DraftKings has recently decided to shake things up in Michigan by introducing its own proprietary poker product. Electric Poker is now available to Michigan players, offering three-handed jackpot poker-style games to players.
DraftKings is the first American-based gaming company in nearly a decade to create its own poker product. They are now entering a competitive market in Michigan, hoping to carve their niche with larger providers like PokerStars and WSOP.com.
Key Highlights
- DraftKings Launched Electric Poker on DraftKings Casino in Michigan.
- Electric Poker offers jackpot-style Sit-N-Go poker tournaments with up to a 10,000x prize pool.
- DraftKings could combine player pools in other MSIGA states.
DraftKings Launches Electric Poker in Michigan
DraftKings recently surprised the gambling world when it announced the launch of Electric Poker on its DraftKings Casino platform in Michigan. Electric Poker is a series of 3-handed, super turbo NL Hold’em tournaments. The tournaments pay a prize pool ranging from 2x up to 10,000x your buy-in.
The difference between Electric Poker and other lottery-style Sit-N-Go tournaments is the Electric Mode. Games start with 2-minute blind rounds, but at a certain point of the tournament, all players are forced to go all-in every hand until a winner is determined.
For games with a 2x-5x multiplier, you get three rounds of 2 minutes each, and then Electric Mode begins. 10x multipliers get four rounds before Electric Mode begins. Games with a 100x multiplier have 5 rounds before Electric Mode begins. Lastly, games with 1,000 to 10,000x multipliers will have six rounds before Electric Mode begins.
Prize pools are awarded based on the multiplier. Through a 4x multiplier, the game is winner-takes-all. For the 5x multiplier, the winner gets 80%, and second place gets 20%. For 10x games, the winner receives 75%, and second place gets 25%.
When you get to 100x and higher, all places are paid. The winner receives 70% of the prize pool for games with a 100x multiplier or higher. Second place gets 25% for 100x games and 20% for games 1,000x and up. Third place gets 5% for 100x games and 10% for 1,000x and up.
The game has four buy-in levels: $1, $5, $10, and $25. Higher buy-ins do not increase your odds of drawing higher multipliers.
Nearly half of all games will be 2x multipliers. The odds of hitting the 10,000x multipliers is 1 in 1,000,000.
DraftKings Entering a Competitive Market
DraftKings has launched its Electric Poker option in a highly competitive market. Currently, Michigan players can access PokerStars, BetMGM Poker, and WSOP.com. DraftKings is much more limited in scope than the other sites, only offering a single poker product.
However, the jackpot Sit-N-Go tournament style is extremely popular and perfect for the casino platform. It offers fast-paced play with the potential of scoring a massive multiplier. The Electric Poker variant will have a higher variance than similar options on other sites due to the Electric Mode.
However, anyone who plays these games knows that many games are effectively shovefests.
Michigan players should remember that the state is part of the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), which allows poker tournaments to be played across state lines with other members. MSIGA members include Michigan, Delaware, New Jersey, Nevada, and West Virginia.
Once Electric Poker is launched on DraftKings in those states, the player pools will consist of players from member states.
Electric Poker Does Not Require a Separate App
Michigan players do not need a separate app to access Electric Poker games.
Search Electric Poker in the DraftKings Casino app to access the game. It will launch like any other casino game. This gives DraftKings an advantage over other sites that require a separate app for online casino and online poker games.
Jackpot Sit-N-Go games are the ideal type of poker game for online casinos due to their fast pace of play. While there are some elements of skill, there is enough of a luck element to give any player a reasonable chance to win.
The higher multipliers award prizes to all three players, perfect for those looking for jackpot-style wins.
It is unclear whether DraftKings intends to expand to a full-service online poker platform.
Sources
https://help.draftkings.com/hc/en-us/articles/32287166115219-What-is-Electric-Mode-US
https://poker.draftkings.com/lp/how-to-play-electric-poker
https://www.sportsbookreview.com/news/draftkings-launches-electric-poker-michigan-aug-26-2024/
https://pokerindustrypro.com/news/article/221407-reviving-classic-draftkings-electric-poker-and
