The PartyPoker KO Series concluded weeks after it started on Christmas Day last year. The series was concluded on January 19th after 3 Main Events were held. The Series offered 3 buy-in levels, giving punters with an array of budgets plenty of great opportunities to take part. The KO Series was so successful that the 3 Main Events hosted performed better than anticipated even managing to surpass the initial guarantees made.
Participants could choose from one of the 3 buy-ins, which stood at $11 which offered a guaranteed prize pool of $50,000, $109 offering a prize pool of $300,000, and the big Kahuna whose buy-in was $1,050 each guaranteeing a prize pool of a cool $1 million.
The micro event drew 5,687 players. Owing to the high number of players that took part, the event generated $6,870 in addition to the guaranteed $50,000. The winner of this micro event walked away with $3,142.
The Mini Main Event, on the other hand, saw 3,823 poker players take part. The number of players consequently caused the prize pool to grow from the original $300,000 to a final prize pool of $382,300. The winner of the Main Event earned $21,892 in prize money plus an additional $13,908 in bounties. In total, the winner walked away with a remarkable prize of more than $35,000.
The Main Event, on the other hand, saw 1,187 poker players participate, which effectively bumped the prize money from $1 million to $1,187,000. The winner of the main event earned just slightly over $144,000 for his win.
Despite such a challenging time in our history, PartyPoker has put its best foot forward to ensure that its customers are entertained throughout. Alongside the KO Series, PartyPoker’s World Poker Tour action was also taking place.
Several events have been held including the WPT Online Poker Open—Main Tour Event which offered punters $1 million in prize money. PartyPoker, which is becoming increasingly well-reviewed as we’ve covered here has been focused on offering qualifiers and satellites that have made it a lot easier for bettors to compete for seats on their favorite events at a much more affordable rate.
$1025
Welcome Package
$25 free bonus + deposit match, first deposit up to $500.
$600
Welcome Package
* New customers only. 100% match bonus based
on first deposit of up yo $600.
$500
Welcome Package
* New customers only. 100% match bonus based
on first deposit of up to $500.
So what’s in the cards for online poker this year?
What we cover
More states are now going to legalize online poker
IGaming in the country has been growing slowly but surely since 2013 when the industry was first legalized in Nevada. Today, the online poker market in the country has grown to include Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, and of course Delaware. Most other states would have been content surviving without legal online poker but the 2019 pandemic has changed all that.
The pandemic brought an unprecedented wave of closures, furloughs, and dramatically reduced revenues that have negatively affected the economic status of many states. And even though brick and mortar casinos were nearly brought to their knees as a result, online gambling activities shot through the roof for obvious reasons.
That’s why more and more states are considering legalizing the industry. Because of the negative economic impact of the contagion, states that have previously been opposed to legalizing suddenly find the prospect appealing. The taxation of iGaming will help to bring a fresh dose of gambling revues which states seriously need if they are going to recover.
Because the iGaming market is set to blow up even further than it did in 2020, online operators such as PartyPoker, Borgata, PokerStars, BetMGM, all stand to benefit the most. By 2025, it is estimated that as many as 25 more states will have legalized their online poker industries and launched in some form.
While most states are considering legalization because of the injection of funds that online poker would bring, it is also true that retail casinos are not as widespread as they ought to be in the country. Sure, there are plenty of tribal and commercial casinos available. But to experience them, punters are often forced to make long treks to these venues, something that could easily be avoided with online gambling.
Examples of states that are looking to legalize online poker this year include New York, California, Connecticut, Florida, Virginia, Ohio, as well as Kentucky. If any of these states go ahead with legalization, it will be a considerable win for the online poker industry. Populations such as California, Florida, and New York, have some of the highest population numbers which will definitely help to build momentum for the other states to follow.
The return of live poker tournaments
Aside from enhanced legalization in the country, poker players all over the country will also be pleased with the return of live poker tournaments. The ongoing vaccination process has certainly helped to make the return of live poker a reality that might happen sooner than expected.
Poker rooms across the country are already making a slow return. However, they continue to be held back by the various state-mandated restrictions and guidelines that exist to mitigate the spread of the pandemic.
We’ve already seen live flagship tournament series’ that have taken off without any hitches. Most of these live tournaments have maintained an online-live hybrid structure that has made it easier for participants from not only the country but the rest of the world. As more and more of these tournaments are held, more poker players will start to feel comfortable showing up at the live poker tournament venues.
Final Thoughts
Poker players are looking forward to an even better year than the last. As live poker tournaments continue to become a mainstay this year, the number of poker players that are willing to show up for these tournaments is increasing gradually.
Meanwhile, the online poker boom that was experienced last year will persist, which will give poker players more variety than they’ve had to choose from before. All in all, 2021 is looking like it is going to be a great year for poker.
$1025
Welcome Package
$25 free bonus + deposit match, first deposit up to $500.
$600
Welcome Package
* New customers only. 100% match bonus based
on first deposit of up yo $600.
$500
Welcome Package
* New customers only. 100% match bonus based
on first deposit of up to $500.
