PokerListings Awards – Best Tournaments Live and Online 2023
Ladies and gentlemen, get ready: it’s time for Category 3 and 4 in the PokerListings Awards 2023!
Presumably, no one has missed that the PokerListings Awards 2023 are up and running. Every year, the PokerListings team nominates a list of poker entities that has stood out in certain categories during the year that has been. Last week, we revealed Category 1 and 2 – best poker operator for beginners and grinders – and listed which poker operators we thought deserved a place on these very prestigious lists.
This week it’s time for Category 3 and 4. Online poker tournament series and live poker events play crucial parts in the poker community and it will take a lot for a series/event to deserve a place on the list. Let’s take a look at what we’re looking for in each of the two categories, as well as the nominees for this year!
Category 3: Best Online Poker Tournament Series
2023 was an absolute crazy year in terms of online poker series. Different series have been running all year long and they only keep getting better and better.
A few key elements needs to be executed to perfection in order for an online tournament series to stand out. One of them, of course, is the guarantee. Unless there are high guarantees in the series, players won’t be too interested in participating, it’s as simple as that. The huge WCOOP guarantee of $80 000 000 earned PokerStars a place on the list.
A large field of players is also an attractive feature that enlightens an online poker tournament series further and makes it “the talk of the town”. This, of course, often goes hand in hand with a good tournament schedule. The Bounty Hunter Series schedule did not disappoint this year. This GGPoker series focused solely on bounty tournaments and there were a ton of players participating in every tournament.
When you win a big online tournament that’s part of a series, you’ll obviously want something that can help you remember your achievement for years to come. To receive a trophy or similar really means a lot to players. It wasn’t a hard decision to put the WSOP Online on the list. Few, if any, awards are more prestigious in online poker than a WSOP Online bracelet.
The last factors we’re taking into account for this category are good structures and Buy-Ins. JackPoker deserved a place on the list. The Freeroll Festival Winners increased their bankroll significantly during this risk-free series.
All the nominees for category three are:
| WSOP Online (GGPoker) |
| WCOOP (PokerStars) |
| The Festival Online (888poker) |
| Bounty Hunter Series (GGPoker) |
| K.O Series (partypoker) |
| Freeroll Festival (JackPoker) |
Category 4: Best Live Poker Tournament Event
There are few things better than feeling the thrill of live poker! We’re taking similar factors in account for live poker tournament events as we did for online series. The Festival Series schedule earned them a place on this list; in their most recent event in Bratislava, they featured many Mixed Games, which was very appreciated by the players.
Regarding poker tournaments in North America, it was good news that the NAPT made their comeback this year. The NAPT guarantee $1 500 000 for the Main Event during the Las Vegas stop contributed to them earning a place on our list.
Good structures and Buy-Ins are as important on the live poker scene as it is online. APT earned a place on the list, partially because of their range of Buy-Ins. A poker tournament in Asia hits different, something that the APT Main Event winner Chu Van Tien surely could agree on.
Who doesn’t love some live poker in Malta? The partypoker Millions was held at Portomaso Casino earlier this year and the partypoker Millions trophy did not disappoint. What’s even better, partypoker Millions qualifier on partypoker ran continuously, allowing players to secure their spot for a cheaper price. Online qualifiers are very important in this category.
All the nominees for category 4 are:
Be sure to visit us in a couple of days again, when we’ll reveal Category 5 and 6!
