WSOP WEEKLY: McKeehen Grabs Gold, GGPoker Struggles, Lyons Flyin’, & More

July 20, 2020
WSOP WEEKLY: McKeehen Grabs Gold, GGPoker Struggles, Lyons Flyin’, & More

The World Series of Poker Online enters its fourth week of action this week. There were some interesting names taking home bracelets in the last week including a Main Event champion.

A player awaiting to play in a World Poker Tour televised final table also won a bracelet last week. On Sunday, action also picked up internationally at GGPoker on Sunday as well. That certainly wasn’t without some controversy.

Once again, WSOP Weekly has these stories as well as all the highlights in the last week of action.

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Joe McKeehen becomes 1st Main Event champ to win an online bracelet

Pennsylvania’s Joe McKeehen added a bit of added hype to last week’s series events. He became the first Main Event champion to also win a WSOP bracelet online.

The winner of the 2015 Main Event took down the biggest WSOP Online tournament so far on July 14. In Event 14: $3,200 NLHE High Roller, McKeehen topped a field of 496 entries for his third bracelet and $352,985.

The event featured a prize pool of $1.5 million. Beyond his Main Event title, McKeehen also won a bracelet in 2017 in the $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship for $311,817.

He now has almost $11 million in series winnings. That also includes three WSOP Circuit championship rings.

McKeehen has been one of the most successful Main Event champs in recent years. Beyond the WSOP, he also has plenty of big scores on other tours.

The World Poker Tour has been a big part of that with more than $1 million in winnings and four final table appearances. Can another deep run be in his future? With his consistency, don’t rule it out.

Six-figure payouts continue at WSOP.com

With 19 of 31 events complete, the big numbers continued at WSOP.com last week. Every event has paid out six-figure prizes for first place except for two.

The $3,200 NLHE High Roller, won by McKeehen, even produced six-figure payouts for the top four players. These are nice numbers considering players can only participate playing online in New Jersey or Nevada.

As of July 18, tournaments were attracting an average of 980 unique entries. The average prize pool was $847,661 with a payout average of $152,084.There are some interesting events set for this week and a few highlights include:

Event 20: $500 PLO Six-Handed – Monday, July 20

The final PLO event on the schedule should attract a nice field of players who like playing with four cards. The one remaining Omaha event is in the Hi/Lo format on July 28.

Event 21: $777 No Limit Hold’em – Tuesday, July 21

A higher buy-in event, which should produce a nice first-place payout as players see the end in sight next week.

Event 26: $500 No Limit Hold’em Grande Finale – Sunday, July 26

This should be a big Sunday event to kick off the final week of play at WSOP.com. Look for a strong field of weekend warriors giving it a shot for some gold.

Here’s a complete look at the statistics and winners from the action so far.

WSOP Online 2020 Statistics and Winners

EventBuy-InUnique EntriesRe-EntriesTotalPrize PoolTop PrizeWinner
#1 NLHE Kick-Off$50011955201715$771,750$130,426Jonathan "Art.Vandelay" Dokler
#2 NLHE 8-Handed Deepstack$1,000647272919$873,050$168,586Louis "PokeThese" Lynch
#3 NLHE$40014506412091$752,760$115,850Robert "bustinballs" Kuhn
#4 NLHE Super Turbo$5008283511179$530,550$97,091Matt "Bodeyster" Bode
#5 NLHE Freezeout$1,0008540854$811,300$161,286Allen "Acnyc718" Chang
#6 PLO 6-Handed$600497386883$449,820$89,424Nathan "surfbum" Gamble
#7 NLHE Knockout Deepstack$800989NA989$731,660$103,127Joon "jykpoker" Kim
#8 NLHE Freezeout$5001,47901,479$665,550$119,400Alan "GladiusIII" Goehring
#9 NLHE Six-Max$1,0006583681026$974,700$188,214Ron “MacDaddy15” McMillen
#10 NLHE Monster Stack$6001,5055692,074$1,119,960$172,361Ryan "Im.sorry" Torgerson
#11 NLHE Turbo Deepstack 6-Handed$5001,0816101,691$760,950$128,601Raman "Acrogum" Afanasenka
#12 BIG 500 NLHE$5001,6248032,427$1,092,150$159,563Ryan "joeyisamush" Depaulo
#13 NLHE High Roller Freezeout$1,5006490649$924,825$164,249Michael "miguelfiesta" Lech
#14 No Limit Hold'em High Roller$3,200368128496$1,507,840$352,985Joe "fanofdapoker" McKeehen
#15 PLO 8-Max HR$1,000386277663$629,850$133,780Guy "PhilLaak" Dunlap
#16 NLHE Turbo$5001,0444841,528$687,600$116,204Terrell "Heezahustla" Cheatham
#17 NLHE$7779174651,382$967,400$173,551Pat "IchiiKawawa" Lyons
#18: NLHE 8-Handed Turbo DeepStack$1,000697290987$937,650$181,060Scott "BudLightLime" Hempel
#19: NLHE$4001,7577882,545$916,200$133,856Kenny "Chopuh" Huynh
TOTALS1862525577$16,105,565$2,889,614

