We've been treated to some epic high stakes online action this summer with some blistering action at the $200/$400 PLO tables as well as the $1k/$2k FLO8 and 2-7 Triple Draw tables, but the action has slowed just a little over the past few days and maybe that has something to do with one of the biggest events in the online poker calendar as this years WCOOP got underway this week over at PokerStars.
Over the next three weeks 65 titles will be handed out, with buy ins ranging from $215 up to the three $10,300 High Roller events (NLHE, NLHE HU & 8 Game) and with a $5,200 main event which boasts the biggest tournament prize anywhere online with a guaranteed $5m prizepool, with the winner becoming an overnight millionaire (assuming they're not already!).
The action kicked off on Sunday and there have already been several titles awarded but as yet no big names have taken one down. In fact today saw the first Team PokerStars pro to reach a final table as Polish pro Marcin “Goral” Horecki took 6th place in the $215 NL Draw event for $3,456. The biggest winner at the series so far is the winner of Event 2, $215 NLHE, player ASIAAN who took down $231,221 for his victory (the first prize was actually over $300k but the final 6 players did a deal prior to the conclusion of the event)
Some other big names are also currently running well at the moment. In the biggest event so far to have opened, Event 8 $1,050 NLHE - as with 50 players to go (as I type) MTT giant Griffin “Flush_Entity” Benger is sitting in 7th place out of the 1,574 entrants to start, and in Event 10 ($320 NLHE Ante Up), German Team PokerStars Pro GeorgeDanzer is currently in the top five (87 left from 1357 entries). Danzer is no stranger to final tables having picked up a 2nd and 3rd place at this years WSOP.
One name who made a splash at the SCOOP earlier this year was Viktor "Isildur1" Blom, who took down two events. At present he is registered for just one event -Event 22 $10,300 NLHE with a guaranteed $1.25 million prizepool. If he can get his hands on that title we may well be seeing some more high octane nosebleed action at PokerStars before very much longer!
At this stage it's hard to tell how successful the WCOOP will be but early indications are good with the guaranteed prize pools being smashed in every event - in many cases more than doubled.
With the big buy in events and millions of dollars still to be won we will keep you up to date with any interesting developments over the next couple of weeks as the WCOOP continues.