Online poker players in Pennsylvania are currently enjoying some massive value at new market entrant WSOP PA, which has put on a very ambitious circuit series this week. With many guarantees missed, players are taking their share of some major overlay value.
The WSOP PA launch in Pennsylvania online poker has been accompanied by some major events as the operator went all out to try and seize the share of the new market. Shortly after opening its virtual doors, WSOP Pennsylvania announced the first-ever online World Series of Poker open to Pennsylvania players, awarding eight gold bracelets across the series.
Not long after, the room announced another: the opening of the WSOP PA Online Circuit, which kicked off on September 3 and will run through September 14.
It was another ambitious move by WSOP, as the series features 12 events in total and $630,000 in guaranteed prize money.
Generous prize pools and prestigious WSOPC rings were expected to attract players in large numbers, but so far turnout has been a mixed bag. Several completed events have featured significant overlays, providing great additional value for participating players.
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Steep Buy-ins and Big Overlays
For its first WSOP PA Circuit Series, the room decided to go with a higher average buy-in. Out of a dozen events, five of them features buy-ins of $215, while the rest are in the $320 – $500 region. The operator also hosted the $1000 High Roller event on September 7.
Perhaps WSOP believed that with higher buy-ins, they would hit their guarantees easier, but the numbers so far are showing otherwise. The first four of them had an overlay, with three tournaments failing to meet the guarantee by around 10%.
WSOP PA Online Circuit Series: Events with Overlays
| Event | Guarantee | Total Entries | Prize Pool | Overlay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1 – $215 | $50,000 | 213 | $42,600 | $7400 |
| Event #2 – $320 | $50,000 | 147 | $44,100 | $5900 |
| Event #3 – $215 | $75,000 | 340 | $68,000 | $7000 |
| Event #4 – $500 | $40,000 | 82 | $38,294 | $1706 |
Still, things have improved this week. The three events so far have all covered.
By far the most successful was event 5, the $1000 High Roller. This guaranteed $50,000, but the event ended up attracting 60 entries and 30 reentries, for the total pot of $85,590.
Event 6 and 7, both $215 buy-in events, also managed to cover their guarantees, though things were much closer. Each needed 250 entries; the first attracted 291, the second 264.
WSOP PA Online Circuit Series: Events that Covered
| Event | Guarantee | Total Entries | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event #5 – $1000 | $50,000 | 90 | $85,950 |
| Event #6 – $215 | $50,000 | 291 | $58,200 |
| Event #7 – $215 | $50,000 | 264 | $52,800 |
Four events remain on the schedule; whether these continue this week’s streak of covering remains to be seen, but it seems likely that at least a couple will overlay.
In particular, September 12’s Event #10 with a huge $100,000 guarantee seems like a pretty big order, as does the $25k event the day after which, as a freezeout, will not benefit from re-entries that have been needed on the events this week to meet their prize pool guarantees.
These big overlays are, of course, a welcome sight for MTT players in Pennsylvania as it is basically free money added to the competition. WSOP PA is obliged to make up the difference and meet the guarantee regardless of the turnout.
WSOP PA Online Circuit Series: Events Remaining
| WSOP PA Circuit Event #8- $50,000 GTD PKO NLH Turbo 2x Re-entry | Sep 10 | $250 | $50,000 |
| WSOP PA Circuit Event #9 – $50,000 GTD NLH Double Stack 2x Re-entry | Sep 11 | $320 | $50,000 |
| WSOP PA Circuit Event #10 – $100,000 GTD NLH Main Event 3x Re-entry 8-Max | Sep 12 | $525 | $100,000 |
| WSOP PA Circuit Event #11 – $25,000 GTD NLH Freezeout | Sep 13 | $215 | $25,000 |
| WSOP PA Circuit Event #12 – $40,000 GTD NLH BIG $500 3x Re-entry 8-Max | Sep 14 | $500 | $40,000 |
The operator is still feeling the pulse of the market and these small setbacks are nothing out of the ordinary. Indeed, it may well be part of the strategy to run events with overlays as a marketing too to get players on the site.
That said, with several more tournaments in the pipeline and with current trends, this definitely seems like a good time to jump in on the action. No serious grinder will say no to a juicy overlay as it significantly increases your expected value in the event.
For those who do not have a WSOP Pennsylvania account as of yet, the room also offers a very generous welcome bonus, matching your initial deposit in full up to $1000, as well as giving away $50 in free funds.
There are still five more tournaments to go in the WSOP PA Circuit Series, including the $525 Main Event, featuring a big guarantee of $100,000 on September 12, so those players looking to get their share of all the added value going around still have plenty of time to do so.
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- Blast pokerCompete in jackpot sit and go’s around the clock and win up to 10,000x your buy-in
