SUMMER SHOWDOWN
World Series of Poker is underway in Las Vegas with 100 gold bracelets up for grabs
By Sean Chaffin
Summer poker has become a tradition in Las Vegas, not only with the World Series of Poker, but plenty of other card playing around town. This month’s “Poker Notes” takes a look at some WSOP events as well as a few of the other bigger events in Las Vegas. Some good news in the poker world also sees two major Las Vegas poker rooms return.
Wsop Online, Streaming Schedules Released
The World Series of Poker takes Las Vegas by storm this summer, with events that kicked off May 27 and running through July 16. A total of 100 gold bracelets are up for grabs, with buy-ins ranging from $300 to $250,000. PokerGO recently released full details on streaming the action throughout the summer. Online players can also compete in 30 bracelet events. Here’s a quick look at what to expect.
Streaming Schedule
PokerGO will once again offer live streaming of events throughout the series, beginning on May 31 with the third event of the series, a $5,000 no limit hold’em event. Then, following later, the $25,000 Heads-up Championship will be on tap.
Other events on the platform include the $500 Colossus, the $50,000 Poker Player Championship, the $250,000 Super High Roller, $1,000 Ladies Championship, $1,000 Seniors Championship, $300 Gladiators of Poker, $1,500 Millionaire Maker, and others.
Streaming of the $10,000 Main Event is set to start on July 2 and run all the way through declaring a winner at the final table on June 16.
Livestreams will be available worldwide on the PokerGO platform across all major devices, including Android, iOS, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and any web or mobile browser via PokerGO.com. Additionally, select events will also be available on the PokerGO YouTube channel, bringing WSOP action to an even broader audience. WSOP episodes of the Main Event and other tournaments will also be released in the coming months as well on the CBS Sports Channel.
Online Bracelet Hunting
After Pennsylvania joined the U.S. Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement, WSOP Online (the U.S. online poker arm of the World Series of Poker) has announced the biggest-ever online series this summer with 30 gold bracelets on the line. Players in Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan and Pennsylvania can now compete for bracelets in a shared pool that should mean more players and bigger prize pools.
“The addition of the Pennsylvania player pool to WSOP Online comes at the perfect time, and we’re ready to give avid poker players in the Keystone State the opportunity to raise the stakes on their poker play,” Caesars Entertainment Vice President of Online Poker Danielle Barille said. “This expansion enhances the experience for players by building even greater prize pools that are up for grabs all summer long as a part of our jam- packed WSOP Online schedule. We’re ready to see who earns our largest online prize pools ever once the first hands are dealt this summer.”
The schedule includes 30 tournaments, with buy-ins ranging from $250 to $5,300 and $5.5 million in guaranteed prize pools. Five of the bigger buy-in events include live final tables.
A tournament will be held every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday of the series, with the final tournament set for July 15. For a complete schedule and more information, visit WSOP.com.
WPT, BetMGM Heading Back to Vegas This Summer
The WSOP won’t be the only major series in Las Vegas this summer, and players can find additional major poker festivals around town throughout June and July. That includes the World Poker Tour and BetMGM headed back to the Strip.
The WPT Venetian Las Vegas Championship is set for July 11-17, with the championship event featuring a $5,000 buy-in and a $4 million guaranteed prize pool. The final table of this event will be shown live from the Venetian’s new state-of-the-art streaming venue in the property’s new poker room.
“The Venetian Poker Room has been completely transformed since the last time WPT was with us in 2022,” Venetian Director of Poker Operations Tommy Larosa. “Our new room, the largest on the Las Vegas Strip, provides players with an elevated experience and adding the WPT Championship event to the DeepStack Championship Poker Series further expands the offering for players this summer.”
“The Venetian has been home to some incredible WPT moments over the years,” WPT CEO Adam Pliska said. “We are honored to bring the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup back to such a revered venue.”
The Venetian has hosted several WPT championship events, drawing elite fields and producing memorable final tables. The most recent of those came in 2022, when Robert Mizrachi topped a field of 1,178 entrants for $894,100 and his first WPT title.
The BetMGM Poker Championship also returns to Las Vegas from June 30 to July 4, as the highlight of the annual Aria Poker Classic. The $3,500 buy-in tournament comes with a $3 million guaranteed prize pool. For the fourth consecutive year, the championship will begin in the poker room and conclude with a live-streamed final table at the PokerGO Studio, which is located adjacent to the casino. The entire Aria Poker Classic runs through July 13.
“BetMGM’s relationship with MGM Resorts is our differentiator and the BetMGM Poker Championship presents a unique opportunity to connect our online players with one of the premier properties and events that Las Vegas has to offer,” BetMGM Vice President of Gaming Angus Nisbet said. “We are preparing to use our brand ambassadors – Darren Elias and Abby Merk – as well as our media partners, to engage with the poker community in new ways throughout the summer.”
Online qualifiers at BetMGM run every Thursday and Sunday through June 22. More than 100 players from New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada, will win packages that include a $3,500 championship entry, a five-night stay at Aria, travel credit, and a BetMGM swag bag.
New Poker Rooms Unveiled at Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace
After numerous poker rooms closed over the last few years, that trend seems to be reversing. Several new rooms have opened across the country in recent months and Caesars Entertainment made a splash by opening two rooms again on the Vegas Strip right before the WSOP in May.
The first of those was unveiled in early May when Planet Hollywood debuted the property’s new poker room. The property had a bustling room before closing it in 2021. Players will now find 23 tables, a gothic interior, 21 televisions, and a balcony overlooking the casino’s Pleasure Pit gaming area. The room is on the mezzanine level and features a mix of dark and light colors with plenty of lighting.
Other amenities and features include a full-service bar, framed posters of various films featuring Las Vegas, and an attached bathroom. The room also includes a private room for high-stakes games that may possibly be used for streaming as well. Management plans to cater to mid-stakes and lower-level players with daily tournaments starting at $100.
Just down the street, another new poker room opened at Caesars Palace later in May. The property closed its room last summer to make room for a high-limit slot area. However, Caesars now has relaunched Roman-themed card playing in a new temporary poker room.
The temporary room is now located near the retail shopping area in the Appian Way corridor. Caesars officials expect to add an adjacent retail space in the coming months also, allowing for an added 23 to 25 tables and the largest room the casino has ever had. Company officials expect the entire project to be completed in three months.
“It’s more or less bringing our players and guests the Caesars Palace experience and meeting those expectations,” Poker Room Manager James Tobiasz told Poker.org. “Caesars Palace is the iconic flagship, and we’re going to carry that theme out no matter what your experience is, from the pool to the steak houses, to the table games and slots. We’re going to carry that theme throughout and the poker will come in right alongside.”
The room is now offering $1/$3, $2/$5 and $5/$10 cash games. There are also four daily tournaments with a $160 event at 2 p.m. and 9 p.m., and a $120 option at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer and senior writer for Casino Player and Strictly Slots magazines. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions or email him at seanchaffin@sbcglobal.net for story assignments.
