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Partypoker Powers Up WPT Online Series With Robust Schedule, $3M Championship

The WPT Online is coming to partypoker and the site released the official schedule on Tuesday with plenty of action running May 14 to June 2.

The World Poker Tour is coming to partypoker and the site released the official schedule on Tuesday. The WPT Online Series runs May 14 to June 2 with plenty of action and tournaments for every bankroll.

The series once again promises players a shot at WPT glory. The $3,200 WPT Main Event highlights the series and is scheduled to kick off on May 23. The championship features a $3 million guarantee and concludes on June 2.

The WPT Main Event winner will have his or her name engraved on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup. The champion also receives a replica of the trophy and a Hublot watch.

“The inaugural WPT Online Series back in 2020 was the first purposely-designed WPT festival to be run fully online at partypoker and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to do this all over again,” partypoker’s head of poker room management Chris Donnachie said in a news release.

Some highlights from the partypoker WPT Online

WPT Online kicks off with plenty of excitement. Players have a chance to win a main event seat by beating Team partypoker pros in the $33 Pro Hunt.

The unique tournament runs on the first day of the series. Entrants can win main event satellite tickets by eliminating partypoker pros. Those expected to be in the field include:

  • Patrick Leonard
  • Mikita Bodyakovskiy
  • Kristen Bicknell
  • Jaime Staples
  • Joao Simao
  • Dzmitry Urbanovich
  • Joni Jouhkimainen
  • Louise Butler
  • Dayane Kotoviezy
  • Matt Staples
  • Monika Zukowicz
  • Courtney Gee
  • Jordan Banfield
  • Jeffrey Johnson (MaximusBlack)

The winner of the event earns a $3,200 Main Event seat and a trophy. Beyond that, players will also find numerous other events with buy-ins starting at just $10. The series features “micro” and “mini” versions of most tournaments.

Players will also find some nice value with two WPT500 events. The $530 WPT500 Knockout runs May 17-25 with nine starting flights and $1 million guarantee.

Another WPT500 runs May 24 to June 1 with the same guarantee, buy-in, and number of starting flights.

Fans of Pot Limit Omaha are also in luck with WPT Online. Several events in this format are part of the schedule. The $1,575 Omaha Knockout highlights those and runs May 16-18 with a guarantee of $250,000.

Qualifiers for all bankrolls

Partypoker again has included satellite events offering every level of player a shot to qualify for the main event. Players can attempt to qualify for just $0.01 with “centrolls” running daily.

Those events feed into a $3.30 Phase 1, followed by a $33 Phase 2, before the weekly Sunday final. There are also $320 mega satellites running on Day 1A (May 23) and 1B (May 30).

Mega satellites for the Mini Main Event are set for days 1A and 1B (May 15-16) with a $55 buy-in. Members of Team partypoker are ready to get in the WPT action.

“I can’t wait for the WPT Online Series to kick off this week,” Kristen Bicknell said. “To start with, you can have a go at knocking out us partypoker pros and some other guests in the WPT Pro Hunt, which should be a really fun event.

“After that, I’m particularly looking forward to the WPT Main Event, as I always feel it would be so special to take it down. partypoker and WPT as always have designed the schedule so everyone can get involved, particularly with the satellites, so I hope to see lots of you at the tables.”

Here’s a look at the complete schedule.

