Big Poker Names Claim Bracelets In The 2021 WSOP Online Series
For the second straight year, WSOP.com is hosting an online bracelet series spanning the month of July. What’s different this time around is the poker world is ramping up for the live version of the World Series of Poker to make its return to Las Vegas in a few short months. This year’s online series features 33 events running from July 1 to August 1.
So far, 18 events have been played across the first 18 days of the month and have returned 18 different champions.
This column will cover the noteworthy happenings from the start of the series and offer a look at what else is to come in the two weeks that remain.
Nearly $10 Million In WSOP Online Prize Pools Thus Far
A total of $9,722,580 in prize money has been distributed throughout the first two-and-a-half weeks of WSOP Online 2021. Each day has featured one bracelet event, and all but one event so far has been No-Limit Hold’em. Various formats, including turbo events, freezeouts, deep-stacked tournaments, and so on, have provided some variety, and buy-ins have ranged from $333 to $5,300. However, most events have been between $500 and $1,000 to play.
(data c/o PokerNews.com)
To no one’s surprise, the largest buy-in of the series, Event #15: $5,300 NLH High Roller Freezeout, attracted the smallest field of 188. Nonetheless, it has also paid out the highest top prize of the series to date: $253,800, which Justin Saliba won. The event featured an increased buy-in from last year’s $3,200, which drew 496 entries, and was won by 2015 WSOP Main Event Champion Joe McKeehen for $352,985.
Another Successful Online WSOP Series Despite Decreased Field Sizes
Field sizes for WSOP 2021 Online are down from its inaugural series last year. The attendance drop is not unexpected, as the world is more open in July 2021 than it was some 12 months ago amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
With vaccination rollouts and many businesses resuming operations, it makes sense that fewer people are traveling to Nevada or New Jersey, the only states in which one can compete on WSOP.com, to compete for a bracelet. Additionally, last year’s WSOP online saw virtually no outside competition, while many live tournaments have resumed nationwide this time around, also pulling away from the WSOP.com draw.
Nonetheless, field sizes are still strong and healthy in 2021: every NLH event featuring a buy-in of under $1,000 has drawn at least 782 entries and generated prize pools of at least $382,500. As a whole, however, numbers seem to be averaging around two-thirds of COVID-inflated turnouts in 2020.
Notable WSOP Online Bracelet Winners To Date
As mentioned above, each of the 18 bracelets has been awarded to a different poker player. Some notable bracelet winners include Manig Loeser, Bryan Piccioli, Ryan Leng, GIonni Demers, poker streamers Justin “LappyPoker” Lapkin, and James Gilbert.
Loeser, a German poker pro with over $11 million in live earnings, claimed the second bracelet of the summer and the first of his career after having made seven prior WSOP/WSOP Europe final tables without closing out a single one. Demers, who finished 20th place in the 2011 WSOP Main Event, also finally earned his first career bracelet, defeating poker pro and 2004 WSOP Main Event runner-up David Williams heads up for the title.
Hill Kerby comes from a background of poker, sports, and psychology, bringing all of them to the table with his writing. An overall fan and proponent of competition, Hill looks forward to the continued growth of all forms of betting as more markets open across the country.