Winning a bracelet, awaiting WPT final table

It’s been quite a year Scott Hempel. In March, the 31-year-old online grinder qualified for the televised final table of the LA Poker Classic.

He’ll be fifth in chips when play picks up at the final table in front of WPT cameras at the HyperX Esports Arena at Luxor in Las Vegas. When that happens is still up in the air, but that hasn’t slowed Hempel down.

Originally from Chicago and now spending much of his time in Canada, Hempel notched his fourth cash of the series in a big way on July 18.

Hempel won Event 18: $1,000 NLHE Eight-Handed Turbo DeepStack for $181,060. That comes after finishing seventh a day earlier in a $777 NLHE event for $22,500.

When play resumes in the LAPC, Hempel faces quite a challenge. His final table includes WPT champions James Carroll and Matas Cimbolas as well as three-time WSOP bracelet winner Upeshka De Silva.

Hempel credits his online skills for a late rally at the Bike to qualify for the final table. He now has a shot at a WPT title as well in his first-ever cash on the tour.

“Today I was down to 10 blinds several times,” he told WPT.com. “I guess fortunately with an online background, I’m very comfortable playing those stack sizes. I think a lot of people find themselves in nebulous spots, but you play enough of these online tournaments and you get in tons of reps on those shorts stacks. But you still have to get extremely lucky once you’re that short.”

Those online skills continue to pay off in big ways.

Flyin’ Lyons soars to WSOP title

Another WPT regular also added a bracelet to his poker resumé last week. Pat Lyons already has a WPT title after winning the Legends of Poker at the Bicycle Casino in 2016 for $615,346.

He’s now added a bracelet after winning Event 17: $777 NLHE. Lyons took home $173,552 for his efforts.

One of the more interesting players in the game, Lyons is originally from San Mateo, California, and has $1.6 million in live tournament winnings.

 

Beyond poker, he enjoys sports betting and horse race handicapping. He admits his big wagers are pretty crazy, including occasional six-figure bets.

“It’s a little ridiculous,” he says. “Life is so short, I enjoy life. You can’t take money with you.”

Lyons now has another six figures to consider for sports about to get back in action.

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GGPoker forced to delay events on 1st day after server issues

The WSOP Online moved to a second platform on Sunday. GGPoker is scheduled to offer 54 bracelet events to international players.

With three events set for Sunday, an unexpected high number of players led to numerous disconnections, lag, bugs, and log-in issues.

The issues caused numerous complaints among players on social media. The site was forced to reschedule two of Sunday’s three events to July 26.

The rescheduling was also met with complaints from players who lost significant chips after they were disconnected. Others weren’t pleased the events were postponed as they may not be able to play in a week.

GG ambassador Daniel Negreanu even took to Twitter to apologize for the issues.

Not everything was problematic however. The $525 Super Turbo Bounty ran as scheduled with Japanese player Shoma Ishikawa taking home $117,650. Ishikawa became the first player to win an online bracelet outside the US.

The rough start comes at a time when online poker has experienced a mini-boom in recent months. That has included nice revenue numbers for June in the US.

With events currently running at WSOP.com and PokerStars, nice revenue numbers should continue in July.

Robert Kuhn still atop WSOP leaderboard

After already scoring one bracelet in the series, Robert “bustinballs” Kuhn continues earning big results. He also has a fourth-place finish as well as eight total cashes.

Kuhn remains atop the Online Bracelet Leaderboard. There’s an extra $100,000 on the line with the winner taking home $18,000.