Partypoker WPT Online 2021

DateEventTournamentFormatBuy-InGuaranteeFeeDayTournament length
May 28#34Warm Up8-Max PKO$1,000$500,000$50Day 1A[2-Day Event]
May 28#34Mini Warm Up8-Max PKO$100$250,000$9Day 1A[2-Day Event]
May 28#34Micro Warm Up8-Max PKO$10$50,000$1Day 1A[2-Day Event]
May 28#24WPT5008-Max$500-$30Day 1E[2-Day Event + FT Tuesday]
May 28#25Super508-Max$50-$5Day 1E[3-Day Event]
May 28#26Super58-Max$5-$0.50Day 1E[3-Day Event]
May 287-Max Turbo Knockout7-Max, PKO$200$30,000$15-[1-Day Event]
May 29#34Warm Up8-Max PKO$1,000-$50Day 1B[2-Day Event]
May 29#34Mini Warm Up8-Max PKO$100-$9Day 1B[2-Day Event]
May 29#34Micro Warm Up8-Max PKO$10-$1Day 1B[2-Day Event]
May 29#24WPT5008-Max$500-$30Day 1F[2-Day Event + FT Tuesday]
May 29#25Super508-Max$50-$5Day 1F[3-Day Event]
May 29#26Super58-Max$5-$0.50Day 1F[3-Day Event]
May 29Mix-Max TurboMix-Max$300$30,000$20-[1-Day Event]
May 30#34Warm Up7-Max PKO$1,000-$50Day 1C[2-Day Event]
May 30#34Mini Warm Up7-Max PKO$100-$9Day 1C[2-Day Event]
May 30#34Micro Warm Up7-Max PKO$10-$1Day 1C[2-Day Event]
May 30#24WPT5008-Max$500-$30Day 1G[2-Day Event + FT Tuesday]
May 30#25Super508-Max$50-$5Day 1G[3-Day Event]
May 30#26Super58-Max$5-$0.50Day 1G[3-Day Event]
May 30#35The Big Game8-Max$500$300,000$30-[1-Day Event]
May 30#35The Mini Big Game8-Max$50$150,000$5-[1-Day Event]
May 30#34Warm Up8-Max PKO---Final Day-
May 30#34Mini Warm Up8-Max PKO---Final Day-
May 30#34Micro Warm Up8-Max PKO---Final Day-
May 30#20Main Event8-Max$3,000-$200Day 1B[3-Day Event + FT Wednesday]
May 30#367-Max7-Max PKO$1,500$500,000$75Day 1A[2-Day Event]
May 30#36Mini 7-Max7-Max PKO$150$200,000$12Day 1A[2-Day Event]
May 30#36Micro 7-Max7-Max PKO$15$50,000$1.50Day 1A[2-Day Event]
May 30#37Omaha Hi-Lo6-Max Hi-Lo PKO$1,500$250,000$75Day 1A[2-Day Event]
May 30#37Mini Omaha Hi-Lo6-Max Hi-Lo PKO$150$50,000$12Day 1A[2-Day Event]
May 30#37Micro Omaha Hi-Lo6-Max Hi-Lo PKO$15$20,000$1.50Day 1A[2-Day Event]
May 30#38High Roller7-Max$10,000$1,000,000$300Day 1[2-Day Event]
May 30#24WPT5008-Max$500-$30Day 1H[2-Day Event + FT Tuesday]
May 30#25Super508-Max$50-$5Day 1H[3-Day Event]
May 30#26Super58-Max$5-$0.50Day 1H[3-Day Event]
May 30High Roller Turbo7-Max$5,000$250,000$200-[1-Day Event]
May 306-Max Hyper Knockout6-Max PKO$300$40,000$20-[1-Day Event]
May 31#24WPT5006-Max$500-$30Day 1 Turbo[2-Day Event + FT Tuesday]
May 31#25Super506-Max$50-$5Day 1 Turbo[3-Day Event]
May 31#26Super56-Max$5-$0.50Day 1 Turbo[3-Day Event]
May 31#20Main Event8-Max---Day 2[3-Day Event + FT Wednesday]
May 31#367-Max7-Max PKO$1,500-$75Day 1B[2-Day Event]
May 31#36Mini 7-Max7-Max PKO$150-$12Day 1B[2-Day Event]
May 31#36Micro 7-Max7-Max PKO$15-$1.50Day 1B[2-Day Event]
May 31#39Closer6-Max PKO$300$200,000$20Day 1A[2-Day Event]
May 31#39Mini Closer6-Max PKO$30$50,000$3Day 1A[2-Day Event]
May 31#39Micro Closer6-Max PKO$5$15,000$0.50Day 1A[2-Day Event]
May 31#37Omaha Hi-Lo6-Max Hi-Lo PKO$1,500-$75Day 1B[2-Day Event]
May 31#37Mini Omaha Hi-Lo6-Max Hi-Lo PKO$150-$12Day 1B[2-Day Event]
May 31#37Micro Omaha Hi-Lo6-Max Hi-Lo PKO$15-$1.50Day 1B[2-Day Event]
May 31#24WPT5008-Max---Day 2[2-Day Event + FT Tuesday]
May 31#25Super508-Max---Day 2[3-Day Event]
May 31#26Super58-Max---Day 2[3-Day Event]
May 317-Max7-Max$500$50,000$30-[1-Day Event]
June 1#20Main Event8-Max---Day 3[3-Day Event + FT Wednesday]
June 1#367-Max7-Max PKO---Day 2[2-Day Event]
June 1#36Mini 7-Max7-Max PKO---Day 2[2-Day Event]
June 1#36Micro 7-Max7-Max PKO---Day 2[2-Day Event]
June 1#37Omaha Hi-Lo6-Max Hi-Lo PKO---Day 2[2-Day Event]
June 1#37Mini Omaha Hi-Lo6-Max Hi-Lo PKO---Day 2[2-Day Event]
June 1#37Micro Omaha Hi-Lo6-Max Hi-Lo PKO---Day 2[2-Day Event]
June 1#408-Max8-Max$500$150,000$30-[1-Day Event]
June 1#40Mini 8-Max8-Max$50$50,000$5-[1-Day Event]
June 1#40Micro 8-Max8-Max$5$10,000$0.50-[1-Day Event]
June 1#41Omaha High Roller6-Max PLO$5,000$200,000$200-[1-Day Event]
June 1#41Mini Omaha Knockout6-Max PLO$500$50,000$30-[1-Day Event]
June 1#41Micro Omaha Knockout6-Max PLO$50$10,000$5.00-[1-Day Event]
June 1#42Super High Roller7-Max$25,000$1,000,000$500Day 1[2-Day Event]
June 1#39Closer6-Max PKO$300-$20Day 1B[2-Day Event]
June 1#39Mini Closer6-Max PKO$30-$3Day 1B[2-Day Event]
June 1#39Micro Closer6-Max PKO$5-$0.50Day 1B[2-Day Event]
June 1#24WPT5008-Max---Final Table-
June 1#25Super508-Max---Final Day-
June 1#26Super58-Max---Final Day-
June 1High Roller Turbo7-Max$5,000$250,000$200-[1-Day Event]
June 1Mix-Max Turbo KnockoutMix-Max PKO$200$30,000$15-[1-Day Event]
June 2#20Main Event8-Max---Final Table-
June 2#39Closer6-Max PKO---Final Day-
June 2#39Mini Closer6-Max PKO---Final Day-
June 2#39Micro Closer6-Max PKO---Final Day-
June 2#43Turbo Finale6-Max$500$75,000$30-[1-Day Event]
June 2#43Mini Turbo Finale6-Max$50$25,000$5-[1-Day Event]
June 2#43Micro Turbo Finale6-Max$5$10,000$0.50-[1-Day Event]
June 2Hyper Finale7-Max PKO$250$30,000$15-[1-Day Event]

* photo courtesy WPT

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World Poker Tour Kicks Off New Season Next Week at Partypoker; $3 Million Main Event Planned

The WPT Online is coming to partypoker and the site released the official schedule on Tuesday with plenty of action running May 14 to June 2.

Live poker recently returned to the World Poker Tour with some huge numbers. The company is now kicking off its 19th season in the online poker realm with another partypoker partnership.

The WPT Online Series runs May 14 to June 2 promising players of all bankrolls a chance at becoming a champion. That means numerous qualifying opportunities throughout the series and some major events for players.

“The inaugural WPT Online Series back in 2020 was the first purposely-designed WPT festival to be run fully online at partypoker,” the company’s head of poker room management Chris Donnachie said in a news release, “and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to do this all over again.”

