It may seem like the World Poker Tour has some sort of poker tournament going on every week and it looks like they would like that to be even more frequent. This week the WPT announced that there will be two new stops for poker players to enjoy in 2020. One will be on the main Season XVIII schedule, while the other will be a foreign event on the WPTDeepStacks Tour.
Going Back to the Hard Rock
Later this month, the WPT will be making its fall foray to Hollywood, FL, and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino for the WPT Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open. They also have one of the final tournaments on the Season XVIII schedule with the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open in April 2020. Two doesn’t seem to be enough for the WPT, however, as they have now added a third soiree at the popular Florida poker room and casino.
The WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open is scheduled to start on January 17 and conclude with final table play on January 22. The $3500 buy in tournament will have a $2 million guarantee, which is sure to draw out the players desperate for a respite from the winter’s chill. The Main Tour event will be complemented by a WPTDeepStacks event, which will be a $1 million guaranteed tournament beginning on January 9 and concluding on January 14.
“The World Poker Tour is pleased to present another wonderful WPT Main Tour event at Seminole Hard Rock this upcoming January,” Angelica Hael, the Vice President of Global Tour Management for the World Poker Tour, stated during the announcement of the return of this event. “The 10th year of the partnership between WPT and Seminole Hard Rock is tailor-made with benefits for our tremendously supportive players with three WPT Main Events on the calendar in Season XVIII.”
Tony Burns, the Hard Rock Director of Poker Marketing, echoed Hael’s thoughts on the third event his casino will host. “Seminole Hard Rock looks forward to continuing the momentum of the recent opening of The Guitar Hotel with another event with our partners at the World Poker Tour,” Burns stated. “Players attending can expect first-class amenities and a great poker experience during the festival in January.”
The WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open wasn’t a part of the Season XVII schedule. It was last contested during Season XVI, when 919 entries were received. Darryll Fish added his name to a list of former Lucky Hearts champions that included Brian Altman and James Calderaro while picking up a nice $511,604 payday.
Returning to Amsterdam, Too
Originally not on the schedule for the WPTDeepStacks Tour when it was announced earlier this year, the WPT found a place to get a stop in the Netherlands on the itinerary. The Holland Casino Amsterdam will play host to the WPTDeepStacks Amsterdam tournament, a €1200 buy in event that will run from March 12 through March 15. The entirety of the WPT schedule of events at the Holland Casino will begin on March 7.
“The World Poker Tour and WPTDeepStacks look forward to another fantastic event in Amsterdam with our Holland Casino partner,” Hermance Blum, the WPT Vice President Europe, said in announcing the new date. “Since first initiating our partnership, the turnout from players across the globe has only increased and we expect an even stronger turnout in March.”
Mario La Ferrera, Senior Product Specialist Table Games for Holland Casino Amsterdam, was glad that there was an agreement reached to bring the WPT back. “We are very pleased to extend our partnership. Having a big international poker brand as the WPT in Amsterdam in the heart of the city, is a valuable asset for Holland Casino,” La Ferrera mentioned. “We have seen many great internationally respected poker players the last five years and we are happy welcoming many more in March and for the coming years. Amsterdam is the place to be to play poker.”
The WPTDeepStacks Amsterdam saw 507 entries come to the tables last season. By the end of the event, Felix Schulze was able to capture the crown and the €104,304 first place prize. A total schedule for the Amsterdam festival is yet to come and there are indications that the WPT isn’t done adding tournaments to either their DeepStacks series or the Main Tour.