Looking to capitalize on the momentum of the just-ended World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, Caesars Entertainment has announced a new WSOP in the Bahamas. Called “WSOP Paradise,” the series at Atlantis Paradise Island will run December 3-14.
Partnering with GGPoker, the World Series of Poker will dole out 15 official gold bracelets at WSOP Paradise. That may create some decisions for poker players, as the WPT World Championship Main Event begins on December 12 in Las Vegas.
“The summer was an unprecedented success, but the vision is equally as ambitious for WSOP Paradise,” said Ty Stewart, SVP & Executive Director of the WSOP, in Monday’s press release. “We have the strongest online partner in the world, and they are set to send a record number of qualifiers to a live tournament. Atlantis also has a great legacy in poker, and we believe this combination of partners can deliver poker’s most powerful new franchise for years to come. Many players say summer in Vegas is the best time of year. We hope that will only be rivaled by winter in paradise.”
As Stewart mentioned, Atlantis has a history in the live poker tournament world. It has been in the long-time home of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and more recently, the PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC).
While the full schedule is yet to be released, it appears that WSOP Paradise is designed to cater to deep-pocketed players. The short schedule includes a $100,000 buy-in event with a $5 million guaranteed prize pool, a $50,000 event with $2 million guaranteed, and a $25,000 GGMillion$ event with a $10 million guarantee.
The Main Event has a $5,000 buy-in and a $15 million guarantee. All told, there will be $50 million in guaranteed prize pools.
Naturally, as a partner in WSOP Paradise, GGPoker will host loads of satellites for the Series, promising to send at least 1,000 players to the Bahamas.
And while the WSOP has highlighted the high roller events, there will be some tournaments with more reasonable buy-ins. In a promotional video, GGPoker pitchman and Poker Hall of Famer Daniel Negreanu said that buy-ins will go as low as $1,000. The WSOP has also confirmed that there will be a $1,500 Mystery Bounty event – continuing with the popularity of that tourney type – with a $5 million guaranteed prize pool.
WSOP Paradise will be the third World Series of Poker festival on the calendar. Of course, the traditional WSOP in Las Vegas just ended, with Daniel Weinman winning the record-breaking Main Event. King’s Resort will once again host WSOP Europe October 25 to November 15. There used to be a WSOP Asia-Pacific, but it was only held in 2013 and 2014.
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