A look at the WPT Online Main Event

Plenty of online poker glory will be on the line again in this year’s WPT partypoker series. The $3,200 Main Event highlights the festival and comes with a $3 million guarantee.

Players will find two starting flights on May 23 and 30. Days 2 and 3 take place on the following two days before the champion is crowned on June 2.

Beyond the cash, the Main Event winner also adds his or her name to the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup. Even more rewards await the winner including a replica of the trophy and a Hublot watch.

In the 2020 WPT Online, Sweden’s Christian Jeppsson took down the Main Event for $923,786.

“There are a few series that are unmissable because of their prestige and the WPT Online Series absolutely falls into that category,” Team partypoker’s Patrick Leonard said.

“Christian winning almost $1 million last year stands out to me. The festival is amazing and you get to play for big, big money but with structures that give you good play.”

Qualifiers and other partypoker WPT action

Players of every level have an opportunity to qualify for the Main Event. “Centrolls” offer opportunities to qualify for just a single penny. 

Centrolls run daily, feeding into $3.30 buy-in Phase 1 events. A player advancing past those events is then entered into $33 Phase 2 before the weekly Sunday final.

There isn’t a direct buy-in for the final, which offers 15 Main Event seats. Other satellites feeding into the Main Event also run on a weekly basis.

Beyond the Main Event, there’s also an extensive schedule of other events as well. The $530 Mini Main Event features a $500,000 guarantee and begins on May 15.

Players can also qualify into this event for just $0.01. The centrolls lead into two phases of satellites with buy-ins of $0.55 and then $5.50. 

Players making it through then play in the Sunday final, guaranteeing 30 tournament seats. There will be no direct buy-in for the final.

In addition to the satellite trees, mega satellites run for the Mini and Main Event before each starting flight. These guarantee at least 50 seats each for both events.

A $55 Micro Main Event is also on the schedule with a $150,000 guarantee. The WPT Online Series also includes two WPT500 events.

Shifting the schedule

This year’s WPT Online Series was initially planned for May 7-26. However, partypoker officials delayed the start of the series just a bit.

After listening to player feedback, the consensus was that players should be given a longer break after playing in POWERFEST. There are also several other major series in April.

Additionally, partypoker continues in efforts to reduce the effectiveness of third-party tools. As part of that, the company has a planned software update next week before the start of the WPT Online Series.

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WPTDeepStacks Wraps Up at 888poker with Major Scores From Brazilian Players

The WPTDeepStacks London Online finished up at 888poker on Monday, awarding $2.3 million to eclipse the $2 million guarantee.

The first-ever WPTDeepStacks London Online at 888poker finished up Monday after a week of action. The 16-event series awarded $2.3 million, eclipsing the $2 million guarantee.

The event comes as the World Poker Tour continues co-branding online poker events with other operators. The latest series produced a combined field of 8,735 entries with winners hailing from numerous countries.

That included Latvia, Sweden, Malta, Belarus, Ukraine, Canada, Romania, and the United Kingdom.

Brazilian player captures WPTDeepStacks London Main Event

While numerous nations were represented in the series, once country stood out. Brazilian players took four of the final five events including the Main Event and Mini Main Event.

The $1,050 Main Event came with a $1 million guarantee with Brazil’s “paulinhooOO” taking the title for $233,705. The event attracted 973 unique players with 114 rebuys.

Three WPTDeepStacks tour series are set for April 18-26 with a total of more than $3 million guaranteed prizes.

Those 1,087 entries helped surpass the guarantee for a $1.1 million prize pool. Continuing the Brazilian success, five players from the country made the final table.

888poker ambassador Dominik Nitsche also found himself among those.

“888Dominik” finished in eighth place for $21,740. Here’s a look at complete Main Event final table payouts:

WPTDS London Online Main Event

  • 1st – “paulinhooOO” (Brazil), $233,705
  • 2nd – “AllanSheik” (Brazil), $130,440
  • 3rd – “SteliosCy” (Cyprus), $84,786
  • 4th – Tom “sheeeeeeeeet” Hall (United Kingdom), $65,220
  • 5th – Fabiano “FranciscoAl” Kovalski (Brazil), $54,350
  • 6th – “mylly8” (Finland), $43,480
  • 7th – Kevin “Kelvin_kerbe” Kerber (Brazil), $32,610
  • 8th – Dominik “888Dominik” Nitsche (United Kingdom), $21,740
  • 9th – “B.Drumond” (Brazil), $16,305

Other 888poker WPTDeepStacks highlights

In other Main Event news, the $215 mini version drew 584 runners and topped the $100,000 guarantee. The tournament paid out $116,800 with Brazil’s “BrunoZika1” taking the $21,363 top prize.

In the $320 Six-Max, Nitsche had another deep run, finishing 13th for $1,250. The event featured a $100,000 guarantee and drew 209 players with 94 rebuys.

The six-figure prize pool paid out the top 24 finishers. Brazil’s “WarleyBrunob” came out on top for $24,000.

888poker Freeroll Festival returns

888poer has also announced a new Freeroll Festival. The event kicked off on April 26 and runs through July 18.

The site is giving away more than $100,000 in round-the-clock freerolls. All players can play in three Made To Celebrate Freerolls, which award cash, tournament tickets, and other prizes.

888 is offering players three ways to win. Freebie Freerolls are easy to play and no tournament ticket is required.

Players can earn a spot in Funky Freerolls by grabbing a ticket in random gift drops throughout the day. Fabulous Freerolls allow players to spin their way to a ticket in the Winner Spinner promotion.

The site is offering players plenty of free opportunities to win some cash over the next couple months.

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WPTDeepStacks Gets Underway at 888poker, Launches New Twitch Channel for Series Streams

WPTDeepStacks London Online kicked off on 888poker Sunday. The site also launched a new Twitch channel as part of the festivities.

