Spring is in the air, but so is money for Nevada and New Jersey poker players. WSOP.com kicked off its Spring Online Championships on March 31. The tournament series has a $1.3 million cash guarantee. Although, this year’s series may be the last one to see a guarantee so big.
Buy-ins for the 48 events range from $11 to $1,000. No tournament carries a guarantee of less than $10,000, meaning that there are plenty of opportunities for some nice cashes online.
The Spring Online Championships’ main event will change lives
The series will build over the course of two weeks toward the $525 Main Event. The event, which is a no-limit hold ’em contest, comes with a $200,000 guarantee.
Interestingly, this tournament does not feature the typical bracelet or ring along with the first-place money. Instead, the winner will walk away with a professional wrestling-style championship belt.
The series runs the gamut of tournament types. Most events feature no-limit hold ’em, but there are a few pot-limit Omaha events as well. Tournament types include knockouts, freezeouts, and rebuy formats. Some tournaments will also increase chip stacks to create a deepstack experience.
The series kicked off on March 31 with four tournaments and has moved forward from there. Each new day will feature at least three new tournaments from which to choose.
See below for a complete list of events.
| Tournament Name | Date | Time (ET) | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring OC #1 – $25,000 NLH [R&A] | March 31, 2019 | 4:00 PM | $30 |
| Spring OC #2 – $100,000 NLH Sunday Special Edition | March 31, 2019 | 5:00 PM | $215 |
| Spring OC #3 – $20,000 NLH 4-Max [R&A] | March 31, 2019 | 6:00 PM | $50 |
| Spring OC #4 – $15,000 NLH [Freezeout] | March 31, 2019 | 7:00 PM | $100 |
| Spring OC #5 – $15,000 NLH 2AND1 | April 1, 2019 | 7:00 PM | $50 |
| Spring OC #6 – $25,000 NLH [Re-entry] | April 1, 2019 | 8:00 PM | $100 |
| Spring OC #7 – $15,000 NLH 8×8 [8R, 8-Max, Turbo] | April 1, 2019 | 9:00 PM | $88 |
| Spring OC #8 – $12,500 NLH [Knockout] | April 2, 2019 | 7:00 PM | $100 |
| Spring OC #9 – $50,000 Special Tuesday Showdown | February 19, 2004 | 8:00 PM | $500 |
| Spring OC #10 – $15,000 NLH [Re-entry, Super Turbo] | February 19, 2004 | 9:00 PM | $75 |
| Spring OC #11 – $15,000 NLH Deepstack [R&A] | April 3, 2019 | 7:00 PM | $20 |
| Spring OC #12 – $20,000 NLH 6-Max [Re-entry] | April 3, 2019 | 8:00 PM | $100 |
| Spring OC #13 – $10,000 NLH [R&A, Turbo] | April 3, 2019 | 9:00 PM | $50 |
| Spring OC #14 – $15,000 NLH [R&A] | April 4, 2019 | 7:00 PM | $30 |
| Spring OC #15 – $15,000 NLH [Freezeout] | April 4, 2019 | 8:00 PM | $100 |
| Spring OC #16 – $12,500 NLH Turbo Deepstack | April 4, 2019 | 9:00 PM | $50 |
| Spring OC #17 – $12,500 NLH [R&A] | April 5, 2019 | 7:00 PM | $20 |
| Spring OC #18 – $15,000 NLH 6-Max | April 5, 2019 | 8:00 PM | $100 |
| Spring OC #19 – $12,500 NLH Turbo Deepstack | April 5, 2019 | 9:00 PM | $50 |
| Spring OC #20 – $25,000 NLH [R&A] | April 6, 2019 | 6:00 PM | $30 |
| Spring OC #21 – $10,000 PLO 8-Max [R&A] | April 6, 2019 | 7:00 PM | $50 |
| Spring OC #22 – $15,000 NLH | June 19, 2004 | 8:00 PM | $100 |
| Spring OC #23 – $10,000 NLH [Knockout] | April 7, 2019 | 4:00 PM | $75 |
| Spring OC #24 – $125,000 NLH Sunday Special Edition | April 7, 2019 | 5:00 PM | $320 |
| Spring OC #25 – $22,222 NLH [R&A] | April 7, 2019 | 6:00 PM | $11/$11/$22 |
| Spring OC #26 – $20,000 NLH [R&A] | April 8, 2019 | 7:00 PM | $30 |
| Spring OC #27 – $15,000 NLH Deepstack | April 8, 2019 | 8:00 PM | $75 |
| Spring OC #28 – $15,000 NLH Monster Stack [R&A, Super Turbo] CAPPED | April 8, 2019 | 9:00 PM | $50 |
| Spring OC #29 – $20,000 NLH [R&A] | April 9, 2019 | 7:00 PM | $50 |
| Spring OC #30 – $85,000 NLH High Roller [Re-entry, 6-Max] | April 9, 2019 | 8:00 PM | $1000 |
| Spring OC #31 – $15,000 NLH [Knockout] | April 9, 2019 | 9:00 PM | $300 |
| Spring OC #32 – $25,000 NLH Deepstack Super Addon [R&A] | April 10, 2019 | 7:00 PM | $30 |
| Spring OC #33 – $20,000 NLH | April 10, 2019 | 8:00 PM | $100 |
| Spring OC #34 – $15,000 NLH 8-Max [Turbo, R] | April 10, 2019 | 9:00 PM | $50 |
| Spring OC #35 – $20,000 NLH 8-Max [R&A] | April 11, 2019 | 7:00 PM | $30 |
| Spring OC #36 – $40,000 NLH 6-Max | April 11, 2019 | 8:00 PM | $250 |
| Spring OC #37 – $10,000 PLO 6-Max [R&A] | April 11, 2019 | 9:00 PM | $50 |
| Spring OC #38 – $15,000 NLH [R&A] | April 12, 2019 | 7:00 PM | $30 |
| Spring OC #39 – $25,000 NLH Monster Stack [1x Re-entry] CAPPED | April 12, 2019 | 8:00 PM | $215 |
| Spring OC #40 – $20,000 NLH | April 12, 2019 | 9:00 PM | $100 |
| Spring OC #41 – $10,000 NLH [Freezeout] | April 13, 2019 | 6:00 PM | $50 |
| Spring OC #42 – $20,000 NLH | April 13, 2019 | 7:00 PM | $100 |
| Spring OC #43 – $15,000 NLH Deepstack [R&A] | April 13, 2019 | 8:00 PM | $30 |
| Spring OC #44 – $30,000 NLH Special Sunday Deepstack [R&A, Super Addon] | April 14, 2019 | 4:00 PM | $50 |
| Spring OC #45 – $200,000 NLH Main Event | April 14, 2019 | 5:00 PM | $525 |
| Spring OC #46 – $30,000 NLH [Freezeout] | April 14, 2019 | 6:00 PM | $215 |
| Spring OC #47 – $40,000 PLO High Roller [Re-entry, 6-Max] | April 14, 2019 | 7:00 PM | $500 |
| Spring OC #48 – $20,000 NLH Deepstack [Turbo, Re-entry] | April 14, 2019 | 8:00 PM | $100 |
Instead of a belt, how about a bracelet?
The Spring Online Championships is just a warmup for the main activity, however. The WSOP will run nine online events this year.
The additions include events with buy-ins ranging from $400 to $3,200. Here’s a complete look at this year’s WSOP.com bracelet events:
| Tournament Name | Date | Time (ET) | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| No-Limit Hold’em | June 2, 2019 | 6:30 PM | $400 |
| 6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha | June 9, 2019 | 6:30 PM | $600 |
| Knock-Out Bounty No-Limit Hold’em | June 16, 2019 | 6:30 PM | $600 |
| Turbo No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack | June 19, 2019 | 6:30 PM | $500 |
| Double Stack No-Limit Hold’em | June 23, 2019 | 6:30 PM | $1,000 |
| No-Limit Hold’em Championship | June 30, 2019 | 6:30 PM | $1,000 |
| High Roller No-Limit Hold’em | July 3, 2019 | 6:30 PM | $3,200 |
| 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em | July 7, 2019 | 6:30 PM | $800 |
| Summer Saver No-Limit Hold’em | July 14, 2019 | 6:30 PM | $500 |
Is this year the last for player pool sharing?
Part of the reason that WSOP is offering so many events and so much guaranteed money is the multi-state compact. Players in New Jersey and Nevada can play together to help increase the prize pools.
However, that fact could change as early as this summer.
In January, the Department of Justice reinterpreted the Wire Act to opine that it does not simply apply to sports betting. Rather, the department has decided that it also applies to other forms of gaming. Naturally, this opinion would make an impact on shared liquidity’s future.
The DOJ announced earlier this month that it would hold off on prosecution until June 14. However, the delay is little comfort to the WSOP, whose marquee event runs into July.
State governments and bodies are not taking the change lying down, of course. New Hampshire Lottery recently sued the DOJ over the opinion to protect the state’s online lottery sales.
According to lottery officials, those sales help fund New Hampshire‘s education program. As such, the state is seeking an injunction in prosecuting the act.
The issue will play out in the courts, but it is unclear if shared liquidity will be allowed past the June 14 deadline. So, what happens if a New Jersey player wins an online bracelet?
Long story short, it may be wise to book a flight to Sin City.
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