Online Poker Sites Stumble During $150 Million MTT Goldrush

September is a big month for online poker players with more than $150 million in MTT guarantees but things haven’t gone quite to plan for the big three.

Online poker players are in the midst of a goldrush thanks to events such as PokerStars’ WCOOP. (Image: PokerStars)

With thousands of players hungry for added value, PokerStars, Partypoker and the GGNetwork have been on high alert over the last week.

Indeed, with each operator’s festival promising major guarantees, executives have fighting for the limelight. However, as is often the case when expectations are high, not everything has been perfect.

Giant Guarantees Cause Minor Headaches

Despite previous success with its KO Series, Partypoker struggled to meet some guarantees in the early stages of its latest event.

Although interest has increased as things have progressed, the first day of action saw buy-ins fall short by more than $250,000.

If that seemed like a big problem over at Partypoker, things could have been a lot worse for PokerStars.

With the online poker giant in the midst of its $75 million World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), an unexpected glitch threatened to derail the action.

According to forum reports, players were unexpectedly frozen out of the site on September 15. In response to concerns, support staff said the freezeouts were due to “technical difficulties.”

However, with past festivals such as Partypoker’s 2018 KO Series being knocked out due to DDoS attacks, foul play is always a possibility.

Fortunately for those involved, normal service was resumed within the hour. However, with so much money on the line, some players were frustrated at the lack of information provided during the WCOOP blackout.

“Yes, admin says in chat: technical difficulties. It’s never clear when this happens whether to wait, email, shut down client or wait for resume, email for refund etc,” Wild Card wrote on 2+2.

While Partypoker and PokerStars were fighting fires, the GGNetwork has enjoyed a relatively drama-free period. Aiming to set new standards with its $50 million Good Game Series, the online poker network has posted strong numbers so far.

At the halfway stage, players have banked more than $25 million in prize money, despite certain events being canceled due to scheduling errors.

Online Poker Benefits from Industry Upswing

Even with a few hiccups, online poker players have been enjoying a wealth of value this month. As well as being a sign of the online industry’s health, the current glut of action is indicative of poker’s overall status.

Beyond that, the GUKPT Goliath set attendance records while the recent British Poker Open gave players a new way to play for $1 million+ payouts.

Overall, things are looking up for poker. While stumbling blocks will always be an issue, the game is in a better position now than it’s been for a long time.

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