Summer WSOP action after all
The picture of the 2021 World Series of Poker has become a bit clearer, as tournament organizers have released the schedule for the “domestic” portion of the WSOP Online 2021. A total of 33 gold bracelets will be awarded over 32 days, spanning July 1 through August 1.
The WSOP is trying to make things fun by calling some of the weeks “themed” weeks. The first is a stretch, dubbed “Premiere Week.” There isn’t really anything tying the events from July 1 through July 8 together (that’s also longer than a week), but hey, it’s cool.
Then there is “Micro Madness,” which is July 9 through July 11, which certainly is not a week at all. And I guess these are supposed to be the “micro” buy-ins, but the three tournaments cost $400, $333, and $400. That’s cheaper than most of the others, but when the buy-in level one notch up is $500, it’s not much of a discount.
“PLO Week” is next, which covers July 12 through July 21, well over a week. And of those ten events, just three are Pot-Limit Omaha. So I guess it should be NLH Week?
Then there’s a three day stretch that is unnamed, followed by “Double Bracelet Day” on July 25, the only day in which two bracelets will be awarded. There is one event every day of the WSOP Online 2021 except for this day.
“Championship Week” is pretty legit. It actually covers seven days, from July 26 through August 1, and includes five championship events. The “No-Limit Hold’em Championship,” which may be the equivalent of the Main Event, costs $1,000 to enter.
The final event of the WSOP Online 2021, appropriately called the “No-Limit Hold’em Grand Finale,” costs just $500, but has a $1 million guaranteed prize pool.
Pandemic still an issue
About half of this schedule takes place when the World Series of Poker normally would, but this year, the traditional, live WSOP has been moved to the fall, running September 30 through November 23. Though things are definitely improving, the COVID-19 pandemic is still a problem, so shifting the schedule gives more time for shots to get into arms and for the WSOP to work with public health officials and state regulators to be sure everything is safe.
The World Series of Poker introduced online events years ago, but because the pandemic forced the postponement and eventual cancellation of the live WSOP last year, a new, full-schedule WSOP Online was born. The setup was very similar to this year’s schedule – it was one event for each day of July.
For those interested in participating, remember that the schedule that was released is only for players located in Nevada or New Jersey, as those are the only two jurisdictions where WSOP.com is available. Just like the live WSOP, you don’t have to live where it is being held, you just have to be there at the time.
Players outside of the United States will have their opportunities, just like they did in 2020. No announcement has been made as to the “international” portion of the WSOP Online yet, except for the fact that the schedule is to come.