The WSOP cancelled an online bracelet event Monday night after widespread technical issues left many players unable to access the platform
Event #7 was the $250 Mystery Bounty that came with a $1 million guaranteed prize pool that had been surpassed when the tournament was cancelled.
Some players were able to log in and play, and some bounties were pulled on Day 2, including the jackpot bounty of $100K, but many more players couldn't access the client.
The WSOP issued a statement at 8.21pm that read, "Today’s restart of Online Bracelet Event #7 encountered technical difficulties that resulted in a high number of players unable to log in for the tournament. Therefore the tournament has been cancelled, and all players who were in the field at the start of Day 2 will be contacted."
Terrance Reid: 'I couldn’t log in to play a single hand'
PokerOrg's Terrance Reid was one of the players affected, and he gave us a firsthand account of what happened to the players.
"I bagged Bracelet Event #7, the $250 Mystery Bounty, and tried to log in to play Day 2 on Monday from the Horseshoe ballroom at 6:28pm, but I couldn't access my account.
"I tried for over an hour — on laptop and mobile, WiFi and data — but nothing worked. I saw on Twitter that many other people were having the same issue.
"During this time, I told the live table I was sitting at about the problems. One of the guys at the table told me he was in the same event, but he was able to join. With multiple people sitting out, he was raising almost every hand and stealing the blinds. I never played a single hand on Day 2.
"I finally logged in to see I’d been forced all in with my last big blind — and lost. I went to the WSOP online desk onsite to see if they could provide any answers. They said they were 'waiting on their higher-ups,' and that they would 'make it right.' Eventually, they posted a message saying players should expect an email that would explain things. I've yet to receive that email."
Player frustration mounts after cancellation
The situation has left a lot of players unhappy, but there's also a lot of confusion about what will happen to the prize pool and awarded bounties.
High-stakes pro Matt Berkey said it left a big opportunity for the WSOP to make things right. He posted, saying, "With all the goodwill ClubWPT Gold has shown players throughout their early nightmares AND the grandstanding, giving away a million at a WSOP event, this is a pretty major opportunity for WSOP/GGPoker to do something overly generous to make it right for the players affected."
PokerOrg Player Advisory Board member Garry Gates said, "This is actually wild. Most of the huge bounties already hit, and the field narrowed to 234 players from 1,100 by the time they canceled it. It's going to be very interesting to see how they attempt to make this one right."
Here's a selection of other reactions from players.
