conjunction with new partner GGPoker or 888poker.

The latter has been a longtime WSOP partner and sponsor. 888 also provides software for WSOP.com online poker and partners in a Nevada-New Jersey-Delaware shared liquidity market.

More online options certainly seem popular, but legal US online poker options are limited. Four-time WPT champion Darren Elias spoke with USPoker last week about some of this summer’s WSOP shifting online.

“This would drastically limit the player pool because of geographic restrictions on where you can play from, but would be better than nothing,” he said of his preference for moving much of the series online. “Moving it online also seems like the only thing besides cancellation that the WSOP would be able to commit to anytime soon.

“Even with the restrictions, if they released a solid schedule online I think it would draw well with so many people stuck at home.”

Many players took to social media to express the need for an expanded US online poker footprint.

 

Firming up dates for upcoming events

Along with the announcement about summer events, WSOP organizers tried to commit to a couple of upcoming events.

The news release noted that the next live event on the WSOP calendar is the Global Casino Championship. The annual event features a $1 million guarantee and is still set for Aug. 11-13 at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina.

The Global Championship is an invitation-only tournament. Players can qualify at WSOP Circuit events and that includes online as well.

The WSOP Europe, hosted at King’s Casino Resort in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, also remains on the calendar for fall 2020.

In the new world of a global pandemic, however, everything is subject to change. That includes WSOP events. But many in the poker world will be happy to see action return.

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NJSCOOP 2020 at PokerStars is Bigger Than Ever

While most sports and activities have put their calendars on hold, April is a hot month for online poker in the Garden State with NJSCOOP.

In addition to the sharp increase in play from the coronavirus pandemic, the New Jersey Spring Championship of Online Poker opened last weekend.

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This year features a busier schedule for players, with two flights of buy-ins totaling 48 events, up from 41 in 2019. $1.2 million is up for grabs in prize money in Omaha, Hold Em, and Stud games, both pot limit and no limit.

NJSCOOP Buy-In April 2020

PokerStars has ramped up opportunities for players to get – and stay – involved all month. The Low buy-in flight features $5-30 entries throughout the schedule.

There’s even a freeroll tournament for all depositors on April 26 to win a seat at the $100,000 main event the following day. Those who get knocked out of any tournament without winning money will qualify for a Second Chance freeroll tournament the following day.

One event that did not make it from last year was the Mixed NLH/PLO game. However, there is a new $10/100 Phased event for this year, with flights running throughout the tournament to feed into the final Day 2 on April 27, the series’ final day.

NJSCOOP PRIZES

Another wrinkle is the lower prize pools for the Main Event tournaments. On the Low tier, the guaranteed money is down to $30,000 with a $50 buy-in price. The High Limit dropped the entry from $500 to $300 but the pool is down from $130,000 to just $100,000.

While the coronavirus pandemic has meant more focus on online play, there’s one major element of the event that could be missing. PokerStars has not confirmed if the event will offer any Platinum Passes to the August tournament in breathtaking Barcelona. Of course, the continuing shutdown in Spain and most of Europe keeps that event in limbo.

It’s been a nice return to prominence for the company many recall from the online poker boom of the Aughts (I had an account in college). After partnering with Mount Airy Casino to resume business in the Keystone State, the PASCOOP is also planning big things for players across the Delaware River.

If so inclined, take a look at the schedule for more information. Best of luck.

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Jennifer Shahade Tries Twitch, Wins PASCOOP Event At PokerStars PA

It’s hard enough to play online poker and stream at the same time. PokerStars PA ambassador Jennifer Shahade not only does that, but is usually also playing a game of chess on the side.

It’s not as random as it may sound, seeing as Shahade is a two-time US Women’s Chess Champion and accomplished poker player. Twitch, as a streaming platform, offers a unique opportunity for Shahade to showcase both passions while catering to a wide audience.

In her first week of streaming on her Twitch channel, Shahade got some new streamer rungood. Her viewers got the treat of watching her close out the final table of the PASCOOP $200 Sunday Special on April 12.

Of 422 entries (including 127 re-entries), she came out on top after making a deal three-handed to split the remaining prize money evenly and play for an additional $1,250. The win was worth $11,527. The inaugural PA Spring Championship Of Online Poker continues this weekend with the main events running on Sunday.

We asked Shahade about the PA SCOOP victory, streaming, and tips for other online poker players.

Final tabling on stream

PlayPA: Congrats again on the Sunday score! Can you tell us how the tournament went for you and any critical hands that helped propel you to the end?

Jen: I regged the tournament thinking that if I ran up a stack, I’d stream the final two tables live. Otherwise, I’d pop in the last PASCOOP of the night, the Super Sonic event and stream that. I am new to streaming and I prefer to create highly intense and interactive streams even if shorter.

The plan couldn’t have gone more perfectly as I was a massive chip leader going into the final two tables and started streaming on the final table bubble. I picked up kings on the very first hand of the final. I also ran very well on flips, thanks to my twitch supporters no doubt.

PASCOOP win, giving back

PlayPA: There’s so much variance in tournaments, especially in the late stages. Can you explain the decision to chop three-handed and tell us how that went down?

Jen: I had a huge chip lead for most of the final table, but I lost a critical hand at some point three-handed and now was at a very small deficit to both players. The “Make a Deal” box had been clicked by both players for a while, so I saw an opportunity to click on it and see about an “Equal Chop.” This gained me around $400 in equity, so I decided to round that up to 500 and pledge it to charity to support COVID relief. I gave most of that to the Double Up Drive, which is giving cash directly to families in need in Las Vegas (and the donations are doubled.)

