WPT Ramps Up Championship Plans With More Live & Online Qualifiers; Adds Meet-Up Game With Tour Talent, Ambassadors, Doyle Brunson
The World Poker Tour continues planning for one of the biggest events on the poker calendar. The upcoming World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas features a $15 million guarantee with numerous live and online qualifiers.
WPT officials offered even more details on qualifying recently as well as a planned meet-up game with poker vloggers Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme. The game features WPT on-air talent as well as poker legend Doyle Brunson.
“I can think of no better way to kick off the World Championship festival than with a genuine experience for the players,” WPT CEO Adam Pliska said in a news release. “We are happy to have our talent and ambassadors welcoming players to the grand opening of the 20th-anniversary celebration of the WPT.”
What to expect at the WPT World Championship
Those heading to Las Vegas for the $10,400 WPT World Championship will find three starting flights beginning on Dec. 12. The final table will be filmed for television on Dec. 20. The championship is the final event of the season and the season highlight of the WPT schedule.
The series also features a $1,100 WPT Prime Championship running Dec. 8-12 with a $2 million guarantee. That final table will also be filmed for TV on Dec. 19.
Another major event on the schedule is the $1,600 Mystery Bounty, running Dec. 16-19 with a $2 million guarantee. The festival also includes the $1,100 WPT Ladies World Championship from Dec. 16-18 with $200,000 guaranteed. That final table will also be filmed on Dec. 18.
A $600 No Limit Hold’em event kicks off the series on Dec. 1, featuring a $500,000 guarantee. In total, players will find 20 events as part of the series running Dec. 1-20 with three final tables making the WPT television schedule for Bally Sports.
Qualifying opportunities continue
With such a hefty guarantee, WPT officials are working to get more players involved in the action. That includes online opportunities and live satellites at the Wynn and other partner properties around the world.
ClubWPT, the tour’s subscription online poker platform for US players, began offering qualifiers in May. Since then, 23 players have cashed in for a World Championship seat. From Alaska to Florida, the winners cover all different skill levels and range in age from 27 to 86.
The site also recently added two more opportunities for Diamond-level members to qualify in November. Those events run on Nov. 6 and 13.
The WPT Global online poker site began offering qualifiers on Oct. 3 and will award more than 100 seats. The $550 satellites run every day and guarantee eight seats on Sundays. Seat winners receive:
- tournament entry
- $2,000 travel stipend
- Merchandise
- special player experiences during the tournament
Live satellite opportunities have also cranked up via the WPT Feeder and Funnel Program. Satellites are running in numerous locations around the world from Texas and Barbados to Bratislava, Slovakia, and Vietnam.
Meet-up game kicks off festival
World Championship players are also in store for an additional special event. The company recently announced the “Premier Meet-Up Game: WPT Poker Icons Experience,” set for the first day of action on Dec. 1.
The event is hosted by ambassadors Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme. The meet-up game includes special appearances by WPT talent Vince Van Patten, Lynn Gilmartin, Tony Dunst, and Matt Savage.
DJ and WPT ambassador Steve Aoki and poker legend Doyle Brunson will also participate.
“Our recent meet-up game in Las Vegas was a big hit,” Owen said in a news release. “I’m looking forward to mixing up with Steve again when we do it even bigger in December.”
Wynn is utilizing 26 tables for a variety of cash games, including $1-3 and $2-5 NLHE as well as Pot Limit Omaha. The games are open to everyone and seating begins at 8 am.
“We’re always looking to grow the scope of our meet-up games and the World Championship is the perfect opportunity for us to get everyone involved,” Neeme said. “The Premier Meet-Up Game is going to be a blast, with players from around the world joining in.”