It has been a bit of wait for Pennsylvania online poker fans, but BetMGM Poker PA is putting on its first Online Series since launch.
There is $270,000 guaranteed across the ten-event festival, that starts on June 20. It also runs on the sister skin, Borgata Poker PA.
Given the current low traffic levels on the network, there will very likely be significant overlays in these tournaments. This means a lot of value for all players who do participate in these games.
- Open an account with BetMGM Poker
- Verify your account
- Receive $25 worth of freeplay to use
- No bonus code needed just sign up and start playing
NO CODE NEEDED- Make your first real money deposit
- Get a 100% bonus match up to $600
- The bonus is released in 10% increments
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NO CODE NEEDEDRunning through June 27, the series has a schedule that looks very similar to the series run in New Jersey and Michigan. The first seven days of the festival feature one game each, with three games on the final Sunday.
The operator, which runs software from partypoker US Network, is fresh off a successful series in New Jersey that saw several tournaments more than double their guarantees. The New Jersey success was welcome news after a disappointing May when series in both Michigan and New Jersey endured significant overlay.
This first series in Pennsylvania also coincides with a series in Michigan running on the same dates. The Michigan series is slightly more lucrative than the PA games, with $5,000 more guaranteed for about $100 less in buy-ins.
First PA Series in Detail
BetMGM and Borgata’s first series in the Pennsylvania online poker market owes a lot to series the operator has run in its other markets. The ten-event, eight-day festival looks very similar to events that have run in its other markets, namely New Jersey and Michigan.
There are small differences between the markets in guarantees and buy-ins, but the PA and MI series mirror each other in more than just dates. Both series feature a progressive knockout game, and both end with a $1,060 buy-in guaranteeing $75,000.
It is a bit of a mixed bag of value in the PA series. Most of the games come in close to $100 in guarantee per dollar of buy-in. The main value comes in two low buy-in games, which each guarantee over $250 for every dollar in buy-in.
- Event #8: $20 Buy-In, $5,000 Guaranteed ($250 gtd/buy-In)
- Event #9: $109 Buy-In, $30,000 Guaranteed ($275.23 gtd/buy-In)
Overall, the series in PA will guarantee just under $90 for every dollar of buy-in. That is close to the Michigan series, which is only $5 higher on that metric.
PA Online Series Schedule
| Date | Tournament | Buy-In | Guarantee | $ Gtd/buyIn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20-Jun | ONLINE SERIES #1: $50K GTD 8-MAX NLH | $535 | $50,000 | $93.46 |
| 21-Jun | ONLINE SERIES #2: $20K GTD 8-MAX NLH | $215 | $20,000 | $93.02 |
| 22-Jun | ONLINE SERIES #3: $20K GTD 6-MAX NLH | $215 | $20,000 | $93.02 |
| 23-Jun | ONLINE SERIES #4: $10K GTD 6-MAX PLO | $109 | $10,000 | $91.74 |
| 24-Jun | ONLINE SERIES #5: $20K GTD 40 BIG BLINDS NLH | $215 | $20,000 | $93.02 |
| 25-Jun | ONLINE SERIES #6: $20K GTD 8-MAX PROGRESSIVE KNOCKOUT BOUNTY | $320 | $20,000 | $62.50 |
| 26-Jun | ONLINE SERIES #7: $20K GTD 8-MAX NLH | $215 | $20,000 | $93.02 |
| 27-Jun | ONLINE SERIES #8: $5K GTD 8-MAX MINI NLH | $20 | $5,000 | $250.00 |
| 27-Jun | ONLINE SERIES #9: $30K GTD 8-MAX $109 1/2 PRICE | $109 | $30,000 | $275.23 |
| 27-Jun | ONLINE SERIES #10: $75K GTD 8-MAX NLH | $1,060 | $75,000 | $70.75 |
| $3,013 | $270,000 | $89.61 |
Slow Start in for BetMGM and Borgata in Pennsylvania
BetMGM will be looking to get some traction in the PA market with this first series.
PokerStars PA has been established in the state since late 2019, and has a solid lead in the market with the strongest cash game numbers and several successful PACOOP and PASCOOP series under its belt.
Barely six weeks old, BetMGM and Borgata opened its first tables in Pennsylvania on April 29, but the operator got out of the gate slowly. After the first week of operation, it lagged behind the established PokerStars in cash traffic by a huge margin.
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That deficit has not improved since the launch. While PokerStars Pennsylvania saw a significant dip in cash traffic through much of May, the Borgata brands in the market did not seem able to capitalize on that.
Traffic on BetMGM and Borgata Poker stayed stable at around 30 concurrent users on average, compared to more than 250 for its rival.
On the tournament side of the business, things are also slow. While many of the smaller buy-in games are breaking guarantees, the most recent big games have all overlaid.
The marquee Sunday game, the Sunday $40K, overlaid by more than 25% with just $29,600 collected this past weekend. Big games through the past week like the $12K Mega $535 Tuesday and the $10K Progressive Knockout on Thursday missed guarantees as well, but smaller games like the $3K Sunday Starter and $1K 6-Max made more than they guaranteed.
Among the promotions that BetMGM PA has on the go to entice players are Spin the Wheel, and Sit & Go leaderboards with $2,000 in prizes. Both promotions are running through July 4.
- Spin the Wheel—Get one spin per day just for logging in, and win tickets or cash.
- Sit & Go Leaderboards—$2,000 in prizes for the top Sit & Go players.
- Low leaderboard worth $500 for $1, $2, and $5 games.
- High leaderboard worth $1,500 for $10 and higher games.
- Leaderboards run weekly from Monday to Sunday with points based on buy-in and finish.
The first Online Series in PA runs from June 20 through June 27 and may be a good chance to inject some cash and excitement into its PA player pool. With $270,000 guaranteed, there should be some good value on offer, for players at least.
