PartyPoker’s annual Monster Series was just recently concluded. Unlike most tournaments designed to attract the seasoned player, the Monster Series was created to target novice and recreational players. The series which only lasted a week saw hundreds of entries. Buy-ins were spread through 3 buy-in levels. Special edition SPINS games were also made available to the punters.
Of the 3 available tournaments, 3 stood out the most as a result of the large buy-ins. The said tournaments are:
- Monster #09 – High Roller which guaranteed $50,000 for $109 buy-in. This tournament took place on November 5th.
- The $265 buy-in Super High Roller. This tournament is scheduled to take place on November 12th. This tournament also has $50,000 guarantees.
- The Monster Series Main Event. This is the granddaddy of all the tournaments and boasts $300,000 guarantees for a $55 investment. The Main Event has a blind structure. Punters will sit with 1,000,000 chips and will play to a 12-minute clock. The blinds will start at 5,000/10,000/1,250a.
Any player that intends to participate will need a partypoker account before they can get their hands on any Monster Series value. The Series is a great option for low and mid stakes punters. And because there is an array of formats included in the tournament’s schedule, there really is something for every level.
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What we cover
Online poker needs such tournaments to thrive
Today, online poker would not be as fun without big online tournaments such as the Annual Monster series. Now, every major poker site worth its salt has its own signature tournament series and PartyPoker is no different. Needless to say, such tournaments present players with lots of opportunities to win big, which is why they have become central to the industry’s success.
Poker tournaments were hit particularly hard during this pandemic period. Like major sports, poker tournaments were forced to postpone and cancel their in-house events. Those that were able to move their operations online even as their brick and mortar casino remained closed for months during a government-enforced lockdown.
But as a result of the complex legality of online gambling in the country, as well as many parts of the world, alongside inevitable technical issues, the transition was anything but smooth. If players wanted to compete for big money their options were greatly limited. As such, many pokers players were forced to exit the country to take part in such tournaments.
Now traveling abroad to take part in a poker tournament is hardly anything new or unusual. Professional poker players travel abroad all the time for live tournaments. But in the pandemic, playing online rather than in person in a card room, left numerous punters miffed.
Though the US is yet to legalize online poker federally, the demand for online poker is huge. As the country continues to consider the widespread legalization of online poker, poker players will not have to gallivant around the globe to participate in big tournaments.
For now, the realization of large poker series and live events, those that include players from all over the world, are still somewhat a distant reality. For now, punters will have to contend with online versions of these tournaments. Poker clubs, alternatively, will have to rely on apps to keep offering the engaging mind sport that’s poker.
PartyPoker continues to shine as a leader in the poker industry
Poker isn’t exactly the easiest thing to master. That’s why many poker players, especially the inexperienced ones, have been demanding mid-stakes series that they can sink their teeth into. The Monster Series is one of the few mid-stakes tournaments in the country that allow punters to take part. The Monster Series is PartyPoker’s very first micro-stakes series.
With total guarantees amounting to $5,000,000, this series allows thousands of punters to compete for serious prizes over the almost 2 weeks in which the event runs. PartyPoker has put a lot of thought into creating an event that offers bettors a huge array of formats.
The Monster Series has been around since late 2017 and has grown by leaps and bounds since then as we’ve covered here. At its launch, it was guaranteeing punters 5 million dollars spread over 140 events. The minimum buy-in at the time was $1.1 with most of the tournaments accepting entries ranging from $11 to $55.
After its first iteration, the Monster Series started reducing the buy-ins. Last year’s festival had more than 200 events with $2M GTD. Entries at last year’s version ranged from $0.11 to $22.for this year, however, things were even more different with a couple of changes added. Some of the changes implemented consist of:
- Reduced number of tournaments, which effectively boosted the average guarantee.
- To cover the guarantees, this year’s Monster tournament will also be phased in 2 days.
- The majority of the tournaments this year had buy-ins of up to $22.
- Only 14 tournaments are reserved for high rollers this year.
- Almost all tournaments will permit one re-entry.
Final Thoughts
In 2002, PokerStars launched the very first World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) designed to recreate the atmosphere experienced at the World Series of Poker. Today, tournaments such as WCOOP and smaller tournaments like the Monster Series have become a vital component of online poker’s playbook.
While interest in online poker continues to mount in the country, the live circuit consisting of a series of tournaments, clubs, and casinos worldwide, has suffered immensely as a result of the pandemic. But it’s not all bad news though.
Now that the cases are slowly dropping, poker rooms in New Jersey and around the world will reopen. Soon enough, punters will be able to take part in cash table games and even participate in live tournaments. But first, the cure must be found.
Are you interested in playing poker online in New Jersey? Check out our in-depth reviews of the best poker sites in New Jersey: BetMGM, PartyPoker, and Borgata.
$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.
