As the saying goes, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” While the online poker industry has been attempting to weather a serious storm over the last few months, one constant still remains: the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP). The world’s largest online poker room (smaller, but still the largest) has released the schedule for this year’s WCOOP, the tenth annual running of the internet’s most popular poker series.
The festivities start in just over a month with three tournaments on September 4th: a $215 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max event, the $10,300 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller event, and a standard $215 No-Limit Hold’em event. Like last year, there will be 62 events in total, spread across three weeks. As always, PokerStars will guarantee a minimum prize pool for each event, though because U.S. players are no longer in the fold, the guarantees are lower than in 2010. Last year, there total guaranteed prize pool was $50 million, whereas this year it is “only” $30 million.
As one would expect, most of the tournaments feature No-Limit Hold’em, but there is something for everyone, as varieties of Stud, Omaha, Draw, mixed games, and even Badugi, can be found on the schedule. There are three High Roller events, both with $10,300 buy-ins: the aforementioned No-Limit Hold’em tourney on opening day, a Heads-Up event, and an 8-game tournament. The 2011 WCOOP culminates on September 25th with the $5,200 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event.
Last year’s Main Event fielded 2,443 entrants, creating a $12,215,000 prize pool. Winning the title was “POTTERPOKER,” who became $2,278,097 richer. Across the entire 2010 WCOOP, the total combined prize pools hit $63,157,150.
Of course, with the lowest buy-in being $109, the WCOOP is likely too rich for many players, so PokerStars is running qualifiers around the clock so that people can satellite in on the cheap. Satellites start from as little as just one dollar or 100 FPP. Steps Sit-and-Go’s are also available. PokerStars has a WCOOP Live Satellites Feed on its website so that players can quickly spot upcoming qualifiers for various WCOOP tournaments. Clicking on a tournament will launch the PokerStars software, allowing players to register immediately.
There is also a WCOOP Player of the Series Tournament Leader Board, in which players are ranked based on their finishes in WCOOP events. Points are awarded to every player who cashes in any tournament, with point variations determined by the size of the tables and the type of tournament (standard, shootout, six-handed shootout, or heads-up). The player who finishes atop the leader board will receive a Champion’s Trophy, a European Poker Tour Season 8 Grand Final Package, a 2012 Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) Main Event Ticket, a 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure package, and a special edition chip set.
The complete 2011 WCOOP schedule is as follows:
Event 1 – Sept 4 10:00 – $215 NL Hold’em [6-Max] – $1,000,000 Guaranteed
Event 2 – Sept 4 12:00 – $10,300 NL Hold’em [High Roller] – $1,250,000 Guaranteed
Event 3 – Sept 4 14:00 – $215 NL Hold’em – $1,250,000 Guaranteed
Event 4 – Sept 5 11:00 – $320 PL Omaha – $300,000 Guaranteed
Event 5 – Sept 5 14:00 – $320 NL Hold’em [6-Max, Shootout] – $175,000
Guaranteed
Event 6 – Sept 5 17:00 – $215+R NL Hold’em [Turbo] – $500,000 Guaranteed
Event 7 – Sept 6 11:00 – $215 PL Draw – $75,000 Guaranteed
Event 8 – Sept 6 14:00 – $215 Triple Stud – $50,000 Guaranteed
Event 9 – Sept 6 17:00 – $1,050 NL Hold’em – $600,000 Guaranteed
Event 10 – Sept 7 06:00 – $265 PL Omaha [Knockout] – $225,000 Guaranteed