The WPTDeepStacks London Online series kicked off on 888poker on Sunday with some nice early payouts. The site also launched a new Twitch channel as part of the festivities.

The weeklong series runs through April 26 with more than $2 million guaranteed across 16 events.

888poker completes first WPTDeepStacks events

The first two tournaments produced a combined 1,730 entries and awarded $268,650 in prize money. The $525 Opener brought in 292 players and 65 rebuys for a total of 357 entries.

Latvian player  “i2out” took the top spot for $40,540 with the United Kingdom’s “Tedson89” taking $29,300 for runner-up.

While the first event produced an overlay, the second event produced better results. The $55 Mini Opener came with a $50,000 guarantee. 

The tournament attracted 1,019 players with 354 rebuys for a $68,650 prize pool. Swedish player “Svampnacke” took the title for $10,030 with Romania’s “Blahaj” finishing second for $7,332.

Plenty of action remains and here’s a look at the complete series:

2021 888poker WPTDeepStacks London Online

DateEventBuy-inGuarantee
April 19#3 - $100,000 PKO$320$100,000
April 19#4 - $30,000 PKO$55$30,000
April 19#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 1$1,050$1,000,000
April 20#5 - $100,000 High Roller$2,100$100,000
April 20#6 - $75,000 Mini High Roller$215$75,000
April 20#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 1$1,050$1,000,000
April 21#7 - $100,000 Crazy 8$440$100,000
April 21#8 - $30,000 Mini Crazy 8$88$30,000
April 21#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 1$1,050$1,000,000
April 22#9 - $100,000 Marathon$525$100,000
April 22#10 - $50,000 Half Marathon$160$50,000
April 22#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 1$1,050$1,000,000
April 23#11 - $50,000 PKO 8-Max$109$50,000
April 23#12 - $20,000 Mini PKO 8-Max$16.50$20,000
April 23#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 1$1,050$1,000,000
April 24#13 - $100,000 6-Max$320$100,000
April 24#14 - $20,000 Mini 6-Max$33$20,000
April 24#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 1$1,050$1,000,000
April 25#15 - $100,000 Mini Main Event$215$100,000
April 25#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 1$1,050$1,000,000
April 26#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 2$1,000,000
 

Twitch channel launched to spotlight WPTDS action and much more

Along with the new relationship with WPTDeepStacks, 888poker has launched a new Twitch channel. This now becomes the central streaming location for 888poker events as well as other poker programming.

 

888 promises plenty of promotions, giveaways, interviews, strategy advice, and more. That includes giving away $10,000 in WPTDS Main Event tickets, other tournament tickets, and cash.

Three of the WPTDS final tables will be streamed on the new channel. Here’s a complete schedule of those events:

  • April 20 – WPTDeepStacks High Roller
  • April 22 – WPT DeepStacks Marathon
  • April 26 – WPT DeepStacks Main Event Day 2

BLAST leaderboards awarding players $5,000 daily

888poker has unveiled new BLAST leaderboards for fans of these jackpot-style tournaments. This gives players a chance at a share of $5,000 in daily prizes.

To give everyone an equal chance, only a player’s first 10 or 30 games each day count toward the rankings. Players can compete in one or both of the 10- and 30-game leaderboards.

To get in the action, players can simply go to the BLAST arena in the 888poker client lobby and click on “leaderboards.” Then click the “join” button to get started.

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WPT Launches New Season With Partnership Allowing Fans to Acquire NFT Digital Moments

The WPT announced a new partnership this week with Theta Labs to launch a real-time NFT marketplace.

The World Poker Tour is getting in the NFT game. The company announced a new partnership this week with Theta Labs to launch the world’s first real-time NFT marketplace.

For the uninitiated, NFT stands for non-fungible token. These are pieces of digital art that have become extremely popular lately in the sports cards industry.

The tour’s NFTs are like digital collector cards and will be released in packs for poker fans. Users can purchase their favorite moments from all 18 seasons from the tour.

For example, a user would be able to purchase the NFT of Mike Sexton’s winning moment from WPT Montreal. He won the event in 2016 for $317,896.

“Our exclusive NFT launch with Theta Network is one of our biggest digital initiatives to date and for the first time ever we’re combining our global reach of live televised poker with an NFT marketplace, giving our fans an interactive, real-time opportunity to collect a piece of the WPT poker action,” WPT CEO Adam Pliska said in  news release.

“We’re thrilled to bring some of our top poker pros, players, and celebrities to the NFT world, featuring rare and legendary WPT packs in weekly drops and running exclusive one of a kind auctions for super rare poker moments.”

WPT television premier and NFT opportunities

The NFT launch comes in conjunction with the premier of Season XVIII of the WPT television show. The Theta Network WPT Cash game runs April 18, 25, May 2, and 9 on Bally Sports Networks nationwide.

Bally is the new name for the Fox Sports regional networks, rebranded with the sponsorship of the growing casino gaming corporation. Each year, WPT reaches 140 million viewers around the world on multiple platforms and connected devices.

As part of the partnership, the two companies will offer viewers unique moments via NFT. Each week during the episode, in-show advertisements and promotional segments will direct viewers to the NFT marketplace.

Mike Sexton after winnning
One of the first NFT offerings from WPT will feature Mike Sexton’s win in Montreal.

Poker fans can then purchase exclusive WPT packs for a limited time and participate in the auction for a unique poker moment. For launch, WPT is paying tribute to Sexton, who passed away in September. 

Since the tour’s inception, Sexton had served as the face of the WPT as lead anchor and commentator along with Vince Van Patten. He also served as chairman of partypoker and was one of the online poker site’s founders.

“Mike Sexton: The Legend Hand” will be one of the first items auctioned. Other rare, themed poker packs will be dropped as well and signup and pre-registration is now open.

How does Theta work?

An NFT is a unit of data on a digital ledger, known as blockchain technology. Each NFT represents a unique digital item, like a collector received a one-of-a-kind sports card. 

