There has been quite a lot of exciting news surrounding the World Poker Tour in the last few days. First of all, the WPT organization has announced a brand new tour experience with WPT Prime. World Poker Tour has also recently announced the full schedule for the World Poker Tour Deep Stacks at Sydney. Read on for more details.
World Poker Tour Reveals WPT Prime
More and more events are starting to be announced as border restrictions ease up and international tourists are welcome in most countries. Thanks to these possibilities, the World Poker Tour has recently announced WPT Prime, which will be its newest tour experience. This tournament series will launch in Asia. Here is what Cathy Zhao, Senior Director of Poker Tour Management, had to say in the latest announcement:
“Our continued efforts to improve the WPT live tournament experience will benefit more players than ever during Season XX. WPT Prime is the embodiment of our goal to provide the best possible poker tournament experience to players everywhere, and our strong relationships with our global partners will elevate the WPT experience around the world.”
As the latest press release states, WPT Prime will offer all of the perks of the Main Tour. For example, WPT Prime will feature action clocks, in-depth coverage, and trophies. Moreover, it also comes with more affordable buy-ins. This new tournament series will replace WPTDeepStacks, which will make one of its final stops in Sydney, Australia this April. WPT Prime will kick off its action in Vietnam. This will be followed by stops in Cambodia and Taiwan. Angelica Hael, VP of Globar Tour Management, has said the following:
“In celebration of our 20-year anniversary, we are thrilled to be able to deliver the high-quality WPT Prime experience in the Asia Pacific region. As we announce more of our Season XX events around the world after a tumultuous period, we are absolutely delighted to be back in Vietnam, Cambodia and Taiwan. Now that international borders are opening up, the incredible hospitality of Crown Poker Club, NagaWorld Integrated Resort and Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association will once again be on display for regional and global players.”
Let’s take a closer look at the WPT Prime schedule.
WPT Prime Vietnam
WPT Vietnam was able to produce one of the most popular poker actions in the region. Main Event prize pools could go as high as $780,000. This year’s return to Vietnam will mark its sixth ever visit the country and second visit to the city of Hanoi. Those that manage to get in, will be able to experience everything WPT Prime has to offer. WPT will hold a twelve-day event, which will be highlighted by the WPT Prime Main Event with a $1,100 buy-in. The WPT Prime Vietnam will kick off on May 19th and will wrap up its action on May 30th. The Main Event will go on from May 26th to May 30th. The tournament series will be organized at the Crown Poker Club Hanoi.
WPT Prime Cambodia
All the way back in 2019, the World Poker Tour made its first visit to the NagaWorld Integrated Resort, Phnom Penh. That tournament series was able to gather quite a lot of entries from all over the world. The Main Event collected a record-breaking amount of 750 entries. The second edition was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With borders now open, WPT will make its return in mid-August with thirteen days of poker action. WPT Prime will take place at NagaWolrd Integrated Resort, Phnom Penh from August 11th to August 23rd. The Main Event will take place from August 18th to August 22th and will have a $1,100 buy-in.
WPT Prime Taiwan
Taiwan is one of Asia’s youngest and most vibrant markets. Taiwan has managed to minimize the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and held a WPT event in December 2020. There was a large crowd of locals that decided to try their luck during this tournament series. The Main Event has managed to collect a field of 526 entries, thus generating a prize pool of $274,300. The WPT brand will make its return in mid-November with WPT Prime Taiwan. The festival will be held at popular Chinese Texas Hold’em Association Taipei card room. The festival will kick off on November 11th and will go on until November 21st. The Main Event will have a $1,100 buy-in and will last from November 17th to November 21st.
WPT Prime will also introduce the Player of the Festival race. Players that participate in the Main Event will be awarded points towards the WPT Player of the Year leaderboard. The exact scoring system and prizes are yet to be revealed.
WPTDeepStacks Sydney Full Schedule
The World Poker Tour organization has announced that the next DeepStacks series will take place in Sydney, Australia. This news sparked a wave of excitement on poker forums and social media. The excitement only grew after WPT has announced the full schedule for the poker festival. Here is what WPT CEO, Adam Pliska, said in the latest announcement:
“Poker players in Australia have always been passionate about the game and the partnership with The Star Entertainment Group allows us to expand our presence there. Hosting the first WPT event at The Star Sydney puts us front and center in the largest poker market in Australia, one of the most iconic cities of the world, adding another element to our 20th anniversary celebration.”
The WPTDeepStacks Sydney will take place at the Star Sydney from March 30th to April 11th. It will feature 12 separate tournaments across thirteen days of poker action. The buy-ins will range from $240 to $3,600. The series will be highlighted by the $1,100 buy-in WPTDeepStacks Main Event, which will run for five days from April 7th to April 11th. It will also have three starting flights with unlimited re-entries. Other tournaments of interest are the Opening Event, NLH Freezeout, Bounty Megastack, and Super Turbo. The Star Sydney Chief Operating Officer, Damian Quayle has made the following comments regarding the upcoming series:
“The Star is the home of poker in Australia, and we are thrilled with our partnership with WPT to host this globally-recognised tournament for the first time ever in Sydney. With the WPT celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2022, this event will be the first time that WPT sets a footprint in Sydney. This looks set to be the biggest ever staged in Asia Pacific and with the world’s best players here to compete, Sydney and The Star will be showcased as one of the best vacation playgrounds in the world”.
Here is the full WPTDeepStacks Sydney schedule:
| Time | Event | Buy-in (AUD) | Starting Stack | Clock | Late Reg Start |
| 12:30 PM | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Satellite (multiple re-entry) | $175 ($150+$25) | 8,000 | 15 min | LEVEL 7 @ 2:00 PM |
| 3:30 PM | 1 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Opening Event Day 1a/3 (1 re-entry per day 1) | $750 ($675+$75) | 25,000 | 30 min | LEVEL 9 @ 8:00 PM |
| 12:30 PM | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Satellite (multiple re-entry) | $175 ($150+$25) | 8,000 | 15 min | LEVEL 7 @ 2:00 PM |
| 3:30 PM | 1 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Opening Event Day 1b/3 (1 re-entry per day 1) | $750 ($675+$75) | 25,000 | 30 min | LEVEL 9 @ 8:00 PM |
| 12:30 PM | 1 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Opening Event Day 1c/3 (1 re-entry per day 1) | $750 ($675+$75) | 25,000 | 30 min | LEVEL 9 @ 5:00 PM |
| 8:15 PM | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Satellite (multiple re-entry) | $175 ($150+$25) | 8,000 | 15 min | LEVEL 7 @ 9:45 PM |
| 11.30 AM | 1 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Opening Event Day 2/3 | DAY 2 | – | 45 min | – |
| 3:30 PM | 2 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney $1,100 NLH Freezeout Day 1/2 | $1,100 ($1,000+$100) | 30,000 | 30 min | LEVEL 9 @ 8:00 PM |
| 8:15 PM | WPTDeepStacks Sydney $2K NLH Satellite (multiple re-entry) | $230 ($200+$30) | 8,000 | 15 min | LEVEL 7 @ 9:45 PM |
| 11.30 AM | 1 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Opening Event Day 3/3 | FINAL DAY | – | 45 min | – |
| 12:30 PM | 2 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney $1,100 NLH Freezeout Day 2/2 | DAY 2 | – | 45 min | – |
| 1:30 PM | 3 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney $2K NLH Day 1/2 (1 re-entry) | $2,000 ($1,800+$200) | 40,000 | 30 min | LEVEL 9 @ 6:00 PM |
| 8:15 PM | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Satellite (multiple re-entry) | $175 ($150+$25) | 8,000 | 15 min | LEVEL 7 @ 9:45 PM |
| 12:30 PM | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Satellite (multiple re-entry) | $175 ($150+$25) | 8,000 | 15 min | LEVEL 7 @ 2:00 PM |
| 1:30 PM | 3 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney $2K NLH Day 2/2 | DAY 2 | – | 45 min | – |
| 2:30 PM | 4 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney $330 NLH Freezeout (1 Day event) | $330 ($300+$30) | 15,000 | 20 min | LEVEL 7 @ 4:50 PM |
| 8:15 PM | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Satellite (multiple re-entry) | $175 ($150+$25) | 8,000 | 15 min | LEVEL 7 @ 9:45 PM |
| 12:30 PM | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Satellite (multiple re-entry) | $175 ($150+$25) | 8,000 | 15 min | LEVEL 7 @ 2:00 PM |
| 2:30 PM | 5 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney $440 PLO (Multiple re-entry) Day 1/2 | $440 ($400+$40) | 20,000 | 30 min | LEVEL 9 @ 7:00 PM |
| 8:15 PM | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Satellite (multiple re-entry) | $175 ($150+$25) | 8,000 | 15 min | LEVEL 7 @ 9:45 PM |
| 12:30 PM | 5 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney $440 PLO Day 2/2 | DAY 2 | – | 30 min | – |
| 2:30 PM | 6 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Big Bounty Day 1/2 (1 re-entry) | $660 ($300+$300+$60) | 25,000 | 30 min | LEVEL 9 @ 7:00 PM |
| 8:15 PM | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Satellite (multiple re-entry) | $175 ($150+$25) | 8,000 | 15 min | LEVEL 7 @ 9:45 PM |
| 12:30 PM | 6 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Big Bounty Day 2/2 | DAY 2 | – | 30 min | – |
| 2:30 PM | 7 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Day 1a/3 (multiple re-entry) | $1,500 ($1,330+$170) | 30,000 | 40 min | LEVEL 7 @ 7:00 PM |
| 8:15 PM | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Satellite (multiple re-entry) | $280 ($250+$30) | 8,000 | 15 min | LEVEL 7 @ 9:45 PM |
| 10.30 AM | 8 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Megastack Super Turbo Freezeout 1/1 | $440 ($400+$40) | 30,000 | 15 min | LEVEL 9 @ 12:50 PM |
| 2:30 PM | 7 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Day 1b/3 (multiple re-entry) | $1,500 ($1,330+$170) | 30,000 | 40 min | LEVEL 7 @ 7:00 PM |
| 8:15 PM | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Satellite (multiple re-entry) | $280 ($250+$30) | 8,000 | 15 min | LEVEL 7 @ 9:45 PM |
| 12:30 PM | 7 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Day 1c/3 (multiple re-entry) | $1,500 ($1,330+$170) | 30,000 | 40 min | LEVEL 7 @ 5:00 PM |
| 8:15 PM | WPTDeepStacks Sydney $5K Challenge Satellite (multiple re-entry) | $550 ($500+$50) | 8,000 | 20 min | LEVEL 7 @ 10:25 PM |
| 11.30 AM | 7 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Day 2/3 | DAY 2 | – | 60 min | – |
| 1:30 PM | 9 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney $660 PLO Day 1/2 (multiple re-entry) | $660 ($600+$60) | 25,000 | 30 min | LEVEL 9 @ 6:00 PM |
| 4:30 PM | 10 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney $5K Challenge Day 1/2 (multiple re-entry) | $5000 ($4,700+$300) | 100,000 | 40 min | LEVEL 10 @ 11:00 PM |
| 11.30 AM | 7 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event Day 3/3 | FINAL DAY | – | 60 min/30 min | – |
| 12:15 PM | 9 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney $660 PLO Day 2/2 | DAY 2 | – | 30 min | – |
| 12:30 PM | 10 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney $5K Challenge Day 2/2 (multiple re-entry) | DAY 2 | – | 40 min | – |
| 1:30 PM | 11 | WPTDeepStacks Sydney Mega Stack Freezeout 1 Day event | $440 ($400+$40) | 30,000 | 20 min | LEVEL 7 @ 3:50 PM |
