Casino Player September 2022

IN THE NEWS

WSOP Bracelet Hunting Continues Online

PokerGO Looking to Cater to Smaller Bankrolls with Stairway to Millions; High Roller Return L ong an organizer of high roller events, PokerGO is adding

TheWorld Series of Poker bracelet hunting never seems to end.After almost two months of action this summer, series officials announced 33 more bracelet events heading to GGPoker for international players andWSOP.com for U.S. players through Oct. 18. Players will find 66 bracelet events; 33 on each platform. In the U.S., legalized online poker atWSOP.com is available in Nevada,New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan. “The return ofWSOP Online is so exciting,”WSOP Senior Vice President and Executive DirectorTy Stewart said.“Together with GGPoker, we have a clear vision to make this festival annually the biggest deal in online poker so that theWSOP offers players the marquee event in both live and online poker each year.” While the value of a bracelet may lose a little bit of its appeal with so many on the line, interest doesn’t seem to be diminishing in either the live or online events. Look for many of poker’s big names like Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth to grab the laptop and try to grab some gold. poker rooms around the country.Those who lose a massive hand to another massive hand are awarded a massive pot.The property takes a small amount from each pot until someone is the “unlucky” loser, usually scooping a nice payout that is much more than the pot lost in the hand. Even better, the loser of the hand usually gets a nice chunk of the jackpot and every other player at the table also receives a portion.These pots can continue to grow and reach some pretty nice amounts at times. In August, however, one jackpot really stood out. Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, PA, saw its bad beat jackpot reach more than $1.2 million, offering quite a prize. Sometimes that losing hand can turn into a real winner. With much anticipation, the $1,226,765.80 poker bad beat jackpot hit around 4:15 p.m. onAugust 25. In the hand of a lifetime, one player had four aces and was beaten by another player with a royal flush, yet the“loser of the hand”earned $490,708, the largest share of the jackpot. This history-making win happened in a $1–$3 game of no-limit Texas Hold’em.The winner of the hand earned the second-highest payout of $368,029 while the remaining six players at the table each won $61,338. Benjamin Flanagan of Huttonsville,WV, held the four aces for the top prize,while Raymond Brodersen ofWexford, PA, held the royal flush—ace, king, queen, jack and 10 of spades. Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer and senior writer for Casino Player and Strictly Slots magazines. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions or email him at seanchaffin@sbcglobal.net for story assignments. Bad Beat Bonanza The bad beat jackpot is a popular promotion for many

some more mid-range options. The company recently announced that the Stairway to Millions series is moving to the Venetian from Sept. 8–19, with 12 events and $2.2 million in total guarantees. The festival offers something a bit different, with tournaments of escalating buy-ins starting at $460

and finishing with a $52,000 finale.All players cashing at a specific buy-in level earn a seat into the next level:climbing the stairs. A satellite aspect is basically built into each tournament.The lower initial buy-ins allow the streaming platform and tournament operator to appeal to a wider range of players.Those who keep advancing can also play at higher limits with some of the game’s biggest high rollers. PokerGO may be bringing the concept and other PokerGO brands to other venues around the world as well. “The Venetian remains an incredible partner of PokerGO and the PokerGO Tour, and we are excited to expand our offering with the upcoming StairwayTo Millions series,”PokerGO President Mori Eskandani said.“With a new twist that allows players finishing in the top three to skip a buy-in level, we’re looking to offer an even greater opportunity for players to progress up the stakes and compete at the highest levels.” Beyond Stairway to Millions,PokerGO also announced that two premier events will also return and run back to back.The Poker Masters and Super High Roller BowlVII will run consecutively this fall.The schedule calls for more than two weeks of high-stakes tournament action this fall from the PokerGO Studio at Aria in Las Vegas. The Poker Masters runs Sept.21–Oct.2 with 12 events concluding with the $50,000 No Limit Hold’em finale.The player earning the most PokerGOTour (PGT) points during the series is crowned the 2022 Poker Masters champion, scoring the championship purple jacket and an extra $50,000. The $300,000 buy-in Super High Roller Bowl VII then returns to the venue on Oct. 5.The High Roller regularly attracts some of the best players in the world,with millions of dollars on the line across three days of play. All the action in both events will be streamed live on PokerGO.

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