Out of the house, into the poker room
Summer unofficially began this week with the start of June, though it doesn’t officially began for about three weeks. With the United States beginning to emerge from its collective home as COVID-19 numbers keep trending downward, it feels more like the beginning of spring. We break out of our cocoons, see the sun for the first time in months, smell the fresh air, and stretch our legs. The poker world is sprouting back to life, as well, evident by the World Poker Tour’s release of new, live, North American tournament dates for the rest of this year.
“We want to sincerely thank the players and global casino partners for their unwavering support during a challenging year and look forward to showcasing some of the best casino properties in North America,” said Angelica Hael, VP of Global Tour Management for the World Poker Tour, adding that the WPT is “ecstatic” to put on live tournaments again.
A few of the Tour stops had already been announced before today. Coming up from June 18 to June 22 is WPT Seminole Hard Rock Tampa – the inaugural visit was in 2019, before the pandemic shutdowns of last year. WPT Venetian is in the first week of July, and WPT Choctaw in Durant, Oklahoma will run July 23 through July 27.
Looking toward the end of the year
Kicking off the rest of the North American WPT Season XIX schedule is the $5,000 buy-in WPT bestbet Scramble in Jacksonville, Florida at the end of August. Players will then travel up the east coast for the start of the fall portion of the WPT season with WPT Maryland at Live! Casino September 24 to September 28.
Two months later, it’s back to Florida and arguable the World Poker Tour’s favorite venue, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, for the WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open November 26 to November 30. The last time this event was held in 2019, it had its largest Main Event field ever at 988 entries. The WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, the last Tour stop at the casino, set a World Poker Tour record with 2,482 entries.
The 2021 calendar (but not Season XIX – it overlaps years) will conclude with the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio in Las Vegas December 15 to December 19. It is one of the few World Poker Tour Main Events that still has a $10,000 buy-in (plus a $400 tournament fee).
“As we emerge from restrictions throughout North America we have bolstered the momentum from last season’s historic numbers and are eager to meet the great demand for WPT events leading up to our twenty-year anniversary in 2022,” said World Poker Tour CEO Adam Pliska.
