Daily fantasy sports have been on a major uptick in recent years, with the rise of DFS platforms like FanDuel, DraftKings and SuperDraft.
While fantasy poker has not been too high on the list of priorities for these operators, SuperDraft has decided to get seriously involved with it by running a series of freeroll fantasy poker tournaments this fall, with 18 WSOP bracelet events available for competition.
SuperDraft selected a number of high-profile events for the freerolls, with the $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. and $25,000 NLH High Roller freerolls already finished, each awarding $1,000 in prize money.
Moving forward, freerolls will be running all the way up to November 21, with the $100,000 NLH High Roller being the final event managers will be able to compete in.
In total, SuperDraft will be giving away $34,000 in prizes across the promotional period, with one $10,000 Main Event seat given away in the October 31 freeroll, whose results will be based on player finishes in the popular $50,000 Poker Players Championship.
Freerolls Format and Prize Pools
While competition formats for popular fantasy sports like fantasy football and fantasy baseball are well-established, fantasy poker is a bit different, and there are no preset rules for how players are awarded points.
SuperDraft has come up with an interesting tournament format, with each player’s team consisting of five players who have registered in a particular tournament. As usual, players will accumulate points based on their performances. Important rules to keep in mind are:
- Each team has five players in total;
- Each player is assigned a multiplier;
- Players are made available in the draft pool once they register;
- Each team has a “champion” who scores an additional 50% of their multiplier;
- Players in the top 20 earn points; and
- Additional points awarded for top 5, top 3, final table and ITM finish.
Fantasy managers can look forward to 21 freeroll tournaments in total, with 18 gold bracelet events in play, and multiple freerolls available for the Main Event, with Day 3, Day 5, Day 6 and Day 7, each offered separately.
Apart from the Main Event and the Players Championship, fantasy managers will also have a chance to pick teams for other high-profile tournaments such as Championship events in different games, the $25,000 PLO High Roller, the $50,000 PLO High Roller, the $100,000 and $250,000 NLH High Rollers, and more.
The prize pools for each of the freerolls are anywhere in the $500 to $2,500 range, with the most lucrative opportunity being in the Players Championship freeroll, which will award $2,500 in cash along with the Main Event seat.
The player who wins the Main Event seat will have the option to forfeit it for $7,500 in SuperDraft credits if they are unable or unwilling to take part in the event.
The freerolls have come as a part of SuperDraft’s partnership with PokerGO, the major poker media covering the WSOP and offering live streams of all action at the Series.
“Partnering with SuperDraft will allow poker fans and players alike to participate in brand new fantasy poker offerings, a massive untapped market in the current fantasy sports landscape,” said Brent Hanks, director of programming at PokerGO. “Poker has been long overdue for fantasy sports involvement and SuperDraft is the perfect partner to set it up seamlessly.”
