Flag Background

WSOP to Offer Four Online Events in 2018

Written by Jennifer Newell
Last updated on
WSOP logo

The World Series of Poker announced its final 2018 daily schedule on December 12. The release of the information before the end of they year is unprecedented, as are some of the revelations within the press release that accompanied the schedule.

While there are several additions and changes to the WSOP for 2018, the online poker portion is significant in that there will be four bracelet events taking place at the WSOP-dot-com website. This not only signals an ever-growing focus on the internet brand but hints at the possibility that the interstate online poker liquidity agreement could be in full swing before the end of the 2018 summer series.

Important Information

As for the entirety of the 49th annual WSOP, it is set for May 29 to July 17 of 2018 with more bracelet events than in its history. A total of 78 gold bracelets will be awarded in that time, with the most prestigious of them being the $10K buy-in NLHE Championship, otherwise known as the Main Event and the centerpiece of the series set for July 2 to July 14.

There will be more of a focus next year on events after the Main Event, set to keep players in Las Vegas beyond their eliminations from the Main Event. After the three Main Event starting days, there will be several $1,500 and $3K buy-in tournaments, a $5K NLHE, the $10K NLHE 6-Handed Championship, and the inaugural “Closer” $1,500 NLHE event with a $1 million guarantee. Several of the featured events will also happen at that time in July, including the $1,111 Little One for One Drop, $1 million Big One for One Drop, and $50K NLHE High Roller.

Of the nine new events on the schedule, several offer more PLO options, one of which is a very low buy-in event – the $365 PLO GIANT with five starting days. And in place of the popular $10K tag team tournament of 2017, a $10K Super Turbo Bounty NLHE will be put in its place.

Most of the 78 tournaments will begin at 11am or 3pm on weekdays or 10am.

Players will be able to begin registering for tournaments online and in person at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas beginning sometime in March, though that is subject to change.

Online Tournaments and Satellites

As mentioned, there will be four bracelet events on the 2018 schedule, all to be played on the Nevada WSOP online poker site. Players will have to be located within the borders of Nevada to be verified and allowed to play, though they can be located anywhere within the state.

The online events are listed as follows:

  • Event #9 (Sunday, June 3): $365 NLHE with unlimited reentries

  • Event #47 (Friday, June 22): $565 PLO 6-Handed with unlimited reentries

  • Event #61 (Friday, June 29): $1,000 NLHE Championship with unlimited reentries

  • Event #63 (Saturday, June 30): $3,200 NLHE High Roller with unlimited reentries

All tournaments will be played through to a winner in one day. No guarantees are set on the events at this time, but that could change as the time nears.

Satellites for the above events, as well as some of the live events, will begin at the WSOP online site in February and run through June. Last year, the site awarded more than 1,000 seats to bracelet events for the summer series, and that number will likely grow in 2018 with more tournaments on the schedule. Players in Nevada and New Jersey will be able to qualify online, and those in Delaware can win seats as well, due to the already-combined player pools with Delaware and Nevada.

Should the new interstate agreement with New Jersey launch before the WSOP, there is a chance that there will be some very large satellite offerings due to the combined player pools in Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey. However, there is no timetable set yet for the implementation of the shared liquidity.

Another opportunity may present itself in Pennsylvania, if the state’s regulator is able to launch its online poker sites before June. That would be sooner than expected, however, considering the licensing period has yet to even begin.

In addition to the US opportunities, the WSOP will remain in its multi-faceted partnership with 888poker, which means 888 will again be the exclusive international site offering WSOP seats in regulated countries and territories around the world.

 

See All
See All