Innovating with the digital world is crucial to continued success – the World Series of Poker (WSOP) has done exactly that. We recently witnessed the third installment of the WSOP Online tournament, which didn’t disappoint.
With large prizes, a variety of buy-in amounts and game variations, WSOP has become America’s largest online poker room. Moreover, it’s changing the narrative of how to play poker in high-stake games. Prize money was once the biggest difference between land-based and online games, but that gap is being bridged.
We look at everything you need to know about the World Series of Poker online tournament.
How the WSOP online tournament has evolved
The World Series of Poker online tournament began in 2020 and acted as a lifeline in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. After postponing the 2020 land-based WSOP tournament, organizers decided to move it online. The event featured 85 bracelet events, with the overall winner, Stoyan Madanzheiv, taking home $3.9 million.
After this incredible success, online poker tournaments started to be taken more seriously – as an avenue for elite and high-stake tournaments. WSOP went from a one-off event to an annual affair, attracting the world’s best players.
Since 2020, the WSOP tournament has taken place each year and shows no signs of stopping in its growth. Historically the event takes place between July and October. Sweden’s Simon Mattsson won the 2022 main event and accumulated $2.8 million in prize money.
Since its beginning, the number of entrants has skyrocketed, suggesting a bright future for competitive poker online. In 2020, there were 1,715 entrants in the $500 No-Limit Hold’em event. In 2022, there were 5,099 entries for the same event. This trajectory has been mirrored across all WSOP online tournament variations. The 2022 $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main event had 5,802 entrants (1,000 more than in 2020), creating the largest online prize pot for poker in history – $27.5 million!
What to expect from the WSOP online tournaments
In collaboration with GGPoker, the WSOP online tournaments curate an exciting round-robin of events. From Texas Hold’em to 7-card stud and Omaha, there are over 30 bracelet events to choose from. The buy-ins range from $100 to $10,000. You don’t have to be a professional to enter; you just need enough money to join the table.
The notable tournaments to look out for are the Texas Hold’em main event and the $5,000 No-Limit event hosted by GGPoker. This has a mouth-watering (guaranteed) prize pool of $20 million. Other key events are the Million Dollar Mystery Bounty, the $3,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller and the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Championship. There’s even a super millions high roller event with a $5 million guarantee.
For beginners who want to play online poker for real money, it’s a great time to watch and learn the game, as it attracts players from all over the world. The array of different events is a great way to find the variation of poker you enjoy the most.
What’s the difference between WSOP online and in-person tournaments?
The World Series of Poker, which dates back to 1970, is the longest-running and richest gaming event in the world. Over its 52-year reign, the WSOP has distributed approximately $3.3 billion in prize money. The history of online poker is far less lucrative, but it does have an exciting future ahead.
A considerable difference between the two formats is the payouts. Because WSOP’s online tournament is fairly new to the scene, in-person, land-based tournaments still get a higher number of entrants. And the more players there are, the larger the prize pot becomes. In 2022, the No-Limit Hold’em world championship saw 8,663 entrants. The prize pool? $80.8 million. Espen Jordstad won the event and the $10 million prize pot. The rest of the pot was paid out to the top 1,299 players.
Furthermore, poker strategies differ depending on whether you’re playing in-person or online. Reading players is harder online. It’s trickier to pick up tells, such as double-checking cards and facial expressions, from opponents if you can’t see them. This means you can’t react to players’ behaviors like you can in land-based poker. Instead, experienced players tend to be more aggressive and loose in the hands they play. Another factor to consider is playing at tables with fewer than 10 players – this requires more bluffing and semi-bluffing.
Lastly, there is a difference in the level of competition. Online tournaments tend to attract more recreational players who are interested in playing but don’t have years of experience. This suggests winning is easier in the online events. Something to keep in mind if you’re keen to enter the poker scene.
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