About a third of the GGPoker WSOP Online 2021 Bracelet series is complete, and there has been more than $30 million up for grabs across a dozen events so far. Those prizes came from nearly 60,000 entries in total, and while that is down from the numbers in the frenzy of 2020, the series has still managed to break guarantee on every event that had one—and each by a comfortable margin.
The GGPoker WSOP Online 2021 Bracelet series got underway on August 1, just as the US domestic bracelet series in New Jersey and Nevada came to an end. With 12 events complete, more than 43,000 unique players have tried their hand to win an online bracelet this year.
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The biggest prize pool so far was in the aptly-named Millionaire Maker which had almost $7.75 million in prizes and a $1,384,013 top prize. That prize pool was more than 50% higher than the advertised guarantee of $5,000,000.
Two other events beat their guarantees by about 40%, but all the guaranteed events were at least 20% above the advertised guarantee. Even non-guaranteed events saw healthy prize pools during the first third of the series. The $800 Double Chance event got almost $1.25 million in total prizes with 1,643 entries, and three other events with no guarantee got prize pools bigger than $1 million, including $2.27 million in the $5,000 6-Handed NLH Championship.
GG WSOP 2021 Online Bracelet Events – First 12 Events Summary
| Events | 12 |
| Total Prizes | $30,116,059 |
| Total Entries | 59,212 |
| Total Buy-In | $23,401 |
| Average Buy-In | $1,950 |
| Total Guarantees | $16,000,000 |
| Total Gtd Prizes | $22,027,005 |
| % Over Gtd | 37.6% |
Twelve Bracelets Awarded Around the Globe
With the US segregation of online poker, online bracelets are split into two groups – US domestic, and international. GGPoker and WSOP surprised the world in 2020 when it was announced that the first major online WSOP series for the international market would run on GG.
It is back as the international host in 2021, albeit in a reduced format from the all-online 2020 schedule. This year, 33 bracelets will be awarded in total to international players from August 1 through September 12, and 12 of them are already spoken for.
GG WSOP 2021 Online Bracelet Events – First 12 Events
| Event | Buy-in | Fee | Phases | Entries | GTD | Prize Pool | Rake | Admin Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $46 | $4 | 11 | 30,810 | $1,000,000 | $1,417,260 | $123,240 | $7,086 |
| #2 | $1,111 | $0 | 1 | 1584 | $1,759,824 | $0 | $175,806 | |
| #3 | $2,375 | $125 | 1 | 180 | $427,500 | $22,500 | $2,138 | |
| #4 | $760 | $40 | 1 | 1643 | $1,248,680 | $65,720 | $6,243 | |
| #5 | $300 | $15 | 1 | 2989 | $896,700 | $44,835 | $4,484 | |
| #6 | $190 | $10 | 10 | 6368 | $1,000,000 | $1,209,920 | $63,680 | $6,050 |
| #7 | $1,425 | $75 | 16 | 5437 | $5,000,000 | $7,747,725 | $407,775 | $38,739 |
| #8 | $4,750 | $250 | 1 | 479 | $2,275,250 | $119,750 | $11,376 | |
| #9 | $500 | $25 | 1 | 2229 | $1,114,500 | $55,725 | $5,573 | |
| #10 | $376 | $24 | 1 | 975 | $366,600 | $23,400 | $1,833 | |
| #11 | $9,700 | $300 | 1 | 624 | $5,000,000 | $6,052,800 | $187,200 | $30,264 |
| #12 | $950 | $50 | 15 | 5894 | $4,000,000 | $5,599,300 | $294,700 | $27,997 |
| Total | 59,212 | $30,116,059 | $1,408,525 | $317,588 |
The average buy-in of $1,950 across the first 12 events was a bit lower than the series average. Across the whole series, the average buy-in is almost $2,700, but a lot of that is loaded into the middle of the series.
There was only a single $10,000 buy-in in the top third of the line-up, as well as a $50 buy-in and two other games at $315 or less. In the middle of the schedule, there is another $10,000 buy-in, along with the $25,000 Super High Roller Championship that bloat the average buy-in at the middle of the series.
Smaller Than Last Year
Poker Industry PRO reported that numbers this year are down versus similar tournaments in 2020, but that is hardly a surprise. In the summer of 2020, most of the world was locked into their homes as a result of the pandemic, bringing a massive spike to online poker everywhere.
- SURVIVE THE RUSH PHASE — 100 players enter, 50 players move on
- BEAT THE TABLE — Play agains the other four survivors & be the last mand standing
- THE FINAL CLASH — Ten winners meet for the final crazy-action showdown with just five minutes on the clock
- COLLECT BOUNTIES — Win cash for every player you send to the virtual rail
The 2020 series benefited from that, but this year, with vaccines wide-spread in at least the developing world, things are opening back up again. With people eager to get out after the extended lockdowns, traffic for online gaming in general has suffered.
Equally, in 2020, the only option to win a bracelet seemed to be the online series, so players eager for the jewelry flocked to the only place it was being offered. This year, with the live series returning to Las Vegas and Europe, some players who felt obligated to play online last year may opt for just the live experience this year.
Regardless, with nearly 60,000 entries and more than $30 million in prizes during the first third of the series, there is clearly still a lot of interest in online bracelets. There are still 21 more bracelets to be awarded in the series, which runs through September 12.
