Less than a month after launching, WSOP PA this week began hosting its first ever World Series of Poker Online Bracelet Series. Pennsylvania players will win eight WSOP bracelets over the course of the series, the first major tournament series on the site.
Thus far two small buy-in events have completed, while a third scheduled for last night was canceled and rescheduled for next week.
Two $500 events complete, prize pools of $225K and $147K
The two completed events were both $500 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournaments, including one featuring the progressive knockout (PKO) bounty format. Both earmarked $50 of the buy-in as a tournament fee.
Event #1: $500 No-Limit Hold’em Keystone Kickoff
Event #1 featured three starting flights spread over three days, August 6-8. The ability to run multi-flight tournaments is a feature of the new Poker 8 platform unavailable on WSOP’s older software still used on its sites in other states. Players busting from an earlier flight were able to enter a later one.
Ultimately 425 players took part with 75 total rebuys, creating a final prize pool of $225,000. There were 148 survivors of Day 1 flights who reassembled on Monday for the final day. The top 90 finishers cashed, with “ratrivers” ultimately taking the bracelet and a $48,420 first prize.
As with other World Series of Poker bracelet events, the WSOP does not allow final table deal-making in WSOP Online Bracelet Series events.
Event #2: $500 No-Limit Hold’em PKO
Event #2 also featured a $500 buy-in. With the PKO format, $225 of each buy-in went to the regular prize pool and $225 went to the bounty pool. Players could re-enter one time, if they wished.
The event took just over 10 hours to complete on Monday. Ultimately 262 players took part with 65 re-entries, making the overall prize pool (regular and bounty) $147,150.
The top 48 finishers split the regular prize pool. Meanwhile anyone who eliminated an opponent during the tournament claimed part of the bounty pool. “POTtheRIVER” took the title, earning $27,592.56 for the win. Just over half that amount came from bounties, more than $14,700.
By comparison, the recently completed 33-event WSOP Online Bracelet Series on WSOP Nevada and WSOP New Jersey featured seven $500 buy-in preliminary events, plus the $500 Grand Finale. The prize pools for those seven $500 prelims averaged around $429,000 per tournament. (The Grand Finale had a $1 million guaranteed prize pool and an overlay of about $90,000.)
High Roller event encounters snafu, rescheduled for Aug. 17
On Tuesday the series’ highest buy-in Event #3 was scheduled, the $3,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller. For that event $3,040 of each buy-in would go to the prize pool and $160 for the fee. Players could re-enter up to two times during the lengthy late registration period lasting nearly six hours.
On Tuesday the series’ highest buy-in Event #3 was scheduled, the $3,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller. For that event $3,040 of each buy-in would go to the prize pool and $160 for the fee. Players could re-enter up to two times during the lengthy late registration period lasting nearly six hours.Around 19 players had registered for the event by late yesterday afternoon, with satellites for it also running. But just 15 minutes before the scheduled start time the WSOP sent a tweet announcing the event had been canceled and rescheduled, and the event suddenly vanished from the lobby.
According to the WSOP’s tweet, “technical difficulties” forced the postponement, although there was no additional explanation. In any case, players involved in satellites playing out at that moment expressed surprise and disappointment at the abrupt stoppage of their tournaments. Ryan Hagerty was one such player who tweeted his dismay.
Replies to Hagerty’s tweet indicate players in the interrupted satellites did receive compensation.
With the rescheduling of the High Roller, here is the remaining schedule for the WSOP Online Bracelet series at WSOP PA:
| No. | Date | Time (ET) | Event | Buy-in | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Aug. 11 (W) | 5:30 p.m. | No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max | $400 | ||
| 5 | Aug. 12 (Th) | 5:30 p.m. | No-Limit Hold’em Lucky 7’s | $777 | ||
| 6 | Aug. 13 (F) | 5:30 p.m. | No-Limit Hold’em PKO | $400 | ||
| 7 | Aug. 14 (Sa) | 5:30 p.m. | No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack | $600 | ||
| 8 | Aug. 15 (Su) | 5:30 p.m. | No-Limit Hold’em PA Championship | $1,000 | ||
| 3 | Aug. 17 (Tu) | 5:30 p.m. | No-Limit Hold’em High Roller | $3,200 |
Lead image credit: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
