Much of the poker world has an eye on Las Vegas as the World Poker Tour World Championship continues playing out at the Wynn. After guaranteeing $15 million, the tournament ultimately smashed that this week with almost a $30 million prize pool.
The tournament brought in 2,960 entries with only 399 players returning for Day 3 on Thursday. The winner will score a juicy $4.1 million.
In other news, the WPT also released dates for the early part of next season’s schedule. That includes some interesting international stops such as events in Italy, the Netherlands, France, and more.
WPT World Championship earns rave reviews among players
When cards got back in the air on Friday, Romania’s Adrian Sorel State returned as chip leader with 2.4 million. He has $584,614 in career live tournament winnings and significant online poker winnings as well, at just under $1 million.
Among those returning for Day 3 included WPT champions Daniel Negreanu, Mike Del Vecchio, Taylor von Kriegenbergh, Freddy Deeb, and Eric Yilmaz. WPT anchor Lynn Gilmartin and WPTDeepStacks winner Alex Greenblatt also returned for action.
This marked only the second WPT cash for Negreanu since 2019. However, he remains one of the biggest winners on the tour.
Pretty wild I’m still 2nd on @WPT all time money list with just one cash since 2015 that happened in 2019
Carlos Mortensen
$6,738,672
Daniel Negreanu
$5,796,673
Michael Mizrachi
$5,135,734This @WynnPoker event could shake things up!
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) December 13, 2022
As players continue battling at the Wynn, most players seemed pleased with how the event turned out. There is a packed schedule that includes a WPT Prime event as well as a Ladies Championship. Both of those, along with the main event, will see the final tables live streamed and filmed for television.
The WPT Prime Championship reached the final table this week and also saw huge numbers. The tournament shattered the $2 million guarantee, with a $5.3 million prize pool heading back to players in the money.
The Prime event saw 5,430 entries with the champion scoring $712,650. American Lara Eisenberg leads the final six players with 39.2 million chips. The series saw the $1,600 Mystery Bounty and $200 Ladies Championship also kick off on Friday.
WPT releases events for 2023 season
The World Championship may bring the 2022 season to a close, but the tour already is offering players a look at what to expect for 2023. WPT officials announced the first half of the Season XXI schedule this week.
“Coming off an incredible 20th-anniversary season for WPT, we are looking forward to its progression into 2023,” WPT CEO Adam Pliska said in a news release. “Players have much to anticipate during Season XXI, as we have established some new partnerships and continued our relationships with longstanding staples of the tour.”
The $3,500 buy-in WPT Rolling Thunder kicks off the Main Tour action from April 1-4 at Thunder Valley Casino in northern California. Thunder Valley returns after hosting the final live Main Tour tournament of 2020.
The $3,500 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown follows from April 28 – May 2 in Hollywood, Florida. The event set the WPT record for most Main Tour entries in 2021 with 2,482 and an $8 million prize pool.
The $3,800 WPT Choctaw returns May 5-8 for the property’s eighth championship. Later the same month, The Gardens Casino in southern California hosts the $5,250 Gardens Poker Championship from May 21-25.
The Hard Rock Poker Showdown, Choctaw, and Gardens Poker Championship are all slated for televised final tables.
“It is the pride of WPT to offer such a wide range of tournament festivals when it comes to buy-in and location,” WPT Vice President Angelica Hael said. “We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to all of our live partners worldwide and our appreciation for the players for their continued support.”
WPT Prime events also announced with international stops on tap
Beyond the Main Tour, company officials also released part of the WPT Prime schedule. WPT Prime Paris begins the schedule from Jan. 31 – Feb. 5 at Club Circus Paris in France.
Players will find four Prime stops in March and April. The first of those is WPT Prime Gold Coast at The Star Casino from March 2-6 after setting records in the state of Queensland in 2022 with WPT Australia.
WPT Prime Cambodia next plays out March 16-20. That event broke the all-time WPT Prime entries record back in August with 1,050 runners (before being broken in Las Vegas at the World Championship).
The tour then heads to Europe with WPT Prime Amsterdam set for March 29 – April 1. The action also returns to India for the first time in over three years from April 13-17.
The tour’s first-ever stop in Slovakia is next. The Prime tournament is planned for May 11-15 at Card Casino Bratislava. That’s followed by the Prime Vietnam festival May 25-29 at Crown Poker Club. The WPT Prime Sanremo rounds out the first half of the season in Italy from June 5-11 at Casinò di Sanremo.
More stops are expected to be released in the coming weeks. Here’s a look at the 2023 WPT schedule so far.
2023 WPT schedule first half
Event Date Location
Prime Paris Jan. 31– Feb. 5 Club Circus Paris, France
Prime Gold Coast March 2-6 The Star Gold Coast, Australia
Prime Cambodia March 16-20 Naga World Integrated Resort, Cambodia
Prime Amsterdam March 29 – April 1 Holland Casino, Netherlands)
Rolling Thunder April 1-4 Thunder Valley Casino, California
Prime India April 13-17 Deltin Royale Casino, India
Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown April 28 – May 2 Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida
Choctaw May 5-8 Choctaw Casino Resort, Durant, Oklahoma
Prime Slovakia May 11-15 Card Casino Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
Gardens Poker Championship May 21-25 The Gardens Casino, Hawaiian Gardens, California)
Prime Vietnam May 25-29 Crown Poker Club, Vietnam
Prime Sanremo Jun 7-11 Casinò di Sanremo, Sanremo, Italy