Hosted by the partypoker US Network
2020 has been a year for online poker, with major live tournaments moving to the internet and brand new online events being created to keep players’ poker juices flowing. And though the year is about to come to a close, the special events are not done. From December 27 to December 29, players in New Jersey can compete in the $3,500 buy-in WPT Online Poker Open Main Event on the partypoker US Network.
The tournament counts on the World Poker Tour’s Main Tour, the first time an online event in New Jersey has ever been part of the Main Tour. The prize pool is guaranteed to be at least $1m. In addition to their prize money, the winner will receive Player of the Year points, a seat in the $15,000 season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions, a $5,200 Hublot Big Bang E Titanium timepiece, and the honor of seeing their name on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup.
another landmark for regulated online poker in the United States”
“The WPT Online Poker Open brings the most prestigious prize in poker to New Jersey and the partypoker US Network,” said World Poker Tour CEO Adam Pliska in the Open’s announcement. “WPT’s continued pivot toward online will continue with another landmark for regulated online poker in the United States.”
Players must be located in New Jersey to participate, though they do not have to be residents of the state. Those who want to join can play on any of the sites on the partypoker US Network: BorgataPoker.com, BetMGMPoker.com, or NJ.partypoker.com.
Three-day tournament, live streamed final table
The WPT Online Poker Open Main Event will begin on Sunday, December 27 at 5pm ET and will continue through Level 16. The tournament will then be paused and the surviving players will return the following day to pick things up at 7pm ET. Once the eight-handed final table is determined, Day 2 will end. The final table will begin at 7pm ET on Tuesday, December 29 and will be live streamed.
Late registration is permitted until the end of Level 12, which will be about six hours, pending breaks, as each level lasts 30 minutes. WPT and partypoker are also allowing unlimited re-entries, likely through the late registration period.
There are also three other side events during the WPT Online Poker Open. On December 28 is a $215 buy-in eight-max No-Limit Hold’em tournament with a $20,000 guarantee. There is a similar event on December 29, but with a $535 buy-in and a $30,000 guarantee. On Wednesday, December 30, the day after the Main Event ends, is a $215 eight-max No-Limit Hold’em event with a $40,000 guarantee. This one is a “phased” event in which players can qualify for Wednesday through a $25 “Phase 1” tournament on Monday, or just buy-in directly on Wednesday.
PokerStars Pennsyl-MANIA
While the WPT Online Poker Open is just for people in New Jersey, poker players in neighboring Pennsylvania also have the opportunity to jump into one more big online poker event before the year is out. On Sunday, PokerStars is hosting its third Pennsyl-MANIA tournament, a $200 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament with a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool, the largest guarantee in PokerStars Pennsylvania’s short history. The two-day tournament begins at 5pm ET on December 27 and allows for five re-entries during the late registration period.
$515,964 prize pool, the largest ever for the Keystone State
The first Pennsyl-MANIA in May had a $250,000 guarantee and drew 2,774 entries to ultimately create a $515,964 prize pool, the largest ever for the Keystone State. The second running of the event in August upped the guarantee to $350,000 and drew 2,026 entries, allowing PokerStars to just barely avoid an overlay.
There will also be a $1,000 High Roller event on Sunday with a $50,000 guarantee. Deep-pocketed players can re-enter three times.