This means they are exclusive and not interchangeable. NFT technology has revived the sports card industry recently with collectors paying millions of dollars for unique moments.

Theta is a leading decentralized video delivery network making use of blockchain technology. Theta and the WPT are now bringing the NFT sports card concept to poker

“We’re excited to launch the next-generation NFT marketplace with WPT, a unique opportunity to bring digital collectibles synchronized to live TV and cable broadcast to an audience of millions worldwide,” Theta Labs co-founder and CEO Mitch Liu said.

The company’s native blockchain powers the ThetaDrop NFT marketplace. Theta notes that this significantly differentiates from other NFT platforms as it was “purposefully built for media and entertainment.”

In the future, Theta expects its distributed network  to reach more than 30,000 community-run edge nodes. This will support decentralized NFT storage, meaning users can truly take custody of their NFTs without a centralized platform.

The company also plans cross-chain bridge between Theta Network, Ethereum, and others. This will enable seamless NFT transfer and transactions across these networks.

“ThetaDrop maximizes earnings to brand partners and creators by bringing the interactivity, real-time engagement and personality possible only through a livestream when doing NFT drops and auctions,” Liu said.

“Theta’s proof-of-stake native blockchain means creators can be assured that minting and transacting NFTs are 100 percent eco-friendly, fast, and inexpensive.”

WPT also growing online presence

Along with the television premier and NFT offerings, the WPT continues to expand its online poker partnerships. The WPTDeepStacks London Online runs at 888poker April 18-26 with a guarantee of more than $2 million.

The WPT's DeepStacks series recently announced new stops in Australia and Vietnam. The tour's 888poker online series schedule is also out.

The tour also continues running events with partypoker. The site has planned the WPT Online Series for May and a WPTDeepStacks series for July. The company also continues to focus on its sweepstakes poker ClubWPT.

In recent months, live tournament events have also returned to the schedule. The Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open runs later this month in Florida. Three remaining final tables from 2020 will also be played in Las Vegas at the PokerGO Studio in May. 

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Ba Da Bing: Nick Binger Talks Solvers, Poker Strategy, and Becoming a Better Player

LearnWPT lead instructor recently spoke with PokerScout about solvers, strategy, and some of his current projects.

The poker film The Cincinnati Kid features a quick scene where the main character is preparing for the big game. Steve McQueen’s character Eric Stoner is studying a handwritten statistical chart and packs it in his bag.

Advanced knowledge like this was held close to the vest among top players of the time. However, today information, data, and charts flow freely online. There are countless YouTube videos, articles, and books to help poker players better their skills.

Poker strategies are constantly changing as the game continues to evolve. Top players currently use programs called “solvers” to help figure out the best optimal outcomes when in certain difficult spots. 

Poker pro Nick Binger knows the ins and outs of solvers and the evolution of poker strategy firsthand. He’s currently the lead instructor at LearnWPT, the official training site of the World Poker Tour. Binger recently spoke with PokerScout about solvers, strategy, and some of his current projects.

Learning the online poker ropes in Europe

A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Binger first jumped into poker while traveling through Europe after college. He began his instruction background by teaching English in a small town in Austria.

However, Binger later needed extra ways to make money after he couldn’t secure a work visa. His brother introduced him to online poker and the game seemed like a nice way to score some funds. Binger found some success and never looked back.

“My brother convinced me that I should get into online poker even though I had never really played poker before, since the boom was just starting,” he says. “This was the end of 2004, so the timing was perfect.” 

Since the days of teaching in Austria, Binger has more than $2.3 million in live tournament winnings. This includes multiple final tables and two World Series of Poker bracelets. He’s one of only a handful of players to win a bracelet online and live. 

Those early days teaching have served him well. Binger now creates content for LearnWPT, helping to instruct the site’s students.

LearnWPT lead instructor Nick Binger with WPT commentator Vince Van Patten.

Growing the world of poker education

LearnWPT works to bring quality training content for online and live players. The subscription-based service offers content to those of all levels.

The platform also partners with the partypoker US Network. Players on the network in New Jersey and Michigan can access exclusive content to work on their skills.

The site sponsored the partypoker Online Series Main Event in NJ on March 28. The final table streamed live on the new LearnWPT Twitch channel.

That included offering strategy advice and commentary from bracelet winners Tony Dunst (also a WPT commentator)  and Andrew Lichtenberger. Both also coach at LearnWPT. The training site tries to be a one-stop shop for becoming a better player.

“You can watch strategy episodes from top players, get coaching, play on the WPT GTO Trainer, and can run your own simulations on a solver,” Binger says.

As far as solvers go, Binger puts the GTO Trainer against any on the market.

“Learn WPT has the largest database of solved hands in the world,” he says. “Students can simply play through hands on the trainer and get instant feedback on every decision they make. We’ve done the work of building the game trees, ranges, and processing the solutions for over four billion decision points.”

Binger uses solvers for his own skills and has seen his own gains. These high-tech programs have become a major part of poker education.

“Solvers have absolutely improved my game and the way we teach poker at LearnWPT,” he says. “They allow you to explore strategy at a level not possible before solvers. This is especially true for the concept of range versus range play.”

Perfecting the game via technology

Players have been trying to put opponents “on hands” since the game’s early days. But Binger explains how solvers took a large network of hands and put them into ranges.

“A long time ago, people played poker hand versus hand, meaning they knew their hand and guessed their opponent’s hand, then played accordingly,” he says. “That’s a very basic way to play and will result in you losing to more advanced players.”

All this also applies to online poker players as well. An online rounder can gauge an opponent’s strength by taking into consideration what that player is likely to have.

“After the beginning of the Moneymaker era, the idea of playing your specific hand against an opponent’s range of hands became prevalent among professionals,” Binger says. “This improved play significantly and good players had a significant edge simply by applying this concept.

