As they wrap up their tournament in Baden, Austria and prepare for the start of their next event, the L. A. Poker Classic, today at the Commerce Casino in California, the World Poker Tour has announced seven more stops on their calendar leading up to the WPT Championship in May.
Of those seven events, two of them are “official” WPT championship events, with the other five falling into the category of their “regional and national” events (those aren’t recognized as an “official” event as they do not award points towards the WPT Player of the Year nor earn the victor their name on the WPT Champions’ Cup). The two events will allow players their last opportunities to get “warmed up” before the WPT makes their Season XI finale at the Bellagio in Las Vegas in May.
Last year’s tournament was such a success (as was their stop earlier in Season XI) that the WPT can’t stay away from it. Bestbet Jacksonville in Florida will once again play host to the WPT bestbet Open from April 26-30 with a $3500 ($500 juice) Main Event. Last year’s tournament drew a 320 player field (for a $5000 tournament) and drew a final table that featured Daniel Buzgon, Will Failla, Tony Dunst and defending champion Shawn Cunix. With the reduction in the buy in, the field could potentially break the 500 player mark.
Following the end of the festivities in Jacksonville, the WPT will once again trek “north of the border” for a rendezvous in Montreal. The PartyPoker.net WPT Canadian Spring Championship will be held at the Playground Poker Club in Montreal from May 3-9 (buy in $3300 Canadian) and should also be flooded with players. In November of last year, a whopping 1,173 entrants hit the felt in Montreal to build the biggest tournament in Canadian history. Jonathan Roy was the champion of that tournament (with Pascal Lefrancois, Gavin Smith and Jeff Gross at the final table) and it is expected that all of those players (and more) will make a return to the Playground.
The Regional and National Events will span three continents with the five additions to their schedule. In the United States, there will be stops at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa, FL, for the WPT Regional Florida Spring Tampa Bay Open from March 7-10 and at the IP Casino Resort Spa in Biloxi for the WPT Regional Mississippi IP Spring Classic from April 5-8. The Tampa stop will feature a $1500 ($175 juice) tournament with two Day Ones and re-entry into the tournament for the first three levels of the day, while the Mississippi stop will be a bit cheaper ($1150, $130 juice) and feature two Day Ones and a single re-entry on each day.
Europe adds two Regional and National Events with a stop in London and Marbella, Spain. The WPT National London will take place from March 15-19 at the Aspers Casino in London, with the £1650 (£150 juice) tournament featuring two Day Ones and re-entry available to players until Level 6 of each Day One. The Bwin.es WPT National Marbella is next on the schedule on the Old Continent, which will be held at the Casino Marbella in Southern Spain. From April 11-15, players will contest a €1650 (€150 juice) tournament that will also feature two Day Ones and a single re-entry on each day.
To wrap up the new entries on the Season XI schedule for the WPT, Johannesburg, South Africa will be the place to be from April 5-7 for the WPT National Johannesburg at the Emperors Palace Hotel and Casino. The tournament, which costs ZAR (South African rand) 14,300 (1300 juice), is due to the popularity of last fall’s tournament at the same location. That event drew in a 230 player field and was won by Dominik Nitsche over Jerome Bradpiece.
These new events will add into the already hectic WPT schedule over the next few months. In addition to the L. A. Poker Classic beginning today, the WPT will make “official” tour stops in San Jose, CA (for the always popular Bay 101 Shooting Star), Venice, Barcelona, and Hollywood, FL, before the Season XI schedule wraps in May in Las Vegas. It will be an exciting few months as the best in the world of poker battle against the best in the “amateur” community to earn their piece of fame and fortune on the World Poker Tour!