BetMGM/partypoker Draws Mixed Results in Michigan So Far; Nice Series in Works
After a week of action in Michigan, online poker traffic at the new BetMGM has seen some increases. However, those jumping in some the bigger buy-in Sunday majors saw several overlays on the first weekend.
It’s certainly still early in partypoker US Network’s entry into the market. Until more players get on board, those looking for some value may be in luck for some extra cash on Sundays.
Some upcoming tournament series and events may begin attracting more players to the platform.
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A look at BetMGM cash games
BetMGM began last Monday with only a handful of players initially. By Sunday, that had jumped to a 24-hour peak of 121 players, according to PokerScout statistics.
That equaled a seven-day average of 55 cash game players. By comparison, PokerStars reached a 24-hour peak of 916 players with a seven day average of 425 players.
BetMGM traffic should continue to grow in coming weeks as more players find the site. PokerStars has had a head start on its newest competitor for real money online poker in Michigan after an earlier launch in early January. That lead may take a bit to overcome.
Finding early tournament success at smaller buy-ins
Despite some overlays, there were some positives for partypoker on Sunday. Events with smaller buy-ins seemed to top guarantees more easily.
A $20 ($18 entry fee) tournament with a $500 guarantee produced 40 entries for a prize pool of $720. “Emenz248” took the top spot for $167.
A $10 event with a $250 guaranteed came through with 49 entries and a prize pool of $441. “Sinan” topped that field for $101.
Some $5 events also produced nice returns. That included a bounty tournament attracting 211 entries for a total prize pool of $971. A $5 Super Bounty attracted 128 entries for a total prize pool of $637.
Another nice result came in a $35 Deepstack with a $750 guarantee. The tournament produced 37 entries for a $1,166 prize pool with “shotheads” winning $490 for first.
However, a $55 Progressive Knockout (PKO) Bounty featured a $2,000 guarantee. That event only brought in 20 entries for a $500 overlay.
Overlays in some larger buy-in BetMGM events
Those looking for some extra value found some in a few of BetMGM poker’s first Sunday major events. For example, the $320 PKO Bounty features a $10,000 guarantee.
That event produced only 26 entries, $2,200 short of the guarantee. “Win49242” cashed in on top for $1,952 and $1,364 in bounties.
The $215 Knockout PKO brought in 29 entries and fell short of the $7,500 guarantee by $1,700. “JohnCandy” came out first for $1,750 and $1,472 in bounties.
It wasn’t all overlays, however, and some BetMGM events with heftier buy-ins topped guarantees. The $109 Eight-Max carried a $10,000 guarantee with 121 entries and a $12,100 prize pool. “BishPlz” scored a nice first-place prize of $2,763.
The $215 Sunday $40K also easily topped that guarantee. The tournament produced 260 entries for a $52,000 prize pool with “BlueHewSpew” winning first for $9,620.
Looking ahead
BetMGM/partypoker US Network has some events in store to build some momentum in the Wolverine State. The site plans its first Online Series April 18-25 with a $305,000 guarantee.
This becomes the site’s first tournament series in the state. Players will find 10 events to check out with some nice guarantees.
The series offers another chance to bring in even more players to the platform. USPoker will have a preview of the series later in the week as well as some other partypoker events in New Jersey.