The pieces of the puzzle are finally beginning to fit together. The World Poker Tour’s Season XVII started in July 2018 and will wrap in the first week of June 2019, it seems. And as the new final table setup is working itself out, some of the dates for that action are now available for the first half of 2019.
It’s been a bit confusing with the new delayed final tables, the use of the new esports arena in Las Vegas, and how it will all come together for Fox Sports broadcasts. And with information coming out through various press releases, it can be hard to see the entire vision.
However, there are some dates now set for the HyperX Esports Arena in Las Vegas, and it is an important part of the second half of the WPT Season XVII schedule.
Three Final Tables
The first of the three tables to play at the Vegas arena will be the one resulting from the WPT Gardens Poker Championship in January. That January 12-16 tournament will feature a $10K buy-in at Gardens Casino in the Los Angeles area, and the final six players will then receive sixth place prize money, which is the minimum they will be able to receive at the final table. They will take a break from the action until March 12, at which time they will play the final day of the tournament at the HyperX Esports Arena.
The second of the arena events will begin in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open. That $3,500 buy-in tournament will play out at the Borgata from January 27-31, at which time the final six players will pause play. They will also go home with their sixth-place prize money and reconvene on March 13 in Las Vegas to play for the win and more cash.
https://twitter.com/WPT/status/1074694999911018496
Finally, the third final table to be filmed in Vegas will be that of the WPT L.A. Poker Classic. The player-favorite will be a $10K buy-in event at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles that will play out from March 2-6. Those final tablists won’t have too much of a wait, as they will see their final table begin on March at the Luxor on the Las Vegas Strip.
More to Come
There should be one more announcement about other final tables. A previous press release from the WPT mentioned that the WPT Choctaw event that begins May 17 and the Baccarat Crystal WPT Tournament of Champions starting June 1 would both be filmed for television.
It seems likely that those two events would bring their final tables to the HyperX Esports Arena in early June, as the Tournament of Champions will already be in Vegas. In fact, the WPT website notes that the Tournament of Champions’ final table will be on June 3 at the arena; this information simply wasn’t included in the recent press release.
At this point, the special final table schedule of events to finish in Las Vegas and to be filmed for television are as follows:
WPT Gardens