by Frank Op de Woerd
The WPT Online Series is officially underway, and the first weekend, some massive tournaments await. The three-week-long series starts strong with the Mini Main Event this Saturday, so be sure to be ready. Check out everything you don’t want to miss on partypoker this weekend.
Friday, May 14th
The Pro Hunt
Set your alarms to 19:05 (BST) as that is when it all begins. New for 2021 is The Pro Hunt, an accessible tournament that costs $33 to enter, and which promises to be a ton of fun. There are at least 15 pro bounty players to knockout, including partypoker’s Patrick Leonard, Mikita Badziakouski, Jamie and Matt Staples, and WPT UK 2019 Champion Simon Brandstrom.
The prize for eliminating a pro bounty? Satellite tickets to the $3,000,000 guaranteed Main Event that starts next week. For the player who manages to go the distance, they will not only take home the biggest share of the $30,000 guaranteed prizepool but will also score themselves a $3,200 Main Event ticket.
The Opener
As is the case for many of the events on the schedule, The Opener will offer three buy-in levels: $1,050 ($500K GTD); $109 ($250K GTD); and $11 ($50K GTD).
Each of these events will take two days to play out and will all have a 6-Max PKO structure. Day 1a begins tonight, with Day 1b at 19:05 tomorrow. Day 1c will featured reduced blinds and start at the earlier time of 15:05 on Sunday, with the second and final day starting at 19:05 the same evening.
Saturday, May 15th
It’s lights out and away we go as the WPT Online Series on partypoker started today. But the real action starts this weekend, so here’s what’s in store for you on Saturday, May 15th:
The Opener
The Opener already got underway on Friday, but things start heating up on Saturday as The Opener, and its little Mini and Micro sisters are on to their Day 1b.
The Opener starts at 8:05 pm CEST and gives you 100,000 in chips in exchange for $1,050 with 20-minute levels. The 6-Max event has a slow structure with blinds starting at 500 and a 1,000 for the first two levels, only to go to 550/1,100 and 600/1,200 next. Half of the buy-in is on your head in this PKO event, so there’s money to be made by knocking out your opponents.
Day 1 ends when 15% of the field remains. The second (and final) of the event is scheduled for Sunday, May 16th. That same Sunday, Day 1c of the event starts at 4:05 pm CEST for all three buy-in levels. The Opener has a $500,000 guarantee for its $1,050 edition. The Mini Opener has $250,000 guaranteed with a buy-in of $109, while the Micro Opener has $50,000 set with a buy-in of just $11.
The Mini Main and Micro Main
While the $3,000,000 guaranteed WPT Online Series Main Event doesn’t start until next week (Day 1A starts Sunday, May 23rd), the Mini and Micro version of the event are set for this Saturday.
The Mini Main Event has a $500,000 guarantee for a buy-in of $530 and starts at 8:05 pm CEST. The 8-Max affair has 25-minute levels, and players start with 200,000 in chips and blinds of 500 and a 1,000. There’s a sizable slate of satellites scheduled for this event, so if you want to get in for a little cheaper than $530, search the partypoker client for Mini Main Event 1A Satellite or go to the Satellites tab in the Mini Main Event Day 1A lobby.
The Micro Main Event starts at 8:05 pm CEST on Saturday as well and offers a similar structure to its bigger brother, with just a $55 price tag. The event has a $150,000 guarantee, and like most multi-day tournaments, halts play when 15% of the field remains. Like The Opener and the Mini Main, the Micro Main allows a single reentry if you unfortunately bust before the late registration time (00:10 am CEST) closes.
6-Max Turbo
The structures of The Opener and the Mini and Micro Main are slow. And in the world of poker, slow is most often considered good when it comes to structures. Well, slow structures are not everyone’s cup of tea; some like it fast and furious. The 6-Max Turbo that starts at 10:15 pm CEST on Saturday is for those people. The $215 event has 8-minute levels and starts you out with 100 big blinds. Like any good turbo event, this is a 1-day event with a winner crowned after some hours, most likely. There’s a $30,000 guarantee put on the event.
Sunday, May 16th
Things are already well underway by the time that Sunday comes around, but the WPT Online Series truly goes into hyperdrive on May 16th as a slate of events is scheduled for poker players from around the world. Here’s what’s the WPT and partypoker have in store for you:
The Opener
With Day 1A of The Opener on Friday and Day 1B on Saturday, Sunday has both Day 1C and Day 2 of the event lined up. Day 1C gets underway at 4:05 pm CEST, while Day 2 is set to start four hours later at 8:05 pm CEST. That starting time goes for the $1,050 Opener, $109 Mini Opener, and $11 Micro Opener.
The Big Game
The Big Game isn’t the biggest game in town during the WPT Online Series, but it’s still a behemoth of an event and one not to be missed. The $530 buy-in tournament has a $300,000 guarantee and gets underway at 6:05 pm CEST. The Big Game is a phased event. Buying in straight away gets you a million in chips.
The Mini Big Game has a name that sounds like it contradicts itself, but does it really? The event has a $150,000 guarantee for a $55 buy-in tournament and players starting with the same million in chips. That makes it pretty clear the word Mini in The Mini Big Game refers solely to the buy-in and not so much to the size of the tournament. The Mini Big Game gets underway simultaneously as its bigger brother: 6:05 pm CEST on Sunday.
The Mini Main Event and Micro Main Event
Like Saturday’s Day 1A, on Sunday, the Mini Main Event ($530) and Micro Main Event ($55) get underway at 8:05 pm CEST and play on till 15% of the field remains.
(Omaha) Knockout
At 8:05 pm CEST on Sunday, the Knockout gets underway with a buy-in of $1,575. $750 of that goes on your head as a progressive bounty, while the other $750 goes into the regular prize pool. The Mini Knockout ($162, $75 + $75) and Micro Knockout ($16.50, $7.50 + $7.50) have a similar set-up and start simultaneously.
An hour later, at 9:05 pm CEST, the same event but then in Omaha format gets underway for all three buy-in levels.
High Roller and High Roller Turbo
While the Mini and Micro Main Events are the show’s stars, the High Roller event is one sure not to be forgotten. The $10,300 buy-in will attract some of the best and wealthiest in the game, so even if you don’t plan on partaking yourself, it might be worth it to check out the tables just to get a virtual glimpse of poker greatness.
The 2-day event has a $1,000,000 guarantee and starts players off with 100,000 in chips and 20-minute levels. The first day comes to a stop when the players reach the money with a single re-entry option available to those who bust before late registration closes at 1:25 am CEST.
Day 2 of the event is set for the next day at the same starting time of 8:05 pm CEST.
There are plenty of qualifiers available on Sunday, all guaranteeing a ticket. Numerous are even underway and starting while the high roller itself is already underway, so if you think you got what it takes to battle with the game’s best, it’s never too late to try and get in.
An hour after the $10,300 High Roller is set to start; the High Roller Turbo gets underway. At 10:05 pm CEST, the $5,200 event with a $250,000 is on the docket. This 1-day event has 10-minute levels and is played in a 7-Max format.
(Mini) Turbo Bounty
If $5,200 is too rich for your blood or bounties are more your thing, the WPT Online Series has a closing event for the day with a buy-in of $215. The $215 Turbo Bounty gets underway at 10:05 pm CEST accompanied by the $22 Mini Turbo Bounty event.