PokerStars WCOOP – World Championship of Online Poker

The World Championship of Online Poker is a tournament series hosted annually by PokerStars to determine the world’s most elite online poker tournament players.

Each year, the WCOOP schedule is comprised of dozens of events in a variety of formats, including Razz, 2-7 Triple Draw, HORSE, and of course Pot Limit Omaha & No Limit Hold’em. The series concludes with a two-day NLHE WCOOP Main Event with a buy-in of $5,200.

Chad Brown, J.C. Tran, Greg Raymer, Betrand Grospellier, and Jason Mercier are just a few of the big names who have captured a WCOOP title.

History of WCOOP

The first WCOOP was held in July 2002. It featured nine events with buy-ins from $109 to $1,050. The WCOOP main event fetched 238 entrants, and during the series overall, more than $700,000 in prize money was awarded.

The enterprise of online poker has grown massively since then, and the WCOOP has reflected that. In 2010, there were 62 events and more than $63 million in prize money was awarded. Also, the time frame for the WCOOP has shifted since its inception—presumably to avoid overlap with the World Series of Poker—and it is now held in September.

Player of the Series

During the WCOOP, competitors earn Player of the Series points by finishing in the money. These points are displayed in an official WCOOP leader board, and the player with the most points by the conclusion of the tournament schedule wins Player of the Series. In 2010, the honor went to Andy McLEOD (James Obst of Australia) thanks to his four final table appearances. He received a custom trophy, an EPT Monte Carlo Prize Package, a PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Prize Package, an entry ticket to the 2010 SCOOP Main Event, and a special edition chip set.

WCOOP Coverage

With tons of satellites available to players of all bankrolls, everyone can get a chance to enter a WCOOP event. But for those who prefer the view from the outside, you can track the action with news and results from the PokerStars Blog and video highlights on PokerStars.tv. You can also watch final table replays through the PokerStars software.