  • 1st – Robert “BustinBalls” Kuhn, 2,439.7 points
  • 2nd – Michael “miguelfiesta” Lech, 2071.12
  • 3rd – Ryan “Im.Sorry” Torgerson, 2068.81
  • 4th – Roland “prngls12” Israelashvili, 2062.91
  • 5th – Philip “tomte” Yeh, 2038.93

* standings as of July 19

WSOP Online schedules, information

Here’s a look at the remaining events on the schedule as well as the international half of the series at GGPoker.

For more information, including facts, events, and Twitch streams, visit the USPoker Total WSOP Online page.

2020 WSOP Online

EventDateTime (PT)GameBuy-In
1July 1 (W)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em Kick-Off$500
2July 2 (Th)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em 8-Handed Deepstack$1,000
3July 3 (F)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em$400
4July 4 (Sa)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em Super Turbo$500
5July 5 (Su)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em Freezeout$1,000
6July 6 (M)3 p.m.PLO8 6-Handed$600
7July 7 (Tu)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em Knockout Deepstack$800
8July 8 (W)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em Freezeout$500
9July 9 (Th)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em 6-Max$1,000
10July 10 (F)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em MonsterStack$600
11July 11 (Sa)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em Turbo Deepstack 6-Handed$500
12July 12 (Su)3 p.m.The BIG 500 No Limit Hold'em$500
13July 13 (M)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em High Roller Freezeout$1,500
14July 14 (Tu)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em High Roller$3,200
15July 15 (W)3 p.m.PLO 8-Max HR$1,000
16July 16 (Th)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em Turbo$500
17July 17 (F)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'emÊ$777
18July 18 (Sa)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em 8-Handed Turbo DeepStack$1,000
19July 19 (Su)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em$400
20July 20 (M)3 p.m.PLO 6-Handed$500
21July 21 (Tu)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em 6-Handed$777
22July 22 (W)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em Turbo Deepstack$500
23July 23 (Th)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em Knockout$500
24July 24 (F)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em 8-Handed$400
25July 25 (Sa)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em Summer Saver$500
26July 26 (Su)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em Grande Finale$500
27July 27 (M)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em Freezeout$400
28July 28 (Tu)3 p.m.Omaha 8 6-Max$1,000
29July 29 (W)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em Turbo Deepstack 6-Handed$600
30July 30 (Th)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em Seniors Event$500
31July 31 (F)3 p.m.No Limit Hold'em Championship$1,000

