The World Series of Poker (WSOP) online platform, WSOP.com, has attracted record high traffic in recent months, courtesy of the hugely successful live series in Las Vegas, and the trend continues even after the festival wrapped up.
WSOP NJ/NV Cash Game Traffic Peaked to 506
WSOP’s shared liquidity network covering New Jersey and Nevada is recording a seven-day average of 472 concurrent cash seats, according to online poker tracker GameIntel. That’s up over 60% year-over-year, with the cash game traffic in 2022 peaking to just 305 after that year’s WSOP live series.
Before the start of the WSOP festival in May, the WSOP NJ/NV network was clocking 200 concurrent cash game seats. That figure doubled in the first week of July which marked the start of the WSOP Main Event and the US Independence Day holiday period.
Cash game figures hit 506 on July 14, an all-time high for the network, and the first time that traffic went above 500 since the mini-boom during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The best thing to come out of this is that the customers who played at the site during the WSOP series are still there enjoying the network’s offerings, which means the momentum has been maintained, driving growth for the network.
WSOP NJ Overtakes PokerStars in Online Poker Revenue
These positive results have allowed WSOP to reclaim the lead position in New Jersey in online poker revenue. For the first time in six months, WSOP NJ surpassed PokerStars, reporting $919K in revenue in June, compared to the latter’s $846K.
With the conclusion of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) live festival in Las Vegas, all eyes will now be on the upcoming WSOP Europe at King’s Resort in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. The series will award 15 gold bracelets and a combined guarantee of €15 million.
2023 WSOP Europe – Main Highlights
Running from October 25 to November 14, the 2023 WSOP Europe features 15 bracelet events, with six of them set to award seven-figure guarantees, including the first event on the schedule, the WSOPE 2023 NLH Opener (October 25-30) which costs €350 to enter and comes with a €1,000,000 guarantee.
The series culminates in Event #13 WSOPE Main Event NLH European Championship which has a buy-in of €10,350 and a massive guarantee of €5,000,000. The tournament takes place from November 10-15.
The schedule also includes a €1,350 buy-in, €2M GTD Mini Main Event (October 29-November 4) and a €550, €1.5M GTD NLH Colossus tournament (November 1-6).
Other events to be on the lookout for include the €25K buy-in, €1M GTD WSOPE NLHE GGMillion$ (November 6-7) and the WSOPE €50K buy-in, €1M GTD NLH Diamond High Roller (November 9-10).
WSOP Circuit Events in Europe
Prior to the bracelet action in Czech Republic, the WSOP is hosting a WSOP Circuit series in London, UK which features 15 circuit ring events and £7 million in guarantees. It kicked off on July 27 and will run until August 13. After that, another WSOP Circuit series will take place at King’s Resort with 12 ring events and €3 million in guarantees up for grabs.
The launch of online poker in Saskatchewan will be delayed yet again, as per a statement from the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA). Online poker players in the Canadian province may have to wait until 2024 to compete at the virtual felts.
Online Poker Launch Delayed Yet Again
This marks the second time that the launch of online poker has been postponed in Saskatchewan. The Canadian province opened its online gaming market in November 2022, offering online casino gaming and sports betting. Authorities previously said online poker would launch next, most probably in December of the same year, but it did not happen.
In January, SIGA indicated online poker could go live sometime in 2023, but now it has become clear that the launch won’t happen until at least December this year, with SIGA’s Director of Communications and Media Relations Alanna Adamko revealing that the rollout is still being worked on.
Reason for Delay Remains Unknown
Online casino gaming and sports betting are currently available in Saskatchewan via the PlayNow platform developed by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC). The main cause of the delay remains unclear, with Adamko refusing to give further details.
With online poker still not active in Saskatchewan, the Canadian province will not be able to join the Canadian Poker Network (CPN), a shared liquidity online poker network which currently has three members: British Columbia, Manitoba, and Quebec.
The poker world was generally abuzz with excitement after the World Series of Poker (WSOP) recently announced that it would award more gold bracelets this year via a major festival set to take place in the Bahamas. However, some poker players and fans are concerned the latest move by the WSOP to give away plenty of bracelets could devalue poker’s most sought-after trinket.
WSOP Bracelet Inflation?
WSOP Paradise will take place in December in the Bahamas, with 15 bracelets on offer. Taking into account all of the completed and upcoming bracelet series in 2023 both live and online, the total number of bracelets awarded this year could breach the 250 mark, the highest ever in the history of the WSOP, surpassing the 214 awarded in 2022. This scenario has been described by skeptics as “bracelet inflation” which could result in the bracelets losing their value and appeal.
Others view things differently though. They say awarding more bracelets each year will attract more recreational players who are considered the lifeblood of the game.
Poker Community Should Take Things Positively
The fact that the number of bracelets up for grabs has increased significantly over the years does not necessarily mean that winning a bracelet has become so much easier, according to some members of the poker community.
WSOP bracelets have become even more valuable now with more players being given the chance to win one, which means WSOP’s decision to add more bracelet events shouldn’t be a cause for concern.
After six years, PokerStars is finally hosting a live poker event in the US! The PokerStars Summer Series kicks off on August 24 and features a massive $1 million guarantee. The Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia plays host to the action which runs for three weeks until September 10.
2023 PokerStars Summer Series – Highlights
The 2023 PokerStars Summer Series marks the operator’s return to the US soil since 2017 and it wants to make that comeback a memorable one for players by giving them the chance to win big across different buy-in levels, plus opportunities to enter the series for a fraction of the prize.
There will be one major event running each week. Weekend 1 features a $550 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament which comes with a $200,000 guarantee. It gets underway on August 24, with the final action scheduled for August 27. Players can enter via three starting flights, with $80 Turbo Satellites also available.
The main highlight of Weekend 2 is a $1,100 NLH tournament with $300,000 in guaranteed prize money. It runs from August 31-September 4 and also comes with three Day 1 flights.
In Weekend 3, there’s a $2,200 NLH tournament with $500,000 guaranteed. It has two Day 1 flights and runs from September 7-10.
Online Satellites Running on PokerStars US
PokerStars will be running online satellites for the Summer Series in New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania with buy-ins starting at $5. Up for grabs are six Summer Series packages – three for the shared MI & NJ pool, and three for the segregated PA market.