The World Poker Tour’s online efforts are in full bloom right now and players in the Garden State are the latest beneficiaries.
Even though coronavirus is keeping live events on lockdown, the WPT is keeping its bandwagon rolling. With its inaugural online series a resounding success, the WPT has doubled down with a US championship.
Set to run on June 28, the WPT Online Poker Open will be available to players in New Jersey. The buy-in will be $400 and Garden State grinders will have a $300,000 guarantee to fight over.
New Event for New Jersey Poker Players
The WPT doesn’t have a real money poker site in New Jersey. It does, however, have partners that do. Partypoker’s US network, under Borgata Casino’s gaming license, will host the MTT.
Practically, this means players can take part in the WPT Online Poker Open on one of three sites:
- BorgataPoker.com
- NJ.partypoker.com
- BetMGMPoker.com
The WPT and Partypoker have a long-standing relationship that’s taken on a new significance in recent months. With the world in lockdown, the pair put a new spin on their collaborative efforts.
Crossovers between the WPT and Partypoker Live got the ball rolling in 2018. That deal saw Partypoker’s fledging live tour merge with the WPT for a series of events around the world.
The partnership was proving fruitful for both sides until coronavirus forced everyone to hit the pause button. Now, instead of Partypoker leaning on the WPT for its experience in running live events, the roles have been reversed.
The WPT used Partypoker’s platform to host its first online festival in May. Guarantees were broken and expectations exceeded, something that’s given both companies the impetus to do more.
WPT and Partypoker Do It Again
In addition to the WPT Online Poker Open in New Jersey, the two poker powers have announced a second international festival. The World Online Championships will take place on Partypoker’s global network (not in the US) and feature a $100 million guarantee.
Cards will fly starting on July 17 and there will be a full spectrum of MTTs on offer until September 8. Buy-ins will start at $33, but the highlight of the series will be a $10 million guaranteed $10,300 main event.
The World Online Championships will replace the WPT’s annual live offering in Las Vegas. Partypoker’s managing director Tom Waters described it as a reaction to “popular demand.”
Online poker is more popular than ever right now. Traffic reports and Google data show that activity among regulars and newbies is up since March. This trend has not only led to the creation of online championship events, but to larger prize pools as well.
GGPoker and the WSOP recently awarded more than $134 million in the inaugural Online Super Circuit series. That forced PokerStars to go one better by guaranteeing $135 million for its 2020 Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP).
The WPT and Partypoker are now entering the same orbit with the World Online Championship and Online Poker Open. The recent wave of collaborations continues to create events with bigger prize pools which, as always, is great news for everyone.