2020 GGPoker WSOP Online

DateEvent NumberTournamentBuy-inPrize GuaranteeNotes
Sunday, July 19, 2020
** Day 2 postponed to July 26
1$100 The Opener [Final Day], $2M GTD$100$2,000,000 2-Day Event, 1-RE Flights
Sunday, July 19, 2020
** Day 2 postponed to July 26
2$1,111 Every 1 for Covid Relief [Caesars Cares]$1,111 2-Day Event
Sunday, July 19, 20203$525 Super Turbo Bounty No Limit Hold'em 6-Handed$525
Tuesday, July 21, 20204$5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship$5,000
Wednesday, July 22, 20205$1,500 FIFTY STACK No Limit Hold'em$1,500
Thursday, July 23, 20206$1,050 Bounty Pot Limit Omaha$1,050
Saturday, July 25, 20207$600 Monster Stack No Limit Hold'em 6-Handed$600Asia Time Zone
Sunday, July 26, 20208$1,500 No Limit Hold'em$1,500 Asia Time Zone
Sunday, July 26, 20209$2,500 Pot Limit Omaha$2,500
Sunday, July 26, 202010$400 COLOSSUS [Day 2], $3M GTD$400$3,000,000 3-Day Event, 1-RE Flights
Sunday, July 26, 202011$400 PLOSSUS [Day 2], $1M GTD$400$1,000,0003-Day Event, 1-RE Flights
Tuesday, July 28, 202012$10,000 Short Deck No Limit Hold'em Championship$10,000
Wednesday, July 29, 202013$2,500 No Limit Hold'em 6-Handed$2,500
Thursday, July 30, 202014$840 Bounty No Limit Hold'em$840
Saturday, August 01, 202015$500 Deepstack No Limit Hold'em$500Asia Time Zone
Sunday, August 02, 202016$1,000 Short Deck No Limit Hold'em$1,000Asia Time Zone
Sunday, August 02, 202017$1,500 MILLIONAIRE MAKER [Day 2], $5M GTD, $1M to 1st$1,500 $ 5,000,000 3-Day Event, 1-RE Flights
Sunday, August 02, 202018$500 Turbo Deepstack No Limit Hold'em$500
Tuesday, August 04, 202019$2,100 No Limit Hold'em Bounty Championship$2,100
Wednesday, August 05, 202020$400 Pot Limit Omaha$400
Thursday, August 06, 202021$1,000 No Limit Hold'em$1,000
Saturday, August 08, 202022$800 Double Stack Pot Limit Omaha$800Asia Time Zone
Sunday, August 09, 202023HK$8,000 No Limit Hold'em Asia Championship [Final Day], HK$8M GTDHK$8,000HK$8,000,0002-Day Event, 1-RE Flights
Sunday, August 09, 202024$150 GGMasters WSOP Edition [Freezeout], $1M GTD$150$1,000,000Freezeout
Sunday, August 09, 202025$10,000 Heads Up No Limit Hold'em Championship [No Late Reg, 128 Cap]$10,0002-Day Event, Freezeout
Tuesday, August 11, 202026$5,000 No Limit Hold'em 6-Handed Championship$5,000
Wednesday, August 12, 202027$2,500 Double Stack No Limit Hold'em$2,500
Thursday, August 13, 202028$525 Bounty No Limit Hold'em 6-Handed$525
Saturday, August 15, 202029$300 Monster Stack No Limit Hold'em 6-Handed$300Asia Time Zone
Sunday, August 16, 202030$1,500 Pot Limit Omaha$1,500
Sunday, August 16, 202031$500 Mini Main Event [Final Day], $5M GTD$500$5,000,0002-Day Event, 1-RE Flights
Sunday, August 16, 202032$840 Super Turbo Bounty No Limit Hold'em$840
Tuesday, August 18, 202033$600 No Limit Hold'em Deepstack Championship$600
Wednesday, August 19, 202034$800 Pot Limit Omaha$800
Thursday, August 20, 202035$500 Limit Hold'em$500
Saturday, August 22, 202036$500 Deepstack No-Limit Hold'em$500Asia Time Zone
Sunday, August 23, 202037$1,500 Marathon No Limit Hold'em$1,500Asia Time Zone
Sunday, August 23, 202038$25,000 NLH POKER PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, $10M GTD$25,000$10,000,0002-Day Event
Sunday, August 23, 202039BIG 50 [Final Day], $1M GTD$50$1,000,0002-Day Event, 1-RE Flights
Tuesday, August 25, 202040$1,500 Limit Hold'em Championship$1,500
Wednesday, August 26, 202041$1,000 No Limit Hold'em 6-Handed$1,000
Thursday, August 27, 202042$1,500 Pot Limit Omaha$1,500
Saturday, August 29, 202043$300 Double Stack No Limit Hold'em$300Asia Time Zone
Sunday, August 30, 202044$400 FORTY STACK No Limit Hold'em$400
Sunday, August 30, 202045$5,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event [Day 2], $25M GTD$5,000$25,000,0003-Day Event, Feezeout Flights
Sunday, August 30, 202046$1,000 Turbo No Limit Hold'em 6-Handed$1,000
Tuesday, September 01, 202047People's Choice Event [Most Popular]TBATBATBA by Vote
Wednesday, September 02, 202048People's Choice Event [Pros Vote]TBATBATBA by Vote
Thursday, September 03, 202049People's Choice Event [Spin the Wheel]TBATBATBA by Vote
Saturday, September 05, 202050People's Choice Event [Most Popular]TBATBAAsia Time Zone, TBA by Vote
Saturday, September 05, 202051$1,050 Beat the Pros [Bounty]$1,050
Sunday, September 06, 202052$10K WSOP Super MILLION$, $5M GTD$10,000$5,000,0002-Day Event
Sunday, September 06, 202053$100 WSOP MILLION$ [Final Day], $2M GTD$100$2,000,0002-Day Event, 1-RE Flights
Sunday, September 06, 202054$500 The Closer [LAST CHANCE]$500

Joe McKeehen photo courtesy of WPT/Joe Giron

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