“After the advent of solvers a few years ago, tough players now consider their range against the range of the other player and how the board interacts with both in every hand they play. This would not have been possible to truly explore without solvers. “

Binger continues to study the game and produce content to help teach up-and-coming players. He considers solvers and GTO as musts for players looking to get to the next level. 

“I think learning the concepts and principles that underpin GTO strategy are a must for any serious poker player that wants to win in the long term.“

* photos courtesy WPT

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WPT Announces International Live Events, 888poker Online Series Schedule Released

WPTDeepStacks London Online kicked off on 888poker Sunday. The site also launched a new Twitch channel as part of the festivities.

The World Poker Tour has slowly begun to return to the live poker felt. That also now includes more series internationally and in the United States as well as more online events.

The tour’s DeepStacks series recently announced some new stops in Australia and Vietnam. Along with that, the complete schedule for the upcoming WPTDeepStacks series at 888poker has also been released.

Many players may be pleased to see the tour returning. The company continues to expand with both live and online poker options.

Getting back in action with live WPT events

After running live events in Florida and Las Vegas already, the WPT continues to grow its schedule. The WPTDeepStacks Hanoi runs April 21-25 at the Crown Poker Club. The series features a VND22,000,000 ($950) buy-in and comes with a guarantee of about $173,000.

The WPTDeepStacks Gold Coast is set for May 27-31 at The Star Gold Coast and comes with a buy-in of AU$1,500 ($1,140).

The property is located about an hour south of Brisbane on Australia’s luxurious coastal getaway. A guarantee hasn’t been announced yet.

Both events produced 650-plus fields when last run in 2019. WPT live events specialist Danny McDonagh notes that foreign players made up more than 50% for previous Vietnam events. Because of that, producing a similar result may be ambitious.

“However, Vietnam is a relatively new market for poker and interest is growing, so for a country starved of major festivals for well over a year, the festival will surely generate excellent local numbers from locals and expats throughout Vietnam,” McDonagh told PokerScout.

The WPTDeepStacks Gold Coast is set for May 27-31 in Australia at The Star Gold Coast. (photo courtesy WPT)

Tour hopes for success again in Australia 

The inaugural WPT Gold Coast attracted a large proportion of Australians. A similar result may be possible once again. Lifting of New Zealand tourist restrictions would also help, but that possibility remains to be seen.

Both properties will have COVID protocols in place including seven-handed tables in Australia. How does it feel to see live WPT events returning internationally?

“The big positive I see is that it is giving real hope to poker players that life is beginning to return to normal,” McDonagh said.

“Poker players in Vietnam and Australia have the opportunity to attend the event, while poker players in other countries are encouraged by these developments and live in hope of travel restrictions being relaxed sometime in 2021 so they too can get to an event. Without a doubt poker players worldwide have missed live poker festivals.” 

WPT Main Tour events crank up in US

The tour experienced big numbers recently at the Venetian in Las Vegas and at the Seminole Hard Rock in Florida. Players are in store for another Main Tour event soon.

The $3,500 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown is set for April 23-27 with a $2 million guarantee. The event comes after the property’s Lucky Hearts Poker Open attracted 1,573 entries in January.

That event produced a prize pool of $5 million, crushing the $1 million guarantee. The Venetian event brought in 937 entries in February for a $4.3 million prize pool, also easily topping the $1.5 million guarantee.

WPT officials hope similar results continue. No other US-based live events have been announced so far.

However three remaining final tables from 2020 have been scheduled to be played in Las Vegas at the PokerGO Studio. These events are set to be filmed for broadcast on FOX Sports:

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

WPTDeepStacks hits the online poker tables in 888poker London series

Beyond live action, the WPTDeepStacks is also returning to action online. 888poker is hosting the DeepStacks London Online from April 18-26 with an overall guarantee of more than $2 million.

The series boasts 16 events with each winner taking home an official WPTDS trophy. The $1,050 Main Event highlights the series with $1 million guaranteed.

Players will find seven starting flights for the Main Event. Other highlights include:

  • $320 PKO (Event 3, April 19) – $100,000 guaranteed
  • $2,100 High Roller (Event 5, April 20) – $100,000 guaranteed
  • $525 Marathon (Event 9, April 22) – $100,000 guaranteed
  • $215 Mini Main Event (Event 15, April 25) – $100,000 guaranteed

888 will also offer daily freerolls awarding $200,000 in tickets to qualifying events. Satellites are already underway. Poker fans can follow the action with four live streaming events on the 888 Facebook and YouTube channels including:

  • Opener (Event 1)
  • High Roller (Event 5)
  • Marathon (Event 9)
  • Main Event Day 2 (Event 15)

Celebrity guests and poker pros will  drop in the commentary booth throughout the events. The streams will feature giveaways, contests with Main Event tickets up for grabs, freerolls, and more. Here’s a look at the complete tournament schedule:

DateEventBuy-inGuarantee
April 19#3 - $100,000 PKO$320$100,000
April 19#4 - $30,000 PKO$55$30,000
April 19#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 1$1,050$1,000,000
April 20#5 - $100,000 High Roller$2,100$100,000
April 20#6 - $75,000 Mini High Roller$215$75,000
April 20#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 1$1,050$1,000,000
April 21#7 - $100,000 Crazy 8$440$100,000
April 21#8 - $30,000 Mini Crazy 8$88$30,000
April 21#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 1$1,050$1,000,000
April 22#9 - $100,000 Marathon$525$100,000
April 22#10 - $50,000 Half Marathon$160$50,000
April 22#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 1$1,050$1,000,000
April 23#11 - $50,000 PKO 8-Max$109$50,000
April 23#12 - $20,000 Mini PKO 8-Max$16.50$20,000
April 23#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 1$1,050$1,000,000
April 24#13 - $100,000 6-Max$320$100,000
April 24#14 - $20,000 Mini 6-Max$33$20,000
April 24#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 1$1,050$1,000,000
April 25#15 - $100,000 Mini Main Event$215$100,000
April 25#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 1$1,050$1,000,000
April 26#16 - $1,000,000 Main Event Day 2$1,000,000

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Two Big Championship Events With $1M Guarantees Highlight Partypoker WPT500 Schedule

The World Poker Tour is once again returning to partypoker. The WPT500 is the tour’s lower buy-in series and the upcoming online version offers plenty of bang for the buck.

