World Series Of Poker Comes To Michigan With Launch Of WSOP MI Online Poker Site
Add Michigan to the growing list of states with a World Series of Poker online poker room. And add WSOP Michigan to the small but expanding list of Michigan online poker rooms now available to players in the state, too.
The new WSOP MI site features the same updated software of the WSOP Pennsylvania site that launched last July. The Poker 8 platform made its US debut at WSOP PA and represents a significant upgrade from older software still being used by WSOP for its online poker rooms in other states.
With Monday’s launch, WSOP MI becomes the third online poker site to launch in Michigan. PokerStars MI was the first to start dealing virtual games in the state in late January 2021, followed by BetMGM Poker MI launching in March 2021.
This post contains detailed information sharing what you can expect to see once you begin using the WSOP client. For full information on general features, download instructions and welcome bonuses, check out our WSOP Michigan poker review.
WSOP launch another step toward interstate play
For now, WSOP MI will operate as a ring-fenced site, much like WSOP PA does.
However, the site could eventually join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement, on which players at WSOP Nevada, WSOP New Jersey, and the 888 poker-powered sites in Delaware all play against one another in a shared player pool.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board has said the wait is for the other states to accept Michigan in.
The board earlier maintained it expected to enter into a compact sometime before the end of 2021. That obviously didn’t happen. However, last week the MGCB posted a form on Multistate Internet Poker Potential Tasks and Considerations for Operators and Platform Providers.
“We have not received notification from the current compact states regarding our application’s status. The agency posted multistate internet poker considerations for operators and providers to help them prepare for the possibility of multistate poker competition whenever it may occur. For example, operators and providers may wish to work on internal controls now,” said Mary Kay Bean, Communications Specialist of the MGCB.
WSOP MI employs new Poker 8 platform
The Poker 8 platform is the same one used by 888 poker outside of the US. It has also received positive reviews from WSOP players in Pennsylvania.
The software employs a dark color scheme and more modern look than the older WSOP platform. The lobby features a clear design and is easy to navigate. There are quick links to different game categories, promotions and bonuses, and account details (aka your “personal area”). A search bar enables players to find particular tournaments or game types quickly.
The tables feature smooth-running software with cards, betting amounts and other pertinent information all clearly presented. Overall, the platform compares favorably to the PokerStars MI software, with which it is very competitive. Meanwhile, both WSOP MI and PokerStars MI have a leg up on BetMGM Poker MI’s less-engaging, though functional, design.
Poker games available at WSOP Michigan
Players will find four primary categories of games, with shortcuts to each listed on the left-hand side of the client: cash games, tournaments, sit & go’s, along with WSOP and 888 poker’s jackpot-style sit & go game BLAST poker.
WSOP cash games
For cash games, WSOP MI has no-limit hold’em, pot-limit Omaha and fixed-limit hold’em. There are no stud variants or other mixed games such as found at PokerStars MI. Ring games are six- or nine-handed.
The no-limit hold’em cash games feature a range of stakes starting as low as $0.01/$0.02 blinds and going up as high as $100/$200. The pot-limit Omaha stakes are similar, starting with pennies and topping out at $50/$100. Meanwhile, the stakes for fixed-limit hold’em cash games range from $0.05/$0.10 to $10/$20.
WSOP tournaments
There are a variety of multi-table tournaments (MTTs) featuring different buy-ins and a range of formats. Players can personalize the tournament lobby by ticking boxes to filter what gets displayed and highlight favorite formats. As with cash games, you’ll only find NLHE and PLO tournaments at WSOP MI (i.e., no stud or mixed game MTTs). One big positive of the Poker 8 platform is the fact that it permits multi-flight and multi-day tournaments, something the older WSOP software did not allow.
At the lower end, players will find freerolls and $1 and $2 MTTs, with $109, $215, and $320 tournaments featured among the higher buy-in tournaments on the schedule. Many of the tournaments, particularly the daily and weekly ones, have guaranteed prize pools. For example, the $109 weekly tournament each Sunday will boast a $50,000 guarantee. That’s larger than the $45,000 guarantee for PokerStars MI’s Sunday tournament with a similar buy-in.
Tournament types include regular and short-handed MTTs, knockout and progressive knockout bounty tournaments, freezeouts and rebuy/add-on tournaments, and SNAP fast-fold tournaments. Different speeds include from regular, turbo and super turbo.
WSOP has said there will also be satellites to live WSOP tournaments, including for the WSOP Main Event as low as $1 to play. There will also be a WSOP Online Circuit series at WSOP MI in which players can win coveted WSOP-C rings. That first series will take place April 20-May 1 and feature guarantees adding up to $350,000.
WSOP Sit & Go’s
WSOP MI features the popular sit & go tournaments as well. Players can play heads-up, six-handed or nine-handed SNGs, with buy-ins ranging from $0.25 to $200.
There are a variety of SNG speeds, too, with regular, turbo and super turbo structures all available. As with MTTs, you’ll only find NLHE and PLO Sit & Go’s
WSOP BLAST poker
Finally, WSOP MI also features BLAST poker, the jackpot-style sit & go variant in which players can potentially win up to 10,000 times their buy-in.
BLAST poker is a bit like PokerStars MI’s Spin & Go tournaments. Both feature fast-paced turbo-style short levels; however, BLAST poker games are four-handed instead of three-handed. Another difference is the fact that in BLAST, the games are timed. When time runs out, players automatically go all in every hand until someone wins.
BLAST poker games at WSOP MI start at $0.10 and go up to a maximum of $30 to play.
WSOP MI also accessible via mobile devices
Michigan players can also play at WSOP MI via their mobile devices. There are WSOP MI apps for both Apple (iOS) and Android users.
Again, the new software is a big plus for WSOP MI users, as it allows multi-tabling on mobile devices. (This feature was not previously available on the older WSOP apps). Players using the app can play up to four tables at once. The older version of the site also didn’t allow Omaha games, but the new one does.
Players can access other site features via the app, as well, including checking their account information and performing banking functions.
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