WCOOP Returns this Weekend

WCOOP Returns this Weekend

Thursday, 5 September 2013

The World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) returns to PokerStars this Sunday with a schedule of 66 events promising to award a prize pool of at least $40 million.

Running from 8-29 September, the feature tournament is the two-day $5,200 buy-in no-limit hold‘em main event, which will see a minimum of $8 million in prize money with the winner set to pocket at least$1.25 million.

Over $55 million in cash was given away in last year's WCOOP with PokerStars expecting this one to be its largest to date.

“The WCOOP is definitely the biggest online tournament series of the year,” said two-time WCOOP bracelet winner and Team PokerStars Pro member Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier.

“My goal is to try and play as many events as possible and regain the overall leadership in bracelets. I think Dan Kelly has four, so I really would love to have five but it’s a long way to go because I have two.”

This year’s WCOOP will include Player of the Series prizes to award the most consistent finishers of the series. The overall leaderboard champion will receive the Champion’s Trophy alongside packages into the next editions of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), Turbo Championship Of Online Poker (TCOOP), Spring Championship Of Online Poker and WCOOP worth more than $33,000. Players finishing second to tenth will receive a combination of future TCOOP, SCOOP and WCOOP main event tickets depending on their final positions.

There will also be a Woman of the Series prize for the highest-placed female on the leader board with the winner awarded a package into the PCA valued at $3,500. As an extra incentive, PokerStars declared that any competitor final tabling one of its Women’s Guaranteed or Women’s Sunday tournament from August 25 to 31 is to be handed WCOOP Steps tickets ‘for a chance to satellite into the events’.

“The WCOOP, which began in 2002, is not only the longest-running online poker series but also the richest with well over $300 million in prize money awarded to date,” read a statement from PokerStars.

“It has long been regarded by players and media as a ‘must-play’ event that pitches world-class poker pros against aspiring recreational players, all in pursuit of life-changing sums of money. The WCOOP gold and diamond bracelets awarded to event winners are the most iconic prizes in online poker.”

Buy-ins range from $109 up to $10,300 but there are plenty of opportunities to qualify much more cheaply via a host of satellites. New players signing up via Bluff Europe can earn a 100% bonus up on their first three deposits up to $400 as well as getting entry into freerolls worth $50,000. Sign up at PokerStars.



Tags: WCOOP 2013, PokerStars, Bertrand Grospellier, ElkY