Players will find 25 events running March 7-23, this time with two championship events – each featuring $1 million guaranteed. Beyond those, there are also events planned for all bankrolls with buy-ins ranging from $50 to $5,000.

The series offers just the latest opportunity for online poker players to win a slice of WPT glory at partypoker.

“The WPT500 brand is synonymous with huge prize pools, an accessible buy-in and that coveted WPT title, so it’s the perfect addition to the 2021 online calendar,” partypoker head of poker room management Chris Donnachie said in a news release. 

Highlights of the WPT500 series at partypoker

The partypoker WPT500 series jumps straight to the high-profile action right from the start. Day 1A of the $530 Eight-Max kicks off the series on March 7 with $1 million guaranteed.

With nine starting flights planned, there are plenty of opportunities for players to participate in. Day 2 is set for March 15 with the final table playing out the following day.

That will be streamed live on partypoker’s Twitch channel with commentary provided in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian.

Last year’s WPT500 ended in a four-handed deal with Fabio Sperling claiming the top prize of $281,125. Now players have twice the opportunities to win a WPT500 championship.

“This year’s series follows the success of the first ever online WPT500 back in May 2020, which saw as many as 4,828 entries into the tournament,” Donnachie said. “We’re excited to be doubling down on the event this time round, running both regular and knockout versions of the tournament.”

This year, the schedule’s focus shifts to the progressive knockout (PKO) format on March 15. That date brings the start of the $530 WPT500 Eight-Max PKO with a $1 million guarantee.

Players will find eight starting flights before Day 2 runs on March 22 and the final table on March 23.

A PKO event is a twist on a traditional bounty tournament. Once a player knocks another player out, the winner banks only a portion of the bounty. The other portion is added to the winning player’s bounty.

This makes for some unique fun as players see bounty values rise throughout the tournament. The events have become popular and the WPT500 offers several of these for players getting in the action.

A look at the partypoker side events 

The rest of the schedule offers something for everyone including Six-Max, Seven-Max, Eight-Max, Mix-Max, and other PKO events.

The $55 Super50 Knockout kicks off on March 7 with a $400,000 guaranteed prize pool. The eight-max three-day PKO tournament features eight starting flights with the final day set for March 16. Day 2 plays out on March 22 with the final table on March 23.

Players with larger bankrolls may want to check out the $3,200 High Roller. That event begins March 9 and has a $250,000 guaranteed prize pool. Here’s a look at the complete schedule.

