WSOP Increases Number Of Online Bracelets

The poker world is in a constant state of flux. It seems like every week brings something new to the table. We have countless stories of poker rooms falling in and out of grace, countries legalizing poker or banning their citizens from being able to enjoy a friendly game of cards, AI bots that are coming for our hard earned big blinds etc. etc.

In all this turmoil, one thing remains constant - winning a WSOP bracelets is still considered to be one of the most impressive achievements a poker player can hope for. Even though every year brings us 80 or so new champions, it could be argued that winning a bracelet is tougher than it's ever been. This is especially true for online specialists who aren't used to navigating the inflated live tournament fields brought to us courtesy of Chris Moneymaker. Fortunately for them, in 2018, WSOP organizers decided to increase the number of online bracelet events.

More of a Good Thing?

Online WSOP bracelet events aren't new. The first one was hosted in 2015 and gathered 905 players that were ultimately outlasted by Anthony “casedismissed” Spinella. 2015 and 2016 WSOP schedules both featured a single online event with a final table in a live poker format. 2017 did away with that hybrid approach, introducing two more events that were played from start to finish inside the WSOP.com online poker client. It's clear that WSOP.com owners intended to slowly ramp up their online presence and so far they haven't faced any significant pushback from the fans. On the contrary, WSOP online tournaments are getting more and more popular every year suggesting that there's indeed a demand for such events. 

It could be argued that online bracelet events can eventually water down the magnitude of the accomplishment that is winning a WSOP bracelet but it's important to point out that in 1990 there were only 14 WSOP events in total, which was a lot less than we have now (74 events in 2017 at WSOP plus 11 more during WSOPE). WSOP is growing and this should be cause for celebration, not concern. Besides, due to the legal situation of online poker in the US, players who want to participate in WSOP online bracelet events still have to physically travel to the state of Nevada. Lastly, online poker is a very important part of the poker landscape, in a dire need of a pick-me-up and the inclusion of WSOP online bracelet events in the yearly WSOP schedule can potentially have a positive effect on the state of online poker legislation in the US somewhere down the line.

2018 Online Bracelet Events Schedule

All of the WSOP online bracelet tournaments are one-day events with unlimited re-entries, scheduled on Friday and Saturday. They overlap with live WSOP events in other poker formats. You can find the full schedule below: