The topic of whether too many bracelets are being awarded comes up every year, and the debate has become more prominent in recent years as the number of WSOP bracelets has continued to rise.
The discussion is particularly focused on online bracelets, with some arguing that awarding too many could dilute their prestige. Their numbers have risen sharply since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the live WSOP in Las Vegas. That year, online bracelets were introduced on GGPoker for the first time, and the format has since become a tradition, with a series running every summer immediately after the WSOP Las Vegas series.
The 2026 edition is currently underway, with once again 33 bracelets up for grabs on GGPoker.
For US online poker players, the number of online bracelet opportunities has expanded beyond the summer series. There is also a full-fledged online bracelet series in the fall dedicated to players in the US.
That expansion is reflected in the numbers. In 2019, just nine bracelets were awarded online. That number jumped to 85 in 2020, rose to 110 in 2022, and, for the first time, there were more online bracelets than live bracelets that year. The number increased further to 115 in 2024.
That rapid expansion has also raised questions about whether online bracelets are being awarded too freely and, in turn, whether their prestige is being diluted. There is also another factor worth considering: turnout for online bracelet events has generally not been as strong as it is for bracelet events during the summer live series.
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The Bracelet Debate
It is worth noting, however, that the WSOP has also added more live bracelet opportunities in recent years, although for a different reason. WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas debuted in 2023 with 15 bracelets and has since become an annual part of the schedule, expanding to 20 bracelets this year. WSOP Europe, meanwhile, awards 15 bracelets each year, and the WSOP has also previously taken its bracelet events to Asia, holding series there in 2013 and 2014.
That kind of expansion makes sense. The WSOP is no longer confined to Las Vegas and has been building its presence in other markets, with WSOP Europe and WSOP Paradise giving players outside the US more opportunities to compete for bracelets.
The important distinction, however, is the scale of that growth. The increase in live bracelets has been relatively modest compared with the explosive rise in online events. It is the latter that has driven most of the discussion around whether there are now simply too many bracelets being awarded.
This has led some to argue that online bracelets should be treated separately from live bracelets rather than placed in the same category. To be fair, online bracelet winners do receive bracelets, although the bracelet itself makes clear that it was won online. Regardless, a bracelet win is still a bracelet win. If Phil Hellmuth were to win an online bracelet, for example, his record for the most bracelets would increase from 17 to 18.
Online Growth Stalls
But it appears that the growth in online bracelets may have plateaued — and could even be starting to decline.
In 2025, the number of online bracelets dropped from 115 to 104, but this was largely a result of the WSOP Online player pools being consolidated onto a single network. With Pennsylvania joining the shared pool, there was no longer a need to run separate online bracelet events for those players.
This year, 30 online bracelets were awarded during the summer to US players — same as last year – while another 33 are currently being awarded on GGPoker to players outside the US.
What is missing this year is an online bracelet series for Ontario online poker players, which in previous years has run alongside the international series. That puts the current total at 63 online bracelets for 2026.
Of course, there could still be another online bracelet series for US players. That series is usually announced in mid-September and takes place from late September into October. If it returns this year, we could see another 33 or so online bracelets added to the total.
It is also entirely possible that online bracelets for Ontario players could return later this year, perhaps with another eight events. That would bring the annual total back to 104, matching last year’s number.
Even if those bracelets are scheduled later, it would mean two consecutive years with 104 online bracelet events — essentially a plateau rather than continued growth.
WSOP Bracelets: Live vs Online Since 2015
| Live | Online | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 78 | 1 | 79 |
| 2016 | 69 | 1 | 70 |
| 2017 | 83 | 3 | 86 |
| 2018 | 85 | 4 | 89 |
| 2019 | 97 | 9 | 106 |
| 2020 | 1 | 85 | 86 |
| 2021 | 104 | 85 | 189 |
| 2022 | 104 | 110 | 214 |
| 2023 | 125 | 110 | 235 |
| 2024 | 130 | 115 | 245 |
| 2025 | 131 | 104 | 235 |
| 2026 | 135 | *63 | 198 |
*There could still be a fall online WSOP bracelet series for US players and the return of bracelets for Ontario players later this year.
No Ontario Bracelets?
But that raises another question: why has the Ontario series not been announced this year?
Pokerfuse reached out to GGPoker to ask whether WSOP Online bracelets would return for Ontario players on GGPoker Ontario and why no series has been held so far. GGPoker said that WSOP Online bracelets “may return for Ontario players in the future” and that “there has been no definite decision taken either way.”
So, for now, there is no confirmed decision on whether Ontario players will receive online bracelet opportunities later this year.
There could be multiple reasons for the delay. One possibility is the ongoing WSOP Super Circuit at Playground in Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada. GGPoker and WSOP may be fully focused on making that series a success and may not want an Ontario bracelet series running at the same time. The event is being positioned by GGPoker/WSOP as a major series, with record-breaking guarantees for a Super Circuit stop.
Perhaps once that series is over, online bracelets for Ontario players will return.
Another possibility is that GGPoker and WSOP are waiting for shared liquidity between Alberta and Ontario to become available, allowing them to run a single bracelet series for players in both provinces. This may be less likely, however, as such an agreement could still be months away, although pokerfuse understands that work is in progress.
Finally, it is possible that GGPoker simply does not want to run a separate online bracelet series for Ontario players given the questions surrounding the prestige of online bracelets. That seems the least likely explanation, however, and there is little reason to believe that is the case.
For now, Ontario’s online bracelet schedule remains undecided. It will therefore be interesting to see whether the events return later this year. But even if they do, the bigger picture is becoming clearer: the rapid expansion of online bracelets appears to have reached its limit.
