Picking up where WSOP.com leaves off
A week and a half after announcing the schedule for the domestic US portion of the WSOP Online 2021, the World Series of Poker has released details for the international branch of this summer’s festivities. GGPoker will reprise its role as host for the international WSOP Online, slated for August 1 through September 12.
Though the international WSOP Online 2021 will run more than a week longer than its US counterpart, it will award the same number of gold bracelets: 33. This is also significantly fewer than last year’s WSOP Online on GGPoker, which had 54 bracelet events. No explanation was given as to why there is such a big difference. Last year’s WSOP Online Main Event had a $27.5m prize pool, deemed the largest online poker tournament prize pool of all time by Guinness World Records.
The international WSOP Online 2021 overlaps with the US-based portion for exactly one day. The domestic version, hosted by WSOP.com in Nevada and New Jersey, runs July 1 to August 1. There is one tournament each day except for July 25, which has two.
WSOP Super Circuit Online Series
Though the World Series of Poker has yet to release the tournament-by-tournament schedule for the international leg of the WSOP Online 2021, it did also announce on Monday the WSOP Super Circuit Online Series. Also hosted by GGPoker, the WSOP Super Circuit Online Series runs nearly the entirety of May.
There are a total of 18 gold ring events during the series; tournaments are held on Saturdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays. The winner of the $525 buy-in, $5m guaranteed Main Event will claim a $50,000 sponsorship and be the very first member of Team Champions. The plan is to eventually fill Team Champions with every WSOP Online Series Champion. The Main Event has Day 1s running May 16 to May 30. Day 2 is on May 30, while the final table is on June 5.
two Circuit rings will be given to the best cash game players, a first for the WSOP Circuit
Additionally, two Circuit rings will be given to the best cash game players, a first for the WSOP Circuit. Players will earn points during the Series on the No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha/Pot Limit Omaha-5 leader boards, with the top nine in each invited to a final table to compete for the rings.
The WSOP also previewed the WSOP Winter Online Super Circuit, which will be on GGPoker at dates to be announced.
Live WSOP still to come
The WSOP Online 2021 – both the domestic and international segments – fill the spring and summer void left by the traditional, live World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, which was moved to the fall this year. The complete schedule is still on the way, but tournament organizers have already revealed that the WSOP, once again at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, will span two months, from September 30 through November 23.
The $10,000 Main Event is scheduled for November 4 through November 17. It will have four starting flights this year instead of the three that has been the norm. Both WSOP.com and GGPoker will offer satellites for players to win entry into the Main Event.
For the first time in decades, the World Series of Poker will not be broadcast on ESPN. Last week, the WSOP announced that its new television home will be the CBS Sports Network and “other Viacom CBS platforms.” PokerGO will also stream coverage of WSOP events online.