888poker Main WSOP Sponsor for Third Year

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Monday, March 6th, 2017 | Written by Charles Washington

Registration is underway for the 2017 World Series of Poker, with details of the world’s most prestigious poker tournament series now released. Once again, 888poker will be the main sponsor of the WSOP, with the online poker operator having been its primary sponsor since 2015, and furthermore, the 2017 to 2018 contract includes a two-year renewable option, so we are likely to see 888poker in the role for at least five consecutive years.

Following the recent announcement, Ty Stewart, the WSOP executive director, described the organization’s relationship with 888poker as a “natural partnership” that was based upon a “shared vision and love of the game”. He also commended 888poker’s “commitment to market the game with unique offers and incentives around the biggest poker festival on the planet.”

Online Qualifiers

Since the partnership between 888poker and the WSOP was established, the operator has sent an increasing number of qualifiers to the event each year through its online sites. In 2015, for instance, 888poker sent 128 internet qualifiers to the Rio in Las Vegas, one of which, Joe McKeehen, eventually went on to take down its coveted $10k WSOP Main Event for a staggering $7,683,346. For the 2016 series, 888poker sent a further 250 online qualifiers to the WSOP, including another two players who made it to the WSOP Main Event final table, namely Fernando Pons and Griffin Benger, who claimed 9th and 7th place spots, respectively.

More Options Than Ever Before

For the 2017 and 2018 seasons, 888poker intends to send more players to the qualifiers than ever before, and those who want to vie for a seat can enter tournaments this year for as little as $0.01 on the site. By lowering the entry requirements, 888poker hopes to encourage more skilled recreational players to take the first steps into the world of professional live poker.

Furthermore, players who wish to be a part of the World Series of Poker can already start qualifying online, and the site currently has seven Step satellites running, during which one WSOP 2016 Main Event Qualifier seat is made available for each $1,050 in the prize pool. Commenting on the exciting developments, Ty Stewart said:

“We’ve seen 888poker really up the stakes in the past few years, with a refreshing new online and offline approach which aims to give the power back to the players.”

74 Event Schedule

The 2017 WSOP will run from May 30th to July 17th, and will include a total of 74 gold bracelet events, or 8 more than the previous year. This includes 3 online bracelet events with buy-ins of $333, $1,000 and $3,333. Also making a return is the popular $888 Crazy Eights event, whose title is a reference to sponsor 888poker, with the tournament subsequently awarding a first place prize of $888,888. Each table is run eight-handed, and players can reenter an unlimited number of times during the registration period.

Wider Exposure

Kara Scott will be on hand during the 2017 World Series of Poker to represent 888 Poker, as she has in previous years, with the Canadian serving as the host of ESPN’s coverage of the Main Event. 888 Poker is the exclusive telecast partner for the tournament, which will air in 84 countries and is expected to have more than 300 million people tuning in to watch. Scott gained notoriety for becoming the only woman to cash in at the World Series of Poker Main Event tournaments in 2008 and 2009, finishing in 104th for $41,816, and 238th for $32,963, respectively.

Last year, the World Series of Poker boasted 107,844 entrants hailing from 107 countries, with the events held at the Rio All-suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. This year, industry insiders are expecting an even larger turnout with 888poker sure to benefit from the worldwide exposure.

“This 2017 schedule reflects our continuing goal to broaden poker’s appeal and encourage first timers and recreational players to come experience the WSOP for themselves,” explained Ty Stewart. “Plus, for the serious and high-stakes player, we remain committed to having the most diverse schedule of events of any tournament in the world.”