BetMGM Poker Goes Up Against PokerStars, MISCOOP With May Online Series
With PokerStars Michigan‘s first Michigan Spring Championship of Online Poker (MISCOOP) in full swing, PokerStars MI’s only rival, BetMGM Poker Michigan, does not plan to sit idly by in the online series market.
This week, BetMGM Poker MI announced a second running of its BetMGM Online Series. The 10-tournament series featuring $315,000 in total guaranteed prize pools will play out May 16-23. Those dates coincide with the final week of MISCOOP.
Second running of BetMGM Online Series similar to first
Last month’s inaugural BetMGM Online Series ran less than a month after BetMGM Poker MI’s launch in late March. The series ultimately awarded just over $360,000 in prize money. That said, the series stumbled out of the gate somewhat, with five of the first seven events having overlays.
The series ended on a good note, however, with a decent turnout for the climactic $535 no-limit hold’em event. The 217 entries for that tournament created a $108,500 prize pool. That eclipsed the $75,000 guarantee and represented the largest prize pool of the series.
Like the April series, this month’s BetMGM Online Series presents a similar 10-event schedule playing out over eight days. That overall total of $315,000 in guaranteed prize pools slightly exceeds the $300,000 of last month’s series. The final event featuring a big $1,060 buy-in also has the largest guarantee of $100,000 attached to it. That’s larger than any guarantee during the first BetMGM Online Series.
Otherwise, the schedule is quite similar. Again, there is just one non-NLHE event, a pot-limit Omaha tournament. This time, there is just one progressive knockout bounty event, compared with two PKO events in April. Also like last time, there is a $20 buy-in “mini” event coming on the final Sunday.
Here is the full schedule for the May running of the BetMGM Online Series:
| No. | Date | Time (ET) | Event | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 16 (Su) | 5:00 p.m. | $50K Gtd. NLH 8-Max | $535 |
| 2 | May 16 (Su) | 5:00 p.m. | $35K Gtd. NLH Sunday 1/2 Price 8-Max | $109 |
| 3 | May 17 (M) | 8:00 p.m. | $20K Gtd. NLH 8-Max | $215 |
| 4 | May 18 (Tu) | 8:00 p.m. | $20K Gtd. NLH 6-Max | $215 |
| 5 | May 19 (W) | 8:00 p.m. | $20K Gtd. NLH 8-Max | $215 |
| 6 | May 20 (Th) | 8:00 p.m. | $10K Gtd. PLO 8-Max | $109 |
| 7 | May 21 (F) | 8:00 p.m. | $25K Gtd. NLH 8-Max Progressive KO Bounty | $215 |
| 8 | May 22 (Sa) | 8:00 p.m. | $25K Gtd. NLH 6-Max | $215 |
| 9 | May 23 (Su) | 5:00 p.m. | $10K Gtd. NLH Mini Championship | $20 |
| 10 | May 23 (Su) | 5:00 p.m. | $100K Gtd. NLH 8-Max | $1,060 |
BetMGM Poker MI again battling with short stack vs. PokerStars MI
Once again, BetMGM Poker MI faces a formidable heads-up opponent in the battle to capture Michigan online poker players’ interest. PokerStars MI continues to thrive following its late January launch, with the MISCOOP (scheduled for May 8-24) having hit the ground running last weekend.
Through the first three days of action, MISCOOP has already awarded more prize money than the BetMGM Online Series likely will. With 27 events completed, PokerStars MI players have collected just over $395,000 in MISCOOP events so far.
Interestingly, there were 11 overlays in the first 27 MISCOOP tournaments, though most were quite small. The guarantees for those events totaled just over $360,000.
Overall, MISCOOP features 120 tournaments with $2 million in total guaranteed prize pools. On the day BetMGM Online Series concludes, the “High” version of the MISCOOP Main Event begins with a $300 buy-in and $200,000 guarantee.
The imbalance resembles the Easter weekend “showdown” in early April between PokerStars MI’s $500,000 guaranteed Michigan Classic and BetMGM Poker MI’s $50,000 Freeroll Invitational Tournament.
That said, when it comes to comparisons, BetMGM Poker MI will more likely be comparing its May numbers to the April series, and not necessarily to MISCOOP.
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