The World Poker Tour (WPT) is offering a record $40 million guaranteed prize pool for this year’s championship at the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. This year’s guaranteed prize pool eclipses the previous record of $15 million, which was set at last year’s WPT World Championship.
With so much in potential prize money on the line, organizers are expecting a huge turnout for the event, which is to be held in December – and it’s likely that they won’t be disappointed. Last year’s tournament offered a mere $15 million in guaranteed prize money and drew 2960 players who then generated a $29,008,000 pot. Grand prize winner Eliot Hudon from Canada walked away from the table with a cool $4,136,000 in his pocket.
The WPT World Championship runs from December 12-21 and includes more than 30 side events. Organizers bill the tournament as an event for players of all skill levels, though it seems hardly the place for a poker newbie to cut his or her teeth.
Ryan Beauregard, Executive Director of Poker Operations at Wynn Las Vegas commented on the event in a recent press release saying, “The astonishing support and excitement we’ve seen from the poker community after just one year is nothing like I’ve seen before. We look forward to the 2023 WPT World Championship and hosting another industry-leading event with an unparalleled player experience.”
Though regulated online poker has moved to the back burner of the US online gaming market, tournaments like the WPT World Championships show that land-based professional poker is still a very robust segment of the business.