Yet again, a week goes by and there has been no announcement from WSOP regarding the upcoming online bracelet series, much to the frustration of players eagerly awaiting the schedule.
As per our sources, WSOP hopes to announce the online bracelet schedule and the impending merger of Michigan with New Jersey and Nevada this week. However, further delays have pushed back these announcements, pokerfuse understands.
With only a few days remaining until the start of the 55th edition of the World Series of Poker, players continue to await the online schedule. Players can rest assured that the online bracelet series will indeed take place — and it will be conducted on the new software.
Moreover, Michigan players are likely to be part of shared liquidity. Pokerfuse understands the online bracelet series is scheduled to run from June 1 to July 21 in the shared liquidity network (NJ, NV and MI) and June 2 to July 14 in Pennsylvania.
Furthermore, according to the schedule, exclusively seen by pokerfuse, the shared liquidity series will consist of 30 online bracelet events, featuring several new events including Mystery Bounties. Pennsylvania will also have its own seven-event bracelet schedule.
The leaked WSOP promotional banner reads, “New Software. Bigger Prize Pools. More Players,” indicating that the bracelet series will indeed occur on the new software and include an expanded player pool, referring to the inclusion of Michigan. The banner also reveals the buy-ins for the upcoming bracelet series, featuring a first-ever $10,000 online bracelet event.
The cause of the delay remains unknown, but it is likely related to technical and regulatory issues. Even today, WSOP lacks the necessary permission to launch multistate online poker in Michigan. There has been no statement from the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB).
Before PokerStars launched their shared liquidity network involving Michigan and New Jersey, they had to seek approval from both state regulators. While this lack of approval may be concerning for WSOP, the process is largely a formality.
As previously reported, WSOP is already conducting private testing on its three-state shared liquidity network, which includes Michigan, New Jersey, and Nevada. The test clients also feature tournaments from the Online Championships series, which typically runs alongside the bracelet series. The upcoming Online Championships series comprises 172 tournaments with guarantees totaling over $3 million.
WSOP Pennsylvania Gets New Table Layout
Meanwhile, WSOP PA which will remain segregated, received a software update on Wednesday, upgrading to an even newer version of Poker 8. This update features a new desktop layout with new table felts, smoother graphics, a revamped betting interface, improved note-taking features, and various other improvements.
However, the response to the upgrade has been mostly negative. Some players have complained about the red text color being difficult to read on tables. Others pointed out the absence of valuable information from the tables, such as players’ positions in the tournament, the late registration period, and other crucial info.
In Pennsylvania and Michigan, WSOP uses the modern version of 888poker’s software. This platform has been in use since they went live in 2021 and 2022, respectively. However, Nevada and New Jersey continue to operate on outdated platforms.
This will soon change as New Jersey and Nevada will finally migrate to the new platform, phasing out the classic 888 software.