The first-ever World Series of Poker MI online bracelet series has just wrapped up for all online poker players within Michigan state lines, and it’s hard to imagine the series as being anything but a success.
The eight-event series spanned seven weekends between June 5 and July 17. Buy-ins ranged from $400 to $1,000. Those events generated $870,900 in prize pool money, resulting in an average greater than $100K per tournament.
Six players make multiple WSOP MI online bracelet series final tables
Amazingly, six different players made two final table appearances over the summer. Two of those six players won bracelets in Brett Blackwood and Ryan Hiller.
- Brett Blackwood: 1st place in Event #1 ($35,559); 9th place in Event #5 ($1,788)
- Ryan Hiller: 1st place in Event #7 ($21,947); 7th place in Event #6 ($3,826)
- Kyle Goodman: 3rd place in Event #7 ($9,325); 8th place in Event #2 ($2,288)
- Brent Burrows: 4th place in Event #1 ($10,588); 5th place in Event #7 ($4,675)
- Jared Passanante: 4th place in Event #2 ($8,151); 6th place in Event #3 ($3,206)
- Earl Mckee: 4th place in Event #4 ($9,058); 6th place in Event #6 ($5,359)
A full list of winners has been provided below:
| Event | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner (Prize) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big $500 | 310 | $139,500 | Brett Blackwood ($35,559) |
| $400 Ultra Deepstack | 331 | $119,160 | Todd Estes ($27,896) |
| $500 Pot Limit Omaha 6 Max | 188 | $84,600 | John Macleod ($21,387) |
| $600 Online Deepstack Championship | 221 | $119,340 | Adam Kittle ($30,420) |
| $500 Deepstack | 227 | $102,150 | Freddie Kirkland ($26,0380) |
| $1,000 Online Bracelet Championship | 130 | $117,000 | Cade Lautenbacher ($28,829) |
| $777 Lucky 7s Second Chance | 123 | $86,100 | Ryan Hiller ($21,947) |
| $500 Summer Saver | 229 | $103,050 | Matthew Garza ($27,824) |
Additionally, WSOP’s Norman Chad came out to Michigan to hand-deliver multiple bracelets, including Blackwood and mechanical engineer Todd Estes.
Michigan outpaces Pennsylvania’s mirrored series
The 2022 WSOP MI Online Bracelet Series had an identical schedule to the one held in Pennsylvania for its ring-fenced market.
And despite WSOP.com having launched at the end of March, players in The Mitten brought about larger fields and prize pools than their Keystone State counterparts in every single event throughout the series.
Only two events fell shy of six-figure prize pools (Event #3: $500 PLO 6-Max and Event #7: $777 Lucky 7’s Second Chance). Conversely, PA only surpassed the six-figure mark three times.
Interestingly, both states drew the largest fields in Event #2 and their largest prize pools in Event #1.
The second half of each online series also ran during the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas, likely resulting in smaller field sizes for both states’ series.
| Event | MI Entries | MI Prize Pool | PA Entries | PA Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big $500 | 310 | $139,500 | 270 | $121,500 |
| $400 Ultra Deepstack | 331 | $119,160 | 272 | $97,920 |
| $500 Pot Limit Omaha 6-Max | 188 | $84,600 | 152 | $68,400 |
| $600 Online Deepstack | 221 | $119,340 | 196 | $105,840 |
| $500 Deepstack | 227 | $102,150 | 171 | $76,950 |
| $1,000 Online Bracelet Championship | 130 | $117,000 | 122 | $109,800 |
| $777 Lucky 7s Second Chance | 123 | $86,100 | 115 | $80,500 |
| $500 Summer Saver | 229 | $103,500 | 200 | $90,000 |
Will the first MI-only bracelet series also be the last?
Though we are recapping a successful Michigan online series, the state celebrated two months ago what could be an even greater victory: interstate poker.
In May, the Michigan Gaming Control Board signed an agreement to legalize interstate online poker and enable Michiganders to compete with players from Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware. All three of Michigan’s sites in PokerStars, BetMGM and WSOP operate in at least one of those states, which could create conditions for even larger tournament series in the future.
Michigan has been accepted into the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) between those three states, meaning its residents will eventually be able to compete with players in other states. However, we still do not know when that time will come.
Should Michigan’s player pools merge with those of New Jersey and Nevada before next summer, the 2022 WSOP MI series will be the only one of its kind. Instead, Michigan would be a part of the Main WSOP Online Series with more events and millions of dollars up for grabs.
