The World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) returns for a tenth year to PokerStars this September. This year’s championship will certainly live up to its excellent reputation as one of the biggest annual poker events and the highlight of many online players’ years. With 62 events and $30 million in prizes guaranteed, players have plenty of reason to forget the trouble that PokerStars has seen previously this year and focus instead on the positive. The main event is standard No-Limit Hold’em, and it will have a $5 million prize pool, with $1 million going to the lucky first place winner. In addition to this hefty sum, the first place winner will also get packages for the EPT Grand Final and 2012 PCA and a 2012 SCOOP seat, among other things.
While there has been a great deal of talk about the decline of online poker, especially with the majority of Americans out of play and the fields becoming noticeably softer, PokerStars is doing everything that it can to make sure that online poker remains alive and well. Many commentators believe that the turn-out at the 2011 WCOOP will be quite a bit smaller than it has been in the past years, but poker trends since Black Friday and last month’s closing of Full Tilt have shown a certain resilience so far. Americans who want to play are flocking to Canada, and more and more European players who didn’t bother entering tournaments before are playing in satellites or buying in, as a softer field means that a greater range of players stand a chance at winning.
To accommodate the additional players from all over the world, PokerStars has implemented six different starting times: 6:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, and 17:00 (all times are listed in EST), so no one will have to start a game in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning. The full schedule is as follows:
Sunday, September 4
- Event 1, 10:00, $215 No-Limit Hold’em (six-max), $1 million guaranteed;
- Event 02, 12:00, $10,300 No-Limit Hold’em (high roller), $1.25 million guaranteed;
- Event 03, 14:00, $215 No-Limit Hold’em, $1.25 million guaranteed.
Monday, September 5
- Event 04, 11:00, $320 Pot-Limit Omaha;
- Event 05, 14:00, $320 No-Limit Hold’em (six-max, shootout, no late registration);
- Event 06, 17:00, $215+Rebuy No-Limit Hold’em (turbo).
Tuesday, September 6
- Event 07, 11:00, $215 Pot-Limit Draw;
- Event 08, 14:00, $215 Triple Stud;
- Event 09, 17:00, $1,050 No-Limit Hold’em.
Wednesday, September 7
- Event 10, 6:00, $265 Pot-Limit Omaha (knockout);
- Event 11, 11:00, $320 No-Limit Hold’em (ante up);
- Event 12, 14:00, $215 No-Limit Hold’em (heads-up, no late registration).
Thursday, September 8
- Event 13, 6:00, $215 Pot-Limit Omaha High/Low (six-max, one rebuy/one add-on);
- Event 14, 11:00, $265 No-Limit Hold’em (six-max, knockout);
- Event 15, 14:00, $215 Razz.
Friday, September 9
- Event 16, 11:00, $215 Pot-Limit Omaha (six-max);
- Event 17, 14:00, $215 No-Limit Single Draw 2-7;
- Event 18, 17:00, $320 No-Limit Hold’em (10-minute levels).
Saturday, September 10
- Event 19, 10:00, $109 No-Limit Hold’em;
- Event 20, 14:00, $215 Fixed-Limit Hold’em.
Sunday, September 11
- Event 21, 10:00, $215 No-Limit Hold’em, $1.25 million guaranteed;
- Event 22, 14:00, $530 No-Limit Hold’em, $1.5 million guaranteed.
Monday, September 12
- Event 23, 11:00, $215 No-Limit Hold’em (four-max);
- Event 24, 14:00, $320 Stud;
- Event 25, 17:00, $215 Pot-Limit Omaha (turbo, one rebuy/one add-on).
Tuesday, September 13
- Event 26, 11:00, $320 Mixed Hold’em (six-max);
- Event 27, 14:00, $320 Fixed-Limit Badugi;
- Event 28, 17:00, $1,050 No-Limit Hold’em.
Wednesday, September 14
- Event 29, 6:00, $265 No-Limit Omaha High/Low (six-max, knockout);
- Event 30, 11:00, $530 No-Limit Hold’em (10-max, triple shootout, no late registration);
- Event 31, 14:00, $320 Eight-Game.
Thursday, September 15
- Event 32, 6:00, $320 No-Limit Hold’em (six-max);
- Event 33, 11:00, $320 Pot-Limit Omaha (six-max, one rebuy/one add-on);
- Event 34, 14:00, $320 Triple Draw 2-7.
Friday, September 16
- Event 35, 11:00, $215+Rebuy No-Limit Hold’em;
- Event 36, 14:00, $530 Fixed-Limit Omaha High/Low;
- Event 37, 17:00, $109 Eight-Game (10-minute rounds).
Saturday, September 17
- Event 38, 10:00, $530 No-Limit Hold’em (heads-up, no late registration);
- Event 39, 14:00, $320 H.O.R.S.E.
Sunday, September 18
- Event 40, 10:00, $215 No-Limit Hold’em, $1 million guaranteed;
- Event 41, 12:00, $10,300 No-Limit Hold’em (high-roller heads-up, no late registration);
- Event 42, 14:00, $1,050 No-Limit Hold’em, $1.5 million guaranteed.
Monday, September 19
- Event 43, 11:00, $320+Rebuy Pot-Limit Omaha (six-max);
- Event 44, 14:00, $320 No-Limit Hold’em (2X chance);
- Event 45, 17:00, $265 No-Limit Hold’em (turbo, knockout).
Tuesday, September 20
- Event 46, 11:00, $320 Mixed Pot-Limit Hold’em/Omaha;
- Event 47, 14:00, $530 Stud High/Low;
- Event 48, 17:00, $1,050 No-Limit Hold’em.
Wednesday, September 21
- Event 49, 6:00, $215 No-Limit Hold’em (one rebuy/one add-on);
- Event 50, 11:00, $215 No-Limit Hold’em (big antes);
- Event 51, 14:00, $320 Pot-Limit Omaha High/Low.
Thursday, September 22
- Event 52, 6:00, $320 No-Limit Hold’em;
- Event 53, 11:00, $530+Rebuy No-Limit Hold’em;
- Event 54, 14:00, $2,100 Pot-Limit Omaha (six-max).
Friday, September 23
- Event 55, 11:00, $530 No-Limit Hold’em (one rebuy/one add-on);
- Event 56, 14:00, $1,050 Fixed-Limit Hold’em (six-max);
- Event 57, 17:00, $215 No-Limit Omaha High/Low (10-minute levels).
Saturday, September 24
- Event 58, 10:00, $530 Pot-Limit Omaha (heads-up, no late registration);
- Event 59, 14:00, $2,100 H.O.R.S.E.
Sunday, September 25
- Event 60, 10:00, $215 No-Limit Hold’em, $1.25 million guaranteed;
- Event 61, 12:00, $10,300 Eight-Game (high roller);
- Event 62, 14:00, $5,200 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event ($5 million guaranteed, $1 million guaranteed to first place).