The online poker scene in the US is improving daily due to the coronavirus pandemic. Beginning April 5, WSOP.com will host a $4 million guaranteed Spring Online Championship series that should make history.
Ever since the live poker rooms in Las Vegas (and New Jersey) closed down earlier this month, WSOP.com’s traffic has spiked. Many regulars on that site have noticed the games have been juicier lately. And far more players are now logged in at any given time, compared to before the coronavirus pandemic took hold.
Now, the action should pick up even more.
Juiciest Legal Online Poker Series in American History
Prior to Black Friday in 2011, there were numerous, big money online poker events, such as the PokerStars SCOOP and the Full Tilt Poker FTOPS series. Now, with just four states offering legal online poker in the US (New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, and Pennsylvania), there haven’t been any major series the past decade.
That will all change come April 5 when WSOP.com hosts a $4 million guaranteed series. The 100-event series is only available to those in New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada. Players in Delaware will compete in the series on the 888poker partner site. Pennsylvania residents cannot play, as neither WSOP.com nor 888poker are available in that state.
Tournament entries for the special online poker series range from $10 up to $1,000. The Spring Online Championship series kicks off with three tournaments on April 5, including a $30 ($30,000 guarantee), $215 ($100,000 guarantee), and $55 ($50,000 guarantee). It culminates with a $300,000 guaranteed Main Event on May 3.
Prior to the start of the Spring Online Championship, WSOP.com will host a 12-event warm-up mini-series from April 1-4, with $250,000 in guaranteed prize money up for grabs.
WSOP.com the Potential Home for 2020 WSOP?
With the live World Series of Poker in jeopardy due to the coronavirus scare, many poker players have speculated the series will take place exclusively on WSOP.com. The WSOP says it won’t make a final decision on the fate of the 51st annual summer poker extravaganza until early May.
The 51st annual WSOP already has 14 online poker bracelet events scheduled, which means players may still have some ability to compete for a WSOP title even if live poker is still not permitted in Nevada at the end of May. We’ll have to wait another month to see what the WSOP decides.
