There’s a lot going on this August and September in the online poker sphere, with multiple major festivals running simultaneously. The international leg of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) kicked off on GGPoker on August 1 and will run through September 12.

The World Poker Tour (WPT) World Online Championships starts on Aug 29 with partypoker hosting the action until September 15.

2021 WCOOP

On Aug 22, the 2021 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) kicks off on PokerStars, and the online poker giant has just launched two massive promotions in a bid to attract more players into the festival.

PokerStars is upping the ante for this year’s WCOOP by offering $100 million in total guarantees. Last year, the festival featured $80 million in guaranteed prize money. The operator is putting in the hard work as early as now to make sure the 2021 WCOOP meets its target by announcing two new promotions – the Road to WCOOP, and the 50/50 WCOOP Series.

Road to WCOOP

The Road to WCOOP promo got underway on July 26 and will run until August 21, with $1 million in WCOOP tickets up for grabs. It involves weekly challenges that players must complete by opting in, playing poker, and earning points.

To start, players need to opt-in each week to the promo via the Challenges Window. After that, they must select a Redemption Points Target and strive to meet the points required based on their chosen target: 50 points for Low, 150 for Medium, 300 for High. Players will then be entered into a draw which will award WCOOP tickets to the lucky winners.

Players who are not able to win tickets via the draw will qualify into the Ambassador Freeroll which takes place on Sunday, August 22, where an extra $200,000 worth of WCOOP tickets will also be given away. If you manage to knock out a PokerStars Ambassador during the tournament, you will secure a $530 Main Event ticket.

50/50 WCOOP Series

There’s another way for players to secure a seat into the upcoming WCOOP. PokerStars is once again running the 50/50 Series – an online festival that features 50 tournaments, all sporting an affordable $50 buy-in. It kicked off on August 1 and takes place until August 15, awarding $7.5 million in guaranteed prizes, plus tickets to the $5,200 WCOOP Main Event-H.

Apart from that, PokerStars is awarding more tickets into the WCOOP via exclusive 50/50 WCOOP Spin and Go tournaments where players can turn their $1.50 into a $5,200 Main Event seat!

Race for Online Poker Dominance Continues

The 2021 WCOOP runs on similar dates with the international leg of this year’s WSOP Online Bracelet Series which takes place until September 12 on GGPoker.

PokerStars has been under pressure over the past couple of months after GGPoker overtook it as the world’s number 1 online poker site.

The online poker site is ramping up efforts to maintain its status in the global online poker market after losing the online poker crown to GGPoker back in June after 15 years of being the global leader. PokerStars has since reclaimed the top spot and has no plans to relinquish its throne. It’s been heavily invested in improving its services, launching new promotions, and boosting its tournament offerings to stay ahead of competition.

Meanwhile, after causing a major shakeup in the market by knocking PokerStars off the top spot, GGPoker continues to entice players through constant innovation. Its latest game offerings are proving to be a hit among online poker players and fans. Add to that its continuing partnership with key brands such as the WSOP which has allowed the operator to host record-breaking tournaments, on top of massive online events already running at the site.

Online poker has evolved through the years, with competition becoming more intense than ever, which is great for the players and the entire industry in general.