The first ever World Series of Poker Online Bracelet Series on WSOP.com is now in the books. Gold bracelets were mailed out to 31 deserving recipients last month. While most winners didn’t record themselves celebrating after the final card was dealt, we found some celebratory videos that were quite entertaining.
The Nevada-New Jersey stretch of the series lasted 31 days, for the entirety of July, with a new bracelet awarded for each one-day event. Not too unlike a typical WSOP, winners consisted of well-known pros, former champions, old-school grinders, and recreational players.
Mix of Champions, Winner Reactions
Familiar faces included 2015 world champ Joe McKeehen and WPT commentator Tony Dunst. The 1999 WSOP Main Event runner-up, Alan Goehring, took down a gold bracelet, showing that these online events weren’t just for the younger generation of players.
Some of the champions from the online series were captured on video celebrating after the final card was dealt.
In the above 4-minute compilation of video highlights, we see 70-year-old online rookie sensation Ron McMillen overcome with excitement, circuit grinder Michael Lech busting out some premium dance moves to celebrate.
Meanwhile, poker vlogger Ethan Yau was practically stunned silent when he binked his bracelet, which was in sharp contrast with Ryan Depaulo, who almost caused a scene in the parking lot of a New Jersey Whole Foods where he made his six-figure score.
And we get to see Ian Steinman and his dog jumping in the dark upon winning an event that would help propel him to the top of the $100k WSOP.com Player of the Series leaderboard.
For Matt Bode, his video doesn’t show him winning his bracelet, but rather receiving the gold hardware in the mail — an eye-opening reminder that these virtual events are still plenty real.
WSOP Online Shifts to GGPoker
The 31-event WSOP.com bracelet series wrapped up July 31. But the 2020 World Series of Poker Online bracelet events will run until Sep. 6 on GGPoker, an online poker site that isn’t available in the United States. Players who competed in the WSOP.com series must now find another country to play the remainder of the series.
GGPoker’s portion of the WSOP series spans 54 events, which includes a $5,000 Main Event (with up to two rebuys) and a $25 million guaranteed prize pool. It’s likely this will replace the annual Main Event in Las Vegas. The WSOP has said little about how optimistic they still are about running a live series in the fall at the Rio in Las Vegas, which would include the 51st annual $10,000 Main Event. But that is unlikely to happen unless the coronavirus magically disappears as some predicted it would.
The events in the second half of the WSOP Online Bracelet Series, on GGPoker for rest-of-world players, features higher stakes events.
Of the 31 tournaments on WSOP.com, 21 cost less than $1,000 to enter, with the most expensive — No-Limit Hold’em High Roller — requiring a $3,200 buyin. The “Main” event cost just $1,000, drawing 2,126 entries.
The current series on the global poker site features seven events priced at $5,000 or above, including the Main Event and the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Poker Players Championship.
