Tarnishing the event

GGPoker has just launched an event it has deemed its ‘highest value tournament ever,’ but according to poker players on Twitter, Day 1 didn’t quite live up to the hype due to server problems.

a guaranteed prize pool of $5m

The poker site went live with its $150 buy-in GGMasters Overlay Edition on Sunday evening, marking the second anniversary of the event. Offering a guaranteed prize pool of $5m, the tournament covered all regions and time zones with Asia, Europe, and Americas flights kicking off gradually throughout the day.

GGPoker gave the first indication that things weren’t going to plan around 20 minutes into the first flight. The operator took to Twitter to let players know of a delay to seating and depositing due to the increase in traffic:

Those technical problems only seemed to continue throughout the evening, with players from all over the world complaining of failed deposits and crashing games. Others had tournaments canceled altogether as the operator struggled to cope with demand.

Twitter gives its verdict

Promising three Day 1s to choose from and no re-entries, GGPoker likened its GGMasters Overlay Edition to “free money.” Well, a large number of Twitter users certainly wouldn’t agree. Social media proved as scathing as ever in response to the tournament’s server issues, with numerous posts taking aim at the site Sunday evening.

unable to join the tournament despite previously registering

One Twitter user going by the handle @Warndog18 outlined how he was unable to join the tournament despite previously registering. When other players confirmed they had experienced the same issue, @Warndog18 said it was a “Bad look for GG”:

Others received emails from GGPoker informing them that they had canceled their tournaments altogether. User @villagecricket10 shared the correspondence he received in regards to the European flight:

Meanwhile, Irish poker pro Glenn Keogh had almost reached the money in his satellite when the tournament suddenly closed down. The operator apologized for the inconvenience in an accompanying error message but Keogh took to Twitter to confirm he was yet to receive a refund early Monday morning:

No word from GG yet

Despite countless reports of the problems on Twitter, GGPoker is yet to comment on the server issues.

GGPoker has not confirmed whether Day 2 will go ahead

Day 2 of the GGMasters Overlay Edition is scheduled to kick off on Monday evening. Anyone who had chips left in the first session should progress into the second. GGPoker has not confirmed whether Day 2 will go ahead as planned, however.