There are many options for poker players to get some extra training in prior to the start of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the end of May. The California State Poker Championships have been moved to May from its former start time of September at the Commerce Casino. For players on the East Coast, the Borgata Casino and Spa is the place to be, as the gambling Mecca will be offering a $500,000 Guaranteed Deep Stack Tournament that should draw huge numbers.
Back in March, the Borgata, which has become one of the premier poker destinations in the United States, held its second $500,000 deep stack event, which drew in huge numbers from not only the East Coast, but also across North America. An astounding 919 players entered that event through satellite events that ran throughout the week prior or the $1,650 direct buy in. As a result, the prize pool swelled to $1.374 million. By the end of the three days of battle, two poker veterans, Canada’s Mike Leah and New Jersey’s Allen Bari, vied for the title, with Leah eventually vanquishing Bari. The prize money the two players won from the March tournament pushed them both over the $1 million mark in career earnings.
With May’s event, which will begin on the 10th with the first of the satellite events, the Borgata is looking to add to many players’ bankrolls as the WSOP prepares to start at the end of the month. With the number of satellite tournaments and players who will directly buy in to the tournament, the numbers participating in the $500,000 Guaranteed should approach those of the March event.
The first satellite is scheduled for May 10th at 11:00am, with the buy in set at $165+$35. In this tournament, one in every ten players will be able to seize their seat in the $500,000 Guaranteed Deep Stack Tournament. Action kicks up with the satellites beginning again on May 15th, with one satellite each day up to and including the start of the first Day One of the $500,000 on May 17th. These tournaments, with a $330+$50 buy in, will send one in every five players to the $500,000 Guaranteed. The start times for May 15th and May 17th will be 11:00am and the May 16th satellite tournament will start at 4:00pm.
All of the satellite tournaments will lead up to the start of the $500,000 Guaranteed Deep Stack event on May 17th. Players will begin with 30,000 in chips and blind levels at 50-100, giving those involved 300 times the big blind and plenty of opportunities to exercise strategic play. Those players who qualify for the tournament through the May 17th satellite will play on the second Day One, scheduled to start on May 18th. The field will be winnowed down to the final table, scheduled for play on May 20th, and the champion will walk off with a minimum payday in the low six-figures.