When poker fans think of the World Poker Tour (WPT), they naturally think of the Main Tour and well-known tournaments like the WPT Borgata Poker Open and the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic, and that makes sense. Oft overlooked, but quickly gaining a huge following is the mid-major division of the WPT, WPTDeepStacks (don’t know why it has to be one word). And it was this week that WPTDeepStacks revealed the first half of its 2019 schedule – a big one, with 18 stops in that first half alone.
“We are pleased to announce the first half of the 2019 WPTDeepStacks schedule, and provide the 18 events of what will be the most jam-packed six months in WPTDeepStacks history,” said WPTDeepStacks Executive Director Chris Torina in a pretty vanilla press release. “WPTDeepStacks is poker’s premier mid-major tournament circuit and we look forward to adding some great new events to our long-standing partnerships.”
Angelica Hael, VP of Global Tour Management for the World Poker Tour, added, “WPT® looks forward to expanding its global reach, and offer players around the globe a chance to play on the World Poker Tour stage at an attractive price point provided by WPTDeepStacks. Players from around the globe can look forward to competing for their share of the $3 million in guarantees in the first half of 2019.”
The schedule will begin in Germany with WPTDeepStacks Berlin at Spielbank Casino from January 11-14. The buy-in for the event will be €1,200 with a €500,000 guaranteed prize pool. And this is where the “mid-major” label comes in; the events are all in this price range, give or take, depending on the location and currency.
Most of the rest of the tour stops are at familiar venues, including Casino Sochi in Russia, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood in Florida, Playground Poker Club in Montreal, Casino Barcelona, and bestbet Jacksonville.
The complete 2019 first half WPTDeepStacks schedule is below.
| EVENT | VENUE | LOCATION | DATE | BUY-IN |
| WPTDS Berlin | Spielbank Casino | Berlin, Germany | January 11-14 | €1,200 |
| WPTDS Hollywood | Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino | Hollywood, Florida | January 17-22 | $1,100 |
| WPTDS Russia | Casino Sochi | Sochi, Russia | January 24-27 | $1,500 |
| WPTDS Montreal | Playground Poker Club | Kahnawake, Canada | February 1-5 | CAD $1,500 |
| WPTDS Brussels | Grand Casino Brussels VIAGE | Brussels, Belgium | February 7-10 | €1,200 |
| WPT500 Barcelona | Casino Barcelona | Barcelona, Spain | March 8-12 | €550 |
| WPTDS Jacksonville | bestbet Jacksonville | Jacksonville, Florida | March 8-11 | $1,500 |
| WPTDS Barcelona | Casino Barcelona | Barcelona, Spain | March 14-17 | €1,650 |
| WPTDS Johannesburg | Emperors Palace Hotel Casino | Johannesburg, South Africa | March 15-17 | RAND 10,000 |
| WPT Vietnam | Pro Poker Club | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | March 19-23 | $1,070 |
| WPTDS Maryland | Live! Hotel & Casino | Hanover, Maryland | March 22-25 | $1,500 |
| WPTDS Amsterdam | Holland Casino Amsterdam Center | Amsterdam, Netherlands | March 28-31 | €1,200 |
| WPTDS Sacramento | Thunder Valley Casino Resort | Lincoln, California | April 4-8 | $1,100 |
| WPT500 United Kingdom | Dusk Till Dawn | Nottingham, United Kingdom | April 5-10 | £550 |
| WPTDS United Kingdom | Dusk Till Dawn | Nottingham, United Kingdom | April 11-14 | £1,650 |
| DeepStacks Edmonton | Casino Yellowhead | Edmonton, Canada | April 11-15 | CAD $1,100 |
| WPTDS Blackhawk | Golden Gates Casino | Blackhawk, Colorado | May 9-13 | $1,500 |
| WPTDS Big Stax | Parx Casino | Bensalem, Pennsylvania | May 17-20 | $1,600 |
| WPT New Zealand | Skycity Auckland | Auckland, New Zealand | May 31-June 3 | NZD $2,200 |
| WPTDS Tampa | Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino | Tampa, Florida | June 13-17 | $1,100 |