Event 11 – Sept 7 11:00 – $320 NL Hold’em [Ante Up] – $300,000 Guaranteed
Event 12 – Sept 7 14:00 – $215 NL Hold’em [Heads-Up] – $225,000 Guaranteed
Event 13 – Sept 8 06:00 – $215 PL Omaha H/L [6-Max, 1R1A] – $125,000 Guaranteed
Event 14 – Sept 8 11:00 – $265 NL Hold’em [6-Max, Knockout] – $500,000 Guaranteed
Event 15 – Sept 8 14:00 – $215 Razz – $125,000 Guaranteed
Event 16 – Sept 9 11:00 – $215 PL Omaha [6-Max] – $250,000 Guaranteed
Event 17 – Sept 9 14:00 – $215 NL Single Draw 2-7 – $25,000 Guaranteed
Event 18 – Sept 9 17:00 – $320 NL Hold’em [10-Min Levels] – $350,000 Guaranteed
Event 19 – Sept 10 10:00 – $109 NL Hold’em – $800,000 Guaranteed
Event 20 – Sept 10 14:00 – $215 FL Hold’em – $100,000 Guaranteed
Event 21 – Sept 11 10:00 – $215 NL Hold’em – $1,250,000 Guaranteed
Event 22 – Sept 11 14:00 – $530 NL Hold’em – $1,500,000 Guaranteed
Event 23 – Sept 12 11:00 – $215 NL Hold’em [4-Max] – $500,000 Guaranteed
Event 24 – Sept 12 14:00 – $320 Stud – $50,000 Guaranteed
Event 25 – Sept 12 17:00 – $215 PL Omaha [Turbo, 1R1A] – $225,000 Guaranteed
Event 26 – Sept 13 11:00 – $320 Mixed Hold’em [6-Max] – $225,000 Guaranteed
Event 27 – Sept 13 14:00 – $320 FL Badugi – $50,000 Guaranteed
Event 28 – Sept 13 17:00 – $1,050 NL Hold’em – $600,000 Guaranteed
Event 29 – Sept 14 06:00 – $265 NL Omaha H/L [6-Max, Knockout] – $100,000 Guaranteed
Event 30 – Sept 14 11:00 – $530 NL Hold’em [10-Max, Triple Shootout] – $275,000 Guaranteed
Event 31 – Sept 14 14:00 – $320 8-Game – $100,000 Guaranteed
Event 32 – Sept 15 06:00 – $320 NL Hold’em [6-Max] – $350,000 Guaranteed
Event 33 – Sept 15 11:00 – $320 PL Omaha [6-Max, 1R1A] – $300,000 Guaranteed
Event 34 – Sept 15 14:00 – $320 Triple Draw 2-7 – $50,000 Guaranteed
Event 35 – Sept 16 11:00 – $215+R NL Hold’em – $550,000 Guaranteed
Event 36 – Sept 16 14:00 – $530 FL Omaha H/L – $175,000 Guaranteed
Event 37 – Sept 16 17:00 – $109 8-Game [10-Min Rounds] – $50,000 Guaranteed
Event 38 – Sept 17 10:00 – $530 NL Hold’em [Heads-Up] – $350,000 Guaranteed
Event 39 – Sept 17 14:00 – $320 HORSE – $125,000 Guaranteed
Event 40 – Sept 18 10:00 – $215 NL Hold’em – $1,000,000 Guaranteed
Event 41 – Sept 18 12:00 – $10,300 NL Hold’em [High-Roller Heads-Up] – $150,000 Guaranteed
Event 42 – Sept 18 14:00 – $1,050 NL Hold’em – $1,500,000 Guaranteed
Event 43 – Sept 19 11:00 – $320+R PL Omaha [6-Max] – $350,000 Guaranteed
Event 44 – Sept 19 14:00 – $320 NL Hold’em [2X Chance] – $400,000 Guaranteed
Event 45 – Sept 19 17:00 – $265 NL Hold’em [Turbo, Knockout] – $400,000 Guaranteed
Event 46 – Sept 20 11:00 – $320 Mixed PL Hold’em/Omaha – $225,000 Guaranteed
Event 47 – Sept 20 14:00 – $530 Stud H/L – $50,000 Guaranteed
Event 48 – Sept 20 17:00 – $1,050 NL Hold’em – $600,000 Guaranteed
Event 49 – Sept 21 06:00 – $215 NL Hold’em [1R1A] – $400,000 Guaranteed
Event 50 – Sept 21 11:00 – $215 NL Hold’em [Big Antes] – $350,000 Guaranteed
Event 51 – Sept 21 14:00 – $320 PL Omaha H/L – $175,000 Guaranteed
Event 52 – Sept 22 06:00 – $320 NL Hold’em – $400,000 Guaranteed
Event 53 – Sept 22 11:00 – $530+R NL Hold’em – $600,000 Guaranteed
Event 54 – Sept 22 14:00 – $2,100 PL Omaha [6-Max] – $450,000 Guaranteed
Event 55 – Sept 23 11:00 – $530 NL Hold’em [1R1A] – $600,000 Guaranteed
Event 56 – Sept 23 14:00 – $1,050 FL Hold’em [6-Max] – $150,000 Guaranteed
Event 57 – Sept 23 17:00 – $215 NL Omaha H/L [10-Min Levels] – $75,000 Guaranteed
Event 58 – Sept 24 10:00 – $530 PL Omaha [Heads-Up] – $125,000 Guaranteed
Event 59 – Sept 24 14:00 – $2,100 HORSE – $200,000 Guaranteed
Event 60 – Sept 25 10:00 – $215 NL Hold’em – $1,250,000 Guaranteed
Event 61 – Sept 25 12:00 – $10,300 8-Game [High Roller] – $500,000 Guaranteed
Event 62 – Sept 25 14:00 – $5,200 NL Hold’em Main Event (20% 1st Place Gtd) – $5,000,000 Guaranteed
