As if there isn’t enough live poker going on to keep players happy, PokerStars is offering the latest version of their World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP). Beginning on September 10, PokerStars will be offering a massive 110-event schedule that covers virtually every discipline that is available in the world of poker. Not only does 2023 offer its usual three tiers of tournaments to cover all buy-ins, but it is also laying out $80 million in guaranteed prize pools for every one of the events on the roster.
Litany of Poker Disciplines on the Tables
One of the best things about the PokerStars events, whether it is the WCOOP or the SCOOP tournaments, is that they will usually cover EVERY poker discipline that is played. Texas and Omaha Hold’em are both in action, with no limit and pot limit versions, and Omaha’s Eight or Better version gets on the books. If you’re a mixed game aficionado, then there is H.O.R.S.E. action that will be held. Freezeouts, Turbo tournaments, Badugi, Razz, Deuce to Seven Lowball…if you can name it, then it looks as if the 2023 WCOOP has something you might fancy.
It wouldn’t be a major tournament poker series without a Main Event, and the 2023 WCOOP features three of them starting on October 1. There will be a $100 ($9 juice) “lower tier” Main Event, a $1000 ($50) “middle tier” tournament, and a $10,000 ($300) “upper tier” event, all kicking off on the same day. These events will also have sizeable guarantees on every prize pool, with $2.5 million for the “lower tier,” $4 million for the “middle tier,” and $6 million for the “upper tier” tournament. Toss in twelve World Championship competitions and it promises to be a full house on the PokerStars servers.
What will add to that throng of digital humanity will be the opportunity for players to win their way through on the cheap. The PokerStars Power Path will add WCOOP tickets to their Step 3 and 4 tournaments, with the ability for players to exchange those tickets for entry into WCOOP events. The Bronze Passes will be able to be used for $109 buy-in events, with three other Pass bundles available.
Silver Pass Ticket Bundle 1
- 1 x $530 WCOOP ticket
- 3 x $215 WCOOP tickets
- 6 x $109 WCOOP tickets
- 8 x $55 WCOOP tickets
- 10 x $22 WCOOP tickets
Silver Pass Ticket Bundle 2
- 2 x $1,050 WCOOP Main Event-M tickets
- 2 x $109 WCOOP Main Event-L tickets
- 8 x $22 WCOOP ticket
Gold Pass Bundle
- 1 x $5,200 WCOOP ticket
- 4 x $1,050 WCOOP tickets
- 4 x $109 WCOOP tickets
- 6 x $55 WCOOP tickets
Repeat of Huge 2022 WCOOP?
PokerStars is looking to best their performance from last year, which could be a tough standard to breach. 367 tournaments were contested, with over 1.1 million entries across all the tournaments. Over $108 million in prize pools were generated, with over $17 million handed out in first-place prizes.
Brazil was the dominant nation for the 2022 WCOOP, taking down 70 of the championships that were contested. The United Kingdom was a distant second, with 47 wins in the events, and Austria was a little further back with 28 championships. Sweden (21) and Germany (18) rounded out the Top Five countries for championship wins during last year’s tournament schedule.
Over a billion dollars has been handed out in prize pools in the history of the WCOOP (2002-2022), and there will be plenty of players looking to get their piece of the action for this year’s schedule. If you’re eligible to play (U. S. players cannot take part in the 2023 WCOOP, unfortunately), head over to PokerStars and their blog to learn more about the schedule of events and the oodles of cash that will be up for grabs.