Last year’s World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas easily surpassed its lofty $15 million guaranteed prize pool with $29 million in the pot. This coming December, the same $10,400 buy-in tournament is going to be even bigger — much bigger — with a record $40 million guaranteed.
A Stunning Rise in Prize Money
The 2022 edition of the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas exceeded expectations, and this year’s event is poised to make history once again. The tournament, which runs from December 12 to 21, will be the centerpiece of a WPT festival beginning on November 29, transforming the Las Vegas Strip into a poker haven. On December 21, the final table action will be live-streamed, potentially catapulting six players into the realm of eight-figure paydays.
A Challenge Like Never Before
In the world of poker, few events have ever come close to offering a $40 million guarantee outside the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Achieving this ambitious goal requires a substantial turnout, and the 2022 WPT World Championship wasn’t far from reaching it. With the excitement building, this year’s tournament is expected to attract an even larger player pool.
2023 WPT World Championship Event Details
Ensuring that this promised prize pool becomes a reality will demand more than just one or two Day 1 sessions. Players will have the opportunity to enter any of the four starting flights beginning on December 12, with one flight per day. The tournament structure is designed to accommodate both professional players and recreational enthusiasts, with everyone starting with 100,000 chips and 60-minute levels on Day 1, later extending to 90 minutes as the competition progresses until heads-up play (45 minutes).
Eliot Hudon, the reigning champion who claimed $4.1 million in winnings after besting 2,960 entrants, set a new benchmark for non-WSOP $10,000 buy-in events. The 2023 champion is poised to claim an even larger prize than Hudon’s record-setting win.
Competition Beyond the Cards
The 2023 WPT World Championship series promises more than just one massive event. Kicking off on November 29, two initial tournaments — the $600 Limit Omaha/8 with a $60,000 guarantee and the $600 No-Limit Hold’em with a $1,000,000 guarantee — set the stage for an action-packed series.
One of the most anticipated events is the $1 million buy-in WPT Big One for One Drop, scheduled for December 18-19. For the first time in the US outside of the WSOP, this seven-figure charity event will gather poker’s elite for a noble cause.
Players will also flock between the Bahamas and Las Vegas during December to participate in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise series and the European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague stop in the Czech Republic, creating a thrilling poker month.
A Wealth of Opportunities
With a schedule filled with diverse tournaments, the WPT World Championship series caters to every type of tournament poker player. From the $1,100 Ladies Championship to the $50,000 WPT Alpha8, there are ample opportunities to pursue life-changing winnings.
As the poker world converges on Wynn Las Vegas this December, all eyes will be on the WPT World Championship, poised to set a new record and further cement its status as a premier poker event. Get ready for a showdown of epic proportions!