Poker Writer
The 2026 World Series of Poker Online bracelet schedule has come under criticism, with some players saying Caesars’ focus and care for its online product have slipped.
The Uncapped Poker Podcast highlighted multiple issues plaguing the start of the 30-event online bracelet schedule. From tournament times to technical glitches to the lack of customer service, the podcast hosts listed several gripes.
Caesars continues to own the WSOP real-money site even after the GGPoker takeover. That split may be causing a decline in investment.
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Tournaments Stretch into the Early Morning
Most of the player pool for the online events comes from states operating on Eastern Time: New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. This has led to extremely inconvenient end times for online tournaments.
The first three events of the series had ending times of 7:04 a.m., 6:35 a.m., and 6:45 a.m. Those ending times make it impossible for the Eastern Time Zone players to get any sleep and are disruptive to any players who have a job.
Instead of providing Day 2s for the tournaments, players have been forced to play nearly 12-hour one-day events. The 12 hours is not an unusually long time to play. Many live events operate with similar schedules. But it is the finish time that is problematic for East Coast players. Even for players in Nevada, a 4 a.m. finish is also not ideal.
Lack of GGPoker Tech
The 2026 WSOP is the second year under GGPoker ownership, and the effects of the new owners can be felt all throughout the live poker schedule. However, that has not been the case online yet. The GGPoker tech is not present in the WSOP online series, as it still uses an older client.
Players have noticed some glitches, as the Uncapped Poker Podcast noted:
Instead, the U.S. software is plagued with glitches, showing ‘phantom hole cards’ when players are moved to a broken table mid-hand.
Some in the U.S. Poker Community Discord server reported client-wide crashes.
Lackluster Customer Service
Perhaps worse still, players there report that essentially zero customer service exists. They’ve named the support channel “no-wsop-reps-exist-talk-to-a-wall-here.”
Live, WSOP has ramped up its efforts to be accommodating to players, listening to their requests more than ever. New official presenter Jeff Platt and ambassador T.J. Reid have been active in responding to player complaints on social media.
But that does not translate to WSOP Online, as the customer service appears to be almost non-existent.
Many backed up assertions from the podcast. One player called it the “worst run online poker operation that has ever existed.”
Prestige of the Bracelet Masking Deficiencies
The allure of a WSOP bracelet is still strong enough to attract many players to play these online events despite the issues. Especially for players on the East Coast who will not be making the trip to Las Vegas, the online tournaments are the only chances they will have at a bracelet.
Is the WSOP resting entirely on the prestige of a bracelet? A bracelet decided at 5 AM with zero livestream coverage? All this rake is being sucked out of the ecosystem with zero reinvestment into the players who built the brand. Do better.
