The World Series of Poker celebrate the opening of the new tri-state online poker network with a $1m guaranteed Coast to Coast festival and prepare to debut the WSOP Café in the Rio Convention Centre.
Yannick is the new Barista in my local coffee shop. This morning, I walked in, and he said, “Good morning, Lee. A large Matcha Latte with Soya milk, right?”
I like that kind of customer service.
It makes me feel seen.
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) isn’t in the business of making coffee, but they are in the business of delighting customers and making them feel seen – this morning they raised the bar considerably.
To celebrate the new tri-state compact (Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada) Bill Rini and the team has announced plans to host a $1m GTD online festival. Coast to Coast is a 10-day series, running May 11-20, and each event in the 32-event schedule promises a five-figure guarantee, minimum.
And this, in addition to the $15m in guarantees the WSOP has promised through their The Pot Got Bigger promotion, including a new flagship Sunday online $100k GTD event, new player loyalty scheme, and multiple ways to qualify for live WSOP events.
The WSOP is currently the only online poker operator to launch in the new tri-state compact because of their relationship with 888Poker (the only player in the Delaware market).
The star attraction on the Coast to Coast Festival is a $500 buy-in Main Event, May 20. WSOP officials have made the guarantee $200,001, one cent more than the previous largest online event held in the new regulated market. There is also a $1,000 buy-in 6-Max High Roller, Re-Entry on the same night.
WSOP.com chieftain, Bill Rini, called the grand opening a ‘game-changer for players’ and hoped other states would follow the model, Pennsylvania being the most likely. The tri-state action began on Tuesday and reached a peak of 381 players, not enough to get excited about, but the first green shoots of something special, for sure.
If you compete in three Coast to Coast events, you win a seat into a freeroll guaranteeing 20 seats into the $365 buy-in online bracelet event (Event #10).
WSOP Launch the WSOP Cafe
I’m heading to Montenegro and Barcelona in May.
Two different venues, two different brands, the same problem – what to eat?
I’ve found, that whether I am playing in my local casino, or one of the most luxurious venues in the world, the choice of what to eat is always problematic.
The most significant issue for me when it comes to the food the casino/poker industry wants to shovel down your gullet is the lack of healthier options, and the WSOP is no exception.
For many years, people have complained about the food choices at the Rio during the WSOP. The organisers listen. They have changed things throughout the seasons, and this year is no different.
The WSOP Cafe is opening in the Miranda Ballroom, promising to offer players a wide selection of choices and seating areas to chill in between tournaments. There will be a salad cart, burrito station, BBQ station, Pho Noodles, smoothies, a French boulangerie, sushi and hot dogs.
The new cafe will be open seven days a week, opening one hour before the first tournament kicks off and staying open until 2 am.
