[toc]If WSOP.com has anything to say about it, this year’s live World Series of Poker will be even more colossal.
In preparation for the annual extravaganza – held at the Rio in Las Vegas – the site has launched a frenzy of new promotions, several of which will allow players to call, raise and shove their way into the Colossus II and other WSOP events.
Colossus II qualifiers running now
Players on both WSOP NJ and WSOP NV will have a bevy of opportunities to qualify for what stands to be the most frequented live poker event of 2016.
Last year’s inaugural running of the Colossus drew a staggering 22,374 runners, blowing away the previous high water mark for a WSOP event (2006 ME) by 155 percent. This year, the guarantee has been upped from $5 million to $7 million – a mark that should easily be shattered given the low $565 entry point, media focus, and of course, WSOP.com’s online qualifiers.
Satellites for the event, which are slated to begin on June 2 at 10 a.m. and span six starting flights, will run from April 3 – 24 in both markets:
- WSOP NJ will be hosting $20+R buy-in direct qualifiers, where the winner(s) receives a seat to the Colossus II along with $600 in travel money. These events run on Sundays at 6:00 p.m.
- Turning to the West Coast, WSOP NV is running $10+R satellites at 7 p.m. on Sundays. Each satellite guarantees two seats – although judging by April 3’s turnout, as many as six seats (or more) will be up for grabs.
- WSOP NV is also hosting $20 buy-in (with re-entry) qualifiers that award at least one $565 ticket – Sundays at 9 p.m.
Main Event qualifiers also hit the WSOP.com lobby
Weekend warriors from Nevada will have even more reason to celebrate this April, as WSOP NV is running a slew of direct qualifiers to the WSOP Main Event.
Every Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m., players can plunk down $200 for a chance to win at least one guaranteed $10,000 WSOP package. These satellites allow for unlimited rebuys for the first two hours of play.
New Jersey players won’t be left out of the action, as each Sunday at 5 pm and Tuesday at 7:45 pm, WSOP NJ will award at least one $13,000 package, broken down as follows:
- $10,000 in 2016 WSOP tournament buy-in chips – can be used for any WSOP event with a buy-in of $500 or more
- $2,000 cash for travel expenses or other expenditures
- $1,000 WSOP NV tournament ticket for the second annual Online Bracelet event, to be held on July 8 at 1 p.m.. This year’s Online Bracelet event will take place exclusively online, as opposed to last year, when the final six runners battled it out live.
The buy-in for these qualifiers is set at $200, and the events allow for unlimited rebuys the first 120 minutes of play.
More ways to win
From the looks of the tournament lobby, WSOP.com really wants its online patrons to parlay their way into live Series events. Here is a look of some other promotions currently running on the platform:
- Friday Freerolls: Players in New Jersey or Nevada that accrue just 10 APPs ($5 in generated rake/entry fees) per week will qualify for a freeroll where the winner takes home $1,000 in WSOP tournament buy-in chips. Tournaments run every Friday at 5:15 until April 29.
- Sit-n-Go qualifiers: Look for WSOP to add SnG’s that award WSOP tournament buy-in chips and allow players to win on their own time.
- 25 Seat Scramble: The massively successful event is making its return to Nevada. On July 9 at 1 p.m., at least 25 players will turn their $200 buy-in into a $10,000 Main Event entry. As an added perk, WSOP.com will multiply any Player of the Year points earned for this tournament by 100.
- Spring Poker Series: Running April 10 – 17 in both markets, WSOP.com will be hosting a seasonal tournament series that spans eight events and will award at least $90,000 in NJ and $100,000 in NV. Main Event winners will receive an exclusive WSOP.com Champions Ring.