The paint job on the World Poker Tour’s Season XVII isn’t complete, and yet the team is still firing out the Season XVIII schedule, including four international stops, and five finals in the HyperX Esports Arena.
The Oslo Biennial recently opened with 17 public works of art made available across the Norwegian capital. It’s a sight to behold (apparently), and given that there has been little reason to visit the city since the Vikings died, would you join me in petitioning the World Poker Tour (WPT) to host an event in that neck of the freezing cold woods so we can catch a glimpse of Ed D’Souza’s ‘Migrant Car,’ et al?
We would have to wait until Season XIX to see a WPT event in Scandinavia as Adam Pliska and the mob has already rolled out plans for Season XVIII.
Ikea it is then.
Wait, isn’t that Sweden?
It’s not the final schedule, but it’s a start. The WPT Main Tour will visit 13 different stateside venues in Season XVIII, four internationally, and five of them will finish in the HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas.
The tour begins in the Gardens Casino in Hawaiian Gardens in California with the $5,000 buy-in WPT Gardens Poker Festival running July 20-25 where the casino is giving the winner a BMW X1.
The tour bus then visits the Bicycle Casino in California for WPT Legends of Poker; two Eastside stops at the Borgata and Maryland Live!, the bestbet Bounty Scramble, Seminole Hard Rock & Roll Open, ending 2019 with the Five Diamond World Poker Classic.
2020 begins with a return to the Gardens Casino before heading back to Borgata for the Winter Poker Open, and then to California for the L.A. Poker Classic and Rolling Thunder events. Lastly, there is a return for the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown and WPT Choctaw with the WPT and Seminole celebrating a decade long partnership.
partypoker LIVE partnership continues to thrive
Partypoker LIVE continues to support the WPT from a sponsorship and online and live satellite capacity. A £3,300 WPT UK Main Event returns to Dusk Till Dwan (DTD) for the first time since Season XV, Sep 30-Oct 6, and there are returns for the CAD 3,300 WPT Montreal Oct 28-Nov 3, $3,025 WPT Russia Jan 20-26, €3,300 WPT Germany Feb 17-23 with the surprise omission WPT Barcelona.
HyperX Esports Arena continues to stage final tables
The first five final tables taking place at the HyperX Esports Arena and filmed for FOX Sports regional will be.
$10,000 WPT Gardens Poker Championship March 31
$3,500 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open April 1
$10,000 WPT L.A. Poker Classic April 2
$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown (TBA)
$3,700 WPT Choctaw (TBA)
A Tough Act to Follow
It’s going to be a challenging year for the WPT after a phenomenal Season VIII. Among the records were first-time visits to Russia, Vietnam and New Zealand, and record field for the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open and WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic.
Here is the press release in full.