Jason Mercier to stream WCOOP event

Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier will be broadcasting his attempt to win the $102,000 No-Limit Hold'em (8-Max, Super High-Roller) event in the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) on Sunday, 11 September on Twitch. The 82-event series, which carries a $50m online festival guarantee, started last Sunday on PokerStars, an Amaya Inc. brand.

With a buy-in of more than $100,000, this Super High Roller event will be the highest-buy-in poker tournament ever played online. The previous record of $51,000 was set during the 2015 World Championships, also on PokerStars. The Super High Roller will be one of several high profile events, including the NL Hold'em 8-Max High Roller and Main Event, to be streamed on the PokerStars Twitch channel.

Mercier, who has earned more than $17 million in live tournaments, and is the reigning World Series of Poker Player of the Year, will be allowing poker fans around the world to see his cards as he takes on the other biggest names in the game, albeit with a 15-minute delay put in place to prevent his high stakes opponents from seeing what he has during play. Fellow Team PokerStars Pro and Twitch record breaker Jason Somerville will be joining Mercier in the broadcast booth, providing commentary and interacting with viewers in chat. Somerville's Twitch channel has had 13.5 million views. The event will also be streamed on Facebook, YouTube and PS.tv.

"The WCOOP is the premier online tournament series of the year, and our 15th annual Championship is the biggest yet with over $50 million guaranteed. There was great buzz last year about the $51,000 Super High Roller, but we've upped the ante this year by doubling that record to $102,000," said Eric Hollreiser, Director of Corporate Communications, PokerStars. "Jason Mercier streaming the event and showing his hole cards gives poker fans an amazing opportunity to jump on board the action and excitement. On top of that, Jason Somerville has made Twitch the premiere channel for poker fans and knows how to put on a truly great show. All this combined is going to make for some intense Sunday poker watching."

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Jason Mercier wins WSOP POY race

Jason Mercier has established an insurmountable lead in the 2016 World Series of Poker Player of the Year award, cementing his status as one of the best tournament poker players in the world. This award comes just weeks after a runner-up finish in the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) Overall Leaderboard in May on PokerStars.com, an Amaya Inc. brand. The two achievements are a remarkable result for this member of Team PokerStars Pro who has demonstrated versatility at all forms of poker – both online and live.

“I am honored to receive this award. There are so many tough players that every year have a great shot of winning this title, and I’m fortunate to have been able to have a successful summer at the tables and come out on top. I played almost every single event of SCOOP in May, which was in hindsight the perfect preparation for a tough summer of poker,” said Jason Mercier.

Daniel Negreanu, fellow member of Team PokerStars Pro and two-time WSOP player of the year winner, said, “The Player of the Year race is a very special honor, and no one is more deserving than Jason for his accomplishments in 2016. What a run he had playing against the world’s best and consistently putting up results. A great player who is highly skilled in every form of poker. Very happy for him."

At the World Series of Poker this year, Mercier has had a remarkable run, with two victories, one second place and one eighth place, for a total of four final tables among 11 cashes.

In addition to collecting bracelets for himself at the WSOP, Jason Mercier also gave away a ring at a WSOP final table as he proposed to his girlfriend Natasha Barbour. Barbour made the final table of the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event, and after she was eliminated in third place, Mercier proposed to her. She said, “Yes,” rounding out a summer of success for Jason, both on and off the table.

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Jason Mercier wins WSOP $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed event bracelet

Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier this morning won the WSOP $5,000 No Limit Hold’em 6-Handed event for $633,357. He came through a high-calibre field of 550 players including, at the final table, James ‘Andy_McLEOD’ Obst, who has achieved the ‘Triple COOP’ of PokerStars online tournament victories, and well-known British pro Simon ‘x1deadman1x’ Deadman, who was defeated by Mercier heads-up.

It is Mercier’s third World Series bracelet – his first in No-Limit Hold’em – after Pot-Limit Omaha victories in 2009 and 2011. He now has 43 cashes in WSOP events, of which 13 have been final tables. It takes his lifetime live tournament winnings to more than $14.5 million, with $2,853,749 coming in WSOP events.

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