GGMasters Anniversary Event Canceled After Technical Meltdown

For the second time in as many weeks, the GGMasters $5 million guaranteed freezeout on GGPoker has faced serious technical issues—this time resulting in a full cancellation of the event.

GGMasters Anniversary Event Canceled After Technical Meltdown image

A Disastrous Series of Events

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The trouble began on Sunday, February 23, when the highly anticipated 5th Anniversary GGMasters event initially launched with 21,992 registered players. However, due to a system malfunction, GGPoker had to pause and reschedule the tournament to the following Sunday, March 2.

While Day 1 of the rescheduled event ran smoothly, players were in for a rude awakening when Day 2 commenced on March 3. Reports surfaced of extreme table balancing issues, with some players finding themselves in three-handed or heads-up situations despite more than 12,000 players still remaining in the field.

After attempts to rectify the issue failed, GGPoker had no choice but to cancel the tournament entirely.

Payouts and Player Frustrations

Under GGPoker’s cancellation policy, since the event was still in late registration when the issues arose, no overlay was incurred. The prize pool was split as follows:

50% evenly distributed among all remaining players.

50% allocated based on chip stacks at the time of cancellation.

This decision has sparked outrage among participants, especially those who had already rearranged their schedules to play in the rescheduled Day 1. Many took to social media to express their frustration, with some accusing the platform of mishandling the situation.

One player, @Raw_Nit, lamented, "I started Day 2 with 80bb and now have 64.7bb without playing a single hand." Another, @ispLashcrans, noted, "I started Day 2 playing HU for 3 or 4 hands before other players eventually showed up. Such a weird start to Day 2."

Conspiracy Theories Emerge

As with any major tournament cancellation, conspiracy theories started circulating. Some speculated that the cancellation was a ploy to avoid paying a six-figure overlay, but considering GGPoker’s recent $500 million acquisition of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) brand, this theory seems unlikely.

The reputational damage from this incident is significant, and GGPoker will likely have to take serious steps to regain player trust. Whether that means increased server stability, better contingency planning, or compensation for affected players remains to be seen.

What’s Next for GGPoker?

This latest technical failure raises concerns about GGPoker’s infrastructure and its ability to handle high-traffic events. The site has previously hosted record-breaking tournaments, but repeated issues in such a high-profile event leave many wondering if changes are needed to prevent future mishaps.

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Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.