High Stakes Capital, which is a high net-worth cryptocurrency investment company has announced its plans to host a huge $1,000,000 poker tournament during the BTC Miami conference, which will take place in April. This is going to be one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency conferences. The idea was first introduced between Twitter users HighStakesCap and Abu9ala7. The latter is also known as Mohammad, and he was one of the key organizers in a recent charity boxing fight held between many cryptocurrency influences at a conference in Dubai, which was held in November. Here is what Mohammad posted on his Twitter page:
“Hello friends I’m helping @HighStakesCap organise a high stakes poker tournament during BTC Miami. Maybe a few days before or after depending on the preference of the players. The buy-in will be $1 million. If you’re interested in participating please reach out to me or HSC.”
The final schedule of the tournament is yet to be determined and will most likely be decided by the poker players involved. It is most likely to take place a few days before the start of the BTC Miami conference. Some poker pros such as Fedor Holz and Tony G have already announced their decision to join this tournament. Read on for more details.
Top Poker Pros are Ready to Join
The announcement of this huge poker tournament has quickly grabbed the attention of several high-stakes poker players known all around the world. One of these poker pros was Antasa Guoga, better known in the poker world as “Tony G”. For those who don’t know, Tony G is a 47-year-old businessman and philanthropist from Lithuania. He was one of the first ones to announce his decision to join the $1,000,000 poker tournament. However, Tony G will only participate if this event is only going to be open to serious cryptocurrency investors. Here is what Tony G twitted on his page:
“Should ensure there is a committee and that no pure robot pros kill the great event. Should be people who are real serious crypto investors only if its a crypto event.”
However, his plea was quickly met with a simple question: “You’re in or you’re not?”. And Tony G replied to this simple question with a simple answer: “I am in”.
It is easy to see why Tony G is so interested in joining this event. Lithuanian businessmen is greatly involved in the world of cryptocurrency. Tony G is the founder of the Toronto-based crypto investment company by the name of Cypherpunk Holdings. On top of that, he also runs the CoinPoker poker room, which specializes in cryptocurrency.
Tony G’s idea was backed up by another high-profile name in the poker industry. Haralabos Voulgaris, who is a former Dallas Mavericks executive officer has also stated that he will participate in the event only if it is a non-pro event. However, with all of the attention this poker tournament is gaining in the world and especially among the pros, the hopes of Tony G and Haralabos Voulgaris may not be fulfilled.
Here is a brief overview of all poker pros that have announced their decision to participate in the tournament:
Fedor Holz:
“I’m up to play if there’s a seat.”
The German phenom, who is now semi-retired, is among those who have already taken part and won big in a $1million buy-in tournament, his career-best score of $6million coming as runner-up in the Big One for One Drop at the 2018 WSOP.
Even though the German phenom is now semi-retired, he continues to be involved in the world of poker and cryptocurrency. He has already taken part in a huge $1,000,000 buy-in tournament and ended up winning his career-best payout of $6,000,000 for his second-place finish during the Big One for One Drop at the 2018 WSOP.
Justin Bonomo:
“Count me in!”
Justin Bonomo needs no introduction. He is one of the richest poker players in the world and is ranked number one in the all-time tournament winnings. Bonomo was the player who beat Holz during the heads-up at the 2018 WSOP and ended up winning the top prize of $10,000,000. This high-stakes player is quite interested in participating in the BTC Miami event and he will certainly have no problems finding the $1,000,000 buy-in.
Dan “Jungleman” Cates:
“Yep!”
Dan “Jungleman” Cates is a legendary high-stakes poker pro. He and his character would be a great addition to the impressive field of players. But don’t let his charisma fool you. Cates is an excellent poker player and has managed to win the 2021 WSOP high-roller event for a $50,000 buy-in.
Jason Koon:
“I’ll play.”
Jason Koon is probably one of the best No-Limit Hold’em players in the world. The GGPoker and Triton ambassador has recently shown that he has got what it takes to win the WSOP bracelet. No wonder that Koon has over $32,000,000 in career tournament earnings.
Dan Smith:
“I donate 20% of my income to, and run, a charity called double up drive, which has raised over $18 million. Would love to play and promise a chunk of money would go to a good cause.”
Dan “Cowboy” Smith is a regular player at the highest stakes tournaments. It won’t be problematic for him to join the BTC Miami tournament, as he has paid more than $1,000,000 for a poker buy-in in the past. Smith was one of the players at the 2019 Triton Million for Charity event, which was held in London. That tournament had a $1,270,000 buy-in. He even managed to take the 3rd spot and go home with $8,765,000.
Chris Brewer:
“Would love to play.”
Chris Brewer is a relatively new face at the highest stakes arena of poker. However, his career growth is impressive. He went from $5 buy-in games all the way to playing with the world’s best in a matter of just 8 years. While Brewer mostly plays cash games, he has also proved that he is capable of snatching large stacks from the best tournament players in the world. As a result, Chris Brewer was able to add $3,000,000 to his name since December 2020.
Final Thoughts
More and more poker rooms have started adding crypto payments as cryptocurrency became known worldwide. Americas Cardroom is one of the largest online poker rooms that have started accepting cryptocurrency. There main reason why cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are widely used by many poker players is their anonymity and decentralization, which the traditional investment methods simply can’t offer.
We can say for sure that the $1,000,000 BTC Miami tournament planned for 2022 will bring even more popularity to crypto payments in the poker industry. A field of excellent poker players and a huge buy-in will definitely attract a lot of public attention. It is already known that the BTC Miami will take place from April 6th to 9th at the Miami Beach Convention Center. There will be several guest speakers such as skateboarding legend Tony Hawk and the founder of Twitter Jack Dorsey.