First Ever Online WSOP Bracelet to Be Awarded this Summer

The World Series of Poker will be introducing some interesting changes for this year’s edition of the biggest poker festival on the planet. One change that has gotten everybody’s attention is the introduction of the first-ever online WSOP event.

The tournament will take place on the WSOP.com online poker room and will award a gold bracelet to the winner. For some, this innovation is a great idea. Other players are skeptical about it, as throughout the WSOP's storied history, bracelets have only been awarded for winners of brick and mortar events.

The tournament is scheduled to start on July 2nd at noon and will feature a $1,000 buy-in. The event will play down to the final two players who will return to the Rio to battle it out for the title and first place prize money on July 3rd.

Additional details regarding the first-ever online bracelet event are yet to be announced, but the idea certainly tickles the imagination.

Reactions

Reactions from the poker community have been somewhat mixed, although the prevailing feeling seems to be one of approval. This should bring hundreds and maybe even thousands of new depositing players and pump some fresh blood into the online poker room.

It is uncertain, however, how lasting the impact of these new deposits will be. The big drawback is the fact that the players, while they may register from any country, can only play when physically located in Nevada.

Some also pointed out that the new concept will be a good thing for online poker in the States in general. Having an official, bracelet-awarding event take place online will certainly give online play much more legitimacy. Although state laws now regulate online poker in several states, many people still seem reluctant to play in light of everything that’s happened surrounding Black Friday. This new initiative could be exactly what online poker in the U.S. needs.

On the flip side, there are certain concerns about potential collusion and other forms of cheating that could take place during such an online event. Although these are perils inherent to any online tournament, some feel that a gold bracelet on the line could serve as a special incentive to potential cheaters.

While these are legitimate concerns, the fact of the matter is that cheaters can almost always find a way to cheat. The WSOP team will certainly put in extra effort in making sure everything is on the up and up before the bracelet is awarded.

Times are changing

Despite some vocal opposition to the idea, the fact of the matter is that poker (much like everything else) is constantly changing. Some things available today were probably beyond the imagination of many five years ago. An online bracelet event may not be in line with tradition, but if it helps to make poker more popular, then there is absolutely no reason not to go through with it.

Poker needs all the help it can get to return to its former state of glory and if shipping a few online bracelets is what it takes to help it along, then by all means, do it!