The WPT World Online Championships micro and mini-main events are underway and, so far, it’s been mixed fortunes for the organizers.
First to get underway was the $109 micro main event. Day 1A started on Saturday, attracting 4,097 entries. Day 1B took place Sunday, drawing an additional 4,368 buy-ins.
A combined total of 8,465 entries is impressive by any standards, but it wasn’t enough to crack the event’s $1 million guarantee.
All to Play For as Registration Remains Open
Registration is open until the start of Day 2 (19:05 BST on Monday). Therefore, the WPT and host site Partypoker still have time to make up the $153,500 shortfall. However, even with a late surge, it will be tight.
It’s a different story in the $1,050 mini main event. Day 1A played out on Sunday where 2,510 starters were whittled down to 406 over the course of eight hours.
More importantly, the initial flight generated $2.51 million in prize money, which is more than half the $5 million guarantee. With Day 1B due to start on September 6, there’s every chance the WPT World Online Championships mini main event will beat its guarantee.
That will go down as an achievement and, perhaps, an example of the type of player WPT MTTs most appeal to.
Contrasting Fortunes for WPT World Online Championships
Although numbers have been strong across the board, higher buy-in events in the World Online Championships have been most successful. For example, only one of the 8-Max Championships beat its guarantee:
- Event #3 Micro Buy-In $33, 8-Max Championship – $300,000 guarantee ($232,950 collected)
- Event #3 Mini Buy-In $320, 8-Max Championship – $1 million guarantee ($992,700 collected)
- Event #3 Main Buy-In $3,200, 8-Max Championship – $3 million guarantee ($3,186,000 collected)
From the data above, both the micro and mini versions of the 8-Max Championship fell short of their guarantees. This is only one example, but there’s been a similar trend across other events in the WPT World Online Championships.
This doesn’t mean the series as a whole hasn’t been a success. Nor does it mean the level of interest in low-stakes MTTs has been poor. It simply suggests that, on average, the main events have been more successful than their less-expensive counterparts.
There may be a number of reasons for this. The WSOP Online means there are a lot of MTTs to focus on right now. The disparity in interest may also mean the WPT is more popular with pros than novices.
Overall, the inaugural WPT World Online Championships will be seen as a success, so far. However, the latest figures suggest that some tweaks may be necessary if the organizers want to avoid overlays in the future.
