WSOP Online, the new platform featuring a player pool across three states, has immediately become the largest US-facing online poker network. However, ongoing software issues continue to dampen the enthusiasm.
On Monday, May 27, WSOP launched its new platform connecting its existing multi-state network comprised of WSOP New Jersey and WSOP Nevada with the WSOP Michigan player pool. While the operator successfully merged the networks, the transition was not without its challenges.
Players reported several teething problems, including download issues, geo-location errors, and account verification snags. Some were unable to log in, while others were abruptly disconnected in the middle of a hand.
Many of these initial issues have been addressed, but some problems persist. Despite the hiccups, the impact on games has been minimal. Cash games are running at full capacity, with many tables filled around the clock, and tournament participation has been very encouraging.
According to data from GameIntel and reflected on the Poker Industry PRO Data platform, WSOP Online has seen a surge in traffic that is dwarfing that of the PokerStars US shared liquidity network. Preliminary numbers show that WSOP Online is leading with nearly 300 concurrent cash game seats occupied at any given time, compared to PokerStars’ average of around 200 seats.
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WSOP Online Off to a Flyer
As expected, the addition of the Michigan player pool to WSOP’s new network has also had a positive impact on tournaments.
Guarantees are being surpassed in most events, with some tournaments more than doubling their expected prize pools. The weekend tournaments produced some of the biggest prize pools. For instance, the $100 Saturday Mystery Bounty with a $20,000 guarantee was more than doubled when 467 entrants swelled the prize pool to over $42,000. Another major event on Saturday with a $35,000 guarantee grew to nearly $63,000.
Participation on Sundays was even higher. The $215 buy-in Sunday Mystery Bounty drew 341 entrants, boosting its prize pool to over $68,000. The $20,000 guaranteed Sunday Deepstack ended with a prize pool of over $30,000.
This strong turnout has given the operator the confidence to increase the guarantees on its weekly tournaments and add many new events to the schedule. Initially, when the operator announced the WSOP Online Circuit series on the newly launched shared network, it had over $500,000 in guarantees spread over 12 ring events. This has now nearly doubled to $900,000.
The operator also announced the WSOP Online Championships series, which is set to be one of its biggest since 2020. Initially, the operator planned a 172-event schedule but has increased the number of tournaments to 200, guaranteeing over $5 million.
Not to forget the WSOP online bracelet series is running alongside these two prestigious series. Already, two events have generated over $1.5 million in prize money.
Long Wait Over But Issues Persist
For players in New Jersey and Nevada, the WSOP app upgrade was even more anticipated than the expansion of the player pool. These players had been using the older platform for over a decade, which lacked many modern features and game formats. The software upgrade was long overdue.
While NJ and NV players were excited about the new software, the experience wasn’t entirely smooth. The modern look and new features, such as support for Mystery Bounty and the ability to multi-table and play PLO on mobile devices, were no doubt welcome additions. However, these enhancements were hampered by software bugs.
Despite WSOP addressing many issues, some problems persist, particularly on the WSOP desktop app. Players have reported crashing and freezing issues, especially when multi-tabling, which causes the software to become unplayable for some. These issues seem to disappear when playing just one table or two tables.
Certain design decisions have also drawn criticism, such as changing the text color at tables to dark red and placing the “auto fold” option in the same spot as the “call” button. Additionally, players have reported bugs with the note-taking feature, restrictions with the hand replayer, difficulties accessing the deposit option, and more. Some have even suggested that the update felt rushed.
There are also complaints about the lack of details regarding the loyalty program.
On the other hand, there have been few to no reported issues with the WSOP mobile apps, which most players have praised.
It remains to be seen whether WSOP will resolve these issues in the coming days. As of today, there has reportedly been an upgrade on the mobile app to fix bugs and a desktop update on the WSOP Pennsylvania client.