Amidst negative news emerging that PokerStars is planning to lay off workers from its headquarters, a much positive is already making the headlines in the same week. PokerStars announced early in the week its plan to downsize the number of employees at its headquarters in Isle of Man Island. The move came after the poker giant detected low poker revenue in the previous year following international legislation issue.
The unfortunate news came at a time when PokerStars was running its annual World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP). The imminent sacking of around 80 workers at IOM has since been neutralized by the ongoing event which is showing signs of breaking records.
Even before the conclusion of the WCOOP series on Wednesday, it was already reported that the event was overwhelmingly successful. The three-week online series has realized a new record by generating $104733898 worth of prize pool. Prior to the Wednesday Main Event Final, 219 tournaments had been played sharing the entire prize pool figure. It was advertised before the series that it was going to be a $75 million online event. It means that the series has surpassed its target by 40 percent.
WCOOP series is in its eighteenth anniversary, and it only indicates signs of prosperity ahead of completing the second decade. There’s no doubt that this year’s event will go down in history as the most valuable series in the WCOOP calendar. Another positivity is that PokerStars will be delighted that the 2019 WCOOP has become the second-largest online tournament since its inception. The previous year witnessed some struggles, with the 2018 WCOOP failing to generate $100 million.
Even with such development in WCOOP, PokerStars’s Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) remains unrivaled by any other online poker tournaments in the world. Early in the year, SCOOP managed to generate above $105 million in the event. The 2019 SCOOP tournament was equally record-breaking given that it became the first time that an online poker tournament yielded nine figures.
Talal Shakerchi is leading other eight poker finalists in the Main Event scheduled later in the day. The Main Event had attracted 86 entrants who were all battling it out for a chance to bag the main prize. The tournament wasn’t short of surprises with several high-profile players, including Felipe Oliveira exiting prematurely. Despite not making it to the farthest end, Oliveira still walked away with $360309.
The tournament was highly rewarding given that players like Niklas Astedt, who finished sixty-ninth still bagged $29232. It was the same value of money for Michael Addamo and Stevan Chew, who finished 60th and 53rd respectively.
Another surprise at the series was how the players from Britain were bundled out punctually. Ireland’s Fintan Hand finished 23rd collecting $50834 in the process was the best position for the Britons.
More records are at risk of being broken, especially if Shakerchi held on to his lead. Shakerschi, who previously worked as a hedge fund manager, was the winner of the 2016 edition of the event. He won $1.4 million when he triumphed three years ago. This year could be massive, considering that $1.6 million is the grand prize.
