The 2020 WSOP schedule is nearly complete, and you’re going to love it if you’re an online poker player. Traditionalists might be a bit disappointed, however.
World Series of Poker planners decided to increase the number of online bracelet events from nine in 2019 to 14 this year. That’s nearly double the number of online bracelet events in all previous years combined. It’s also a sign that the WSOP is changing. We’ll let you decide whether the changes are positive or not.
Online Bracelet Events Gaining Popularity with Organizers
The 2020 World Series of Poker begins May 27 with the first live bracelet event, a $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout. The first online bracelet event — a $400 No-Limit Hold’em tournament — is scheduled for May 31. There will be a total of 14 tournaments — each awarding a gold bracelet — at the WSOP.com poker site.
Players in Nevada and New Jersey are eligible to compete in the online events. The live tournaments will, for the 16th straight year, take place at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Michigan recently became the fifth state to legalize online poker. The Wolverine State is expected to launch its first poker sites in 2021. With the continued expansion of online poker in the US, the WSOP is attempting to “help elevate this popular variant of poker” by offering 14 online bracelet events, according to a press release.
Good Idea or Bad Idea?
The 2020 WSOP schedule will certainly make some poker players happy, while upsetting others. Many traditionalists don’t care for the online events, as they believe the World Series of Poker should remain exclusively a live poker series. But others, especially the internet grinders, enjoy having the opportunity to win a bracelet without getting off the couch.
You can win multiple bracelets this year from the comfort of your own home or hotel room. Due to the online poker pact between the WSOP.com sites in Nevada and New Jersey, players in both states can compete in these events. In 2018, Matthew “mendey” Mendez, who scooped the $565 PLO, became the first player to win an online bracelet event outside of Nevada.
With 14 bracelet events scheduled, the odds favor another non-Nevada player shipping a bracelet this year. It’s certainly shaping up to be an interesting summer. The finalized WSOP schedule should be available in the coming days.