As Program Director of US Chess Women, I’m also going to definitely give a donation to the weekly US Chess Women fundraiser series I help organize on twitch.tv/BotezLive, one of the most popular chess channels on Twitch. The goal is to raise money for US Chess to support online chess seminars for girls and youth. All live chess events and seminars have been canceled due to COVID-19 so we want to give an opportunity for kids to learn and feel connected to the chess culture.

Taking the Twitch streaming plunge

PlayPA: How and when did you decide to start streaming on Twitch and what is the reasoning behind streaming both poker and chess together?

Jen: I have only been streaming for a week on Twitch but I love it so far! I resisted Twitch for a while as I’m usually more partial to highly produced content, like my podcasts the GRID and Ladies Knight. But once PokerStars PA launched, I had in the back of my mind an idea to carve a niche: play poker and chess at the same time, so that devotees from both sides of my life could learn the basics of the other game, with the comfort of seeing a game they knew a lot about on the screen too.

I was traveling a lot in early 2020 so didn’t get to it, but obviously all my trips got canceled. So last week I just dove right in. I have to thank my friends at PokerStars as well as Alexandra Botez, Eric Hollreiser, and Chessbae for inspiring me to launch a channel with this niche!

Twitch platform perfect for connecting while social distancing

I think the final push for me to engage with Twitch (finally!) was when I co-hosted  a very special online event a month ago called Isolated Queens. We celebrated all the awesome female chess players all over the world who were practicing social isolation but still hungry for engagement and fun. We had an online chess tournament with over $2,000 in prizes (no entry fee).

Over 30 female chess champions and devotees streamed for the first time during this event, allowing for channel surfing a single event from multiple perspectives. The incredible former champion Alexandra “chessqueen” Kosteniuk took it down, while my friend, the legendary Grandmaster Irina Krush, tied for second place while in recovery from COVID-19.

I think it sent a really strong message early on in social distancing journey for many of us. It is possible to find new ways to be productive and social through this terrible time. So I had a mental breakthrough during this event that drew me closer to Twitch. It’s akin to the humbling experience you can get from meditation. There are so many other perspectives than your own and our consciousness is just one channel of billions. It’s easy to know that intellectually but forget it spiritually.

PlayPA: I noticed you keep your cards face down and reveal them after the hand. Can you explain the reasoning for this set up?

Jen: If I have sessions where I only play poker, I’ll do cards-up on a delay. The advantage of my system now is that I can engage in real time chat, while viewers get a chance to see what I had immediately after the hand is over.

Tips for playing poker online – all about fundamentals

PlayPA: What tips can you give to people who may mostly play live but are now making the transition to playing online because of the current casino closures?

Jen: Work on your preflop ranges. Without live tells, it’s particularly important to have good fundamentals preflop. A lot of live players are so used to leveraging great instincts to make marginal raises or calls or folds but that may just lose a lot of money online.

I’d just review what the theoretical ranges are and make some serious attempts to internalize the most frequently occurring ranges, while of course being open to tweak and exploit.

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Online Poker Boom 2.0: US Sites Reach Record Highs in March Revenue Totals

Brick and mortar poker rooms may be closed due to Coronavirus in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but online poker is reaching new heights. Governors ordered the shutdown of all land-based casinos and poker rooms in March until further notice.

However, online casinos still operate in both states during the pandemic. As a result, New Jersey and Pennsylvania residents flooded the online market. Both states recorded their biggest poker revenue months to date.

 

New Jersey sets record for online poker

Online poker brought in $3.6 million in total revenue in New Jersey in March – doubling February’s total. This is the biggest month New Jersey has seen since the launch of regulated online poker in 2013. January 2014 held the previous record of $3.4 million.

WSOP.com (Caesars Entertainment) brought in the most poker revenue in the state with $1.6 million, more than doubling March 2019.

PokerStars NJ, partnered with Resorts Casino in the state, set a new record as well with $1.1 million in revenue. Partypoker, including its skins BorgataPoker.com and BetMGM reported $825,000.

Poker isn’t the only game flourishing, online casino games set records across the board in March. Online casinos took in $61.2 million in revenue in March as reported by the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement. This is a 64% increase year-over-year and up 21% from February.

Golden Nugget online casino still holds the top spot in NJ with $23 million in revenue. That’s a 17% increase from the previous month. Resorts online casino reported the second highest total with $13.5 million.

PA sees substantial online poker growth

PokerStars also set a record of $3.1 million in revenue for March in Pennsylvania. Since the launch of online casinos in July 2019, Mount Airy hosts the only online poker platform in the state through its partnership with Stars.

March’s poker totals are more than double the previous record of $1.5 million in December 2019. PA’s single operator numbers have gone toe-to-toe with all three of the online platforms in NJ each month since launching.

Like New Jersey, Pennsylvania online operators capitalized on the current situation. Across the board, nearly every casino operator set new records for interactive slot and table wagers.

Online slots represented $12.3 million in gross revenue for the state, while online table games generated $8.7 million.

Sportsbooks take a heavy hit

Casino operators were eyeing March to be one of the pinnacles of the sports betting year. NCAA March Madness, NHL, NBA, and the newly-revived XFL were all aligning to possibly make it a huge wagering month.

However, COVID-19 put a halt to those plans. The lack of live sports has led to a complete slump in online sports betting. New Jersey sports betting saw a 63% decrease from February.

Pennsylvania wagering brought in just $7.9 million in March, the third lowest since July 2019.

April looks to crush all online casino records

Sports betting may continue to plunge in April, but look for online poker and casino games to  have the biggest month totals to date.

Online poker is on pace to bring in more than $4 million in revenue next month in each state. All major legal poker sites are currently running tournament series to attract action from at-home and new players.

It should make for a big April as the US online poker market experiences a rebirth.

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