The World Poker Tour is making some changes.
Season XX of the WPT marks the end of their longtime WPTDeepStacks brand and the launch of WPT Prime, the tour’s new signature global event brand that will marry the “experience of a WPT Main Tour Stop with affordable buy-ins”.
Action clocks, winner trophies, and complete coverage from the WPT digital content team will follow WPT Prime when it makes its debut in Asia later this year. Additionally, WPT Prime Main Events count towards the WPT Season XX Player of the Year race.
“Our continues efforts to improve the WPT live tournament experience will benefit more players than ever during Season XX,” said Cathy Zhao, Senior Director of WPT Global Tour Management. “WPT Prime is the embodiment of our goal to provide the best possible poker tournament experience to players everywhere, and our strong relationship with our global partners will elevate the WPT experience around the world.”
The first of three WPT Prime events kicks off in Vietnam at the Crown Poker Club in Hanoi. The series takes place from May 19-30 and is headlined by a VND25,000,000 (~$1,100 USD) Main Event, which begins on May 26.
From there the WPT travels to Cambodia and the NagaWorld Integrated Resort in Phnom Penh. There, in partnership with Connaissance Management, the series will take place from August 11-23 with a $1,100 Main Event which kicks off on August 18. The World Poker Tour likely expects this to be a rather large tournament with their last Main Event held in the region, back in November 2019, shattering its $250,000 guarantee with a prize pool of more than $725,000 and being dubbed the largest live poker tournament in the Kingdom of Cambodia.
The third WPT Prime event in Asia this year will be in Taiwan at the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association in Taipei from November 11-21. There the Main Event will take place starting on November 17 and come with a TWD30,000 buy-in (~$1,050).
“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,” said Angelica Hael, WPT VP of Global Tour Management. “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.”
WPT Prime, as well as the Main Tour, host Player of the Festival competitions where the leaderboard winner will earn a trophy and additional prizes.
But before WPT Prime can take off, WPTDeepStacks still needs to hold its final events. The final three events are right around the corner including WPTDeepStacks Amsterdam which starts on March 29, WPT DeepStacks Sydney on April 7, and the final event, WPTDeepStacks Thunder Valley in Northern California on April 28. After that time, the WPT Prime brand will take over.