2021 partypoker WPT500

DateEventEventBuy-inGuaranteeFormat
Sunday, March 7, 2021#1WPT500 - Online Day 1A: $1M GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Sunday, March 7, 2021#1Super50 - Online Day 1A: $250K GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$50+5$250,0001 re-entry
Sunday, March 7, 2021#26-Max Hyper Knockout - Online 1 Day Event: $30K GTD [6-Max PKO, 1-Day Event]$250+15$30,0001 re-entry
Monday, March 8, 2021#1WPT500 - Online Day 1B: $1M GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Monday, March 8, 2021#1Super50 - Online Day 1B : $250K GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$50+5$250,0001 re-entry
Monday, March 8, 2021#37-Max Turbo - Online 1 Day Event : $20K GTD [7-Max, 1-Day Event]$200+15$20,0001 re-entry
Tuesday, March 9, 2021#46-Max High Roller - Online 1 Day Event : $150K GTD [6-Max, 1-Day Event]$3,000+200$150,0001 re-entry
Tuesday, March 9, 2021#1WPT500 - Online Day 1C : $1M GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Tuesday, March 9, 2021#1Super50 - Online Day 1C : $250K GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$50+5$250,0001 re-entry
Tuesday, March 9, 2021#5High Roller Turbo Knockout - Online 1 Day Event : $50K GTD [6-Max PKO, 1-Day Event]$1,000+50$50,0001 re-entry
Wednesday, March 10, 2021#6Omaha - Online 1 Day Event : $50K GTD [7-Max, 2-Day Event]$500+30$50,0002 re-entries
Wednesday, March 10, 2021#1WPT500 - Online Day 1D : $1M GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Wednesday, March 10, 2021#1Super50 - Online Day 1D : $250K GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$50+5$250,0001 re-entry
Wednesday, March 10, 2021#76-Max Turbo Knockout - Online 1 Day Event : $20K GTD [6-Max PKO, 1-Day Event]$150+15$20,0001 re-entry
Thursday, March 11, 2021#8High Roller - Online 1 Day Event : $250K GTD [7-Max, 1-Day Event]$5,000+200$250,0001 re-entry
Thursday, March 11, 2021#1WPT500 - Online Day 1E : $1M GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Thursday, March 11, 2021#1Super50 - Online Day 1E : $250K GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$50+5$250,0001 re-entry
Thursday, March 11, 2021#9High Roller Turbo - Online 1 Day Event : $50K GTD [7-Max, 1-Day Event]$1,000+50$50,0001 re-entry
Friday, March 12, 2021#1WPT500 - Online Day 1F : $1M GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Friday, March 12, 2021#1Super50 - Online Day 1F : $250K GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$50+5$250,0001 re-entry
Friday, March 12, 2021#10Mix-Max Turbo Knockout - Online 1 Day Event : $30K GTD [Mix-Max PKO, 1-Day Event]$300+201 re-entry
Saturday, March 13, 2021#1WPT500 - Online Day 1G : $1M GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Saturday, March 13, 2021#1Super50 - Online Day 1G : $250K GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$50+5$250,0001 re-entry
Saturday, March 13, 2021#117-Max Turbo - Online 1 Day Event : $20K GTD [7-Max, 1-Day Event]$200+15$20,0001 re-entry
Sunday, March 14, 2021#1WPT500 - Online Day 1H : $1M GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Sunday, March 14, 2021#1Super50 - Online Day 1H : $250K GTD [8-Max, 3 Day-Event]$50+5$250,0001 re-entry
Sunday, March 14, 2021#126-Max Hyper Knockout - Online 1 Day Event : $30K GTD [6-Max PKO, 1-Day Event]$250+151 re-entry
Monday, March 15, 2021#1WPT500 Day 1I Turbo : $1M GTD [7-Max, 3 Day-Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Monday, March 15, 2021#1Super50 Day 1I Turbo : $250K GTD [7-Max, 3 Day-Event]$50+5$250,0001 re-entry
Monday, March 15, 2021#1WPT500 - Online Day 2 : $1M GTD [8-Max]-$1,000,000-
Monday, March 15, 2021#1Super50 - Online Day 2 : $250K GTD [8-Max]-$250,000-
Monday, March 15, 2021#13Super50 Knockout - Online Day 1A : $400K GTD [8-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$50+5$400,0001 re-entry
Monday, March 15, 2021#13WPT500 Knockout - Online Day 1A : $1M GTD [8-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Monday, March 15, 2021#147-Max Turbo - Online 1 Day Event : $20K GTD [7-Max, 1-Day Event]$200+15$20,0001 re-entry
Tuesday, March 16, 2021#15High Roller - Online 1 Day Event : $150K GTD [7-Max, 1-Day Event]$3,000+200$150,0001 re-entry
Tuesday, March 16, 2021#1WPT500 - Online Final Day : $1M GTD [8-Max]-$1,000,000-
Tuesday, March 16, 2021#1Super50 - Online Final Day : $250K GTD [8-Max]-$250,000-
Tuesday, March 16, 2021#13Super50 Knockout - Online Day 1B : $400K GTD [8-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$50+5$400,0001 re-entry
Tuesday, March 16, 2021#13WPT500 Knockout - Online Day 1B : $1M GTD [8-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Tuesday, March 16, 2021#16High Roller Turbo - Online 1 Day Event : $50K GTD [7-Max, 1-Day Event]$1,000+50$50,0001 re-entry
Wednesday, March 17, 2021#17Omaha Knockout - Online 1 Day Event : $50K GTD [6-Max PKO, 2-Max]$500+30$50,0002 re-entries
Wednesday, March 17, 2021#13Super50 Knockout - Online Day 1C : $400K GTD [8-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$50+5$400,0001 re-entry
Wednesday, March 17, 2021#13WPT500 Knockout - Online Day 1C : $1M GTD [8-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Wednesday, March 17, 2021#186-Max Turbo Knockout - Online 1 Day Event : $20K GTD [6-Max PKO, 1-Day Event]$150+15$20,0001 re-entry
Thursday, March 18, 2021#196-Max High Roller - Online 1 Day Event : $250K GTD [6-Max, 1-Day Event]$5,000+200$250,0001 re-entry
Thursday, March 18, 2021#13Super50 Knockout - Online Day 1D : $400K GTD [8-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$50+5$400,0001 re-entry
Thursday, March 18, 2021#13WPT500 Knockout - Online Day 1D : $1M GTD [8-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Thursday, March 18, 2021#20High Roller Turbo - Online 1 Day Event : $50K GTD [6-Max, 1-Day Event]$1,000+50$50,0001 re-entry
Friday, March 19, 2021#13Super50 Knockout - Online Day 1E : $400K GTD [8-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$50+5$400,0001 re-entry
Friday, March 19, 2021#13WPT500 Knockout - Online Day 1E : $1M GTD [8-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Friday, March 19, 2021#21Mix-Max Turbo - Online 1 Day Event : $30K GTD [Mix-Max, 1-Day Event]$300+201 re-entry
Saturday, March 20, 2021#13Super50 Knockout - Online Day 1F : $400K GTD [8-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$50+5$400,0001 re-entry
Saturday, March 20, 2021#13WPT500 Knockout - Online Day 1F : $1M GTD [8-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Saturday, March 20, 2021#227-Max Turbo Knockout - Online 1 Day Event : $20K GTD [7-Max PKO, 1-Day Event]$200+15$20,0001 re-entry
Sunday, March 21, 2021#13Super50 Knockout - Online Day 1G : $400K GTD [8-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$50+5$400,0001 re-entry
Sunday, March 21, 2021#13WPT500 Knockout - Online Day 1G : $1M GTD [8-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Sunday, March 21, 2021#236-Max Hyper - Online 1 Day Event : $30K GTD [6-Max, 1-Day Event]$250+151 re-entry
Monday, March 22, 2021#13Super50 Knockout Day 1H Turbo : $400K GTD [7-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$50+5$400,0001 re-entry
Monday, March 22, 2021#13WPT500 Knockout Day 1H Turbo : $1M GTD [7-Max PKO, 3-Day Event]$500+30$1,000,0001 re-entry
Monday, March 22, 2021#13Super50 Knockout - Online Day 2 : $400K GTD [8-Max PKO]-$400,000-
Monday, March 22, 2021#13WPT500 Knockout - Online Day 2 : $1M GTD [8-Max PKO]-$1,000,000-
Monday, March 22, 2021#247-Max Turbo - Online 1 Day Event : $20K GTD [7-Max, 1-Day Event]$200+15$20,0001 re-entry
Tuesday, March 23, 2021#13Super50 Knockout - Online Final Day : $400K GTD [8-Max PKO]-$400,000-
Tuesday, March 23, 2021#13WPT500 Knockout - Online Final Day : $1M GTD [8-Max PKO]-$1,000,000-
Tuesday, March 23, 2021#25Closer Turbo - Online 1 Day Event : $50K GTD [6-Max PKO, 1-Day Event]$500+30$50,0001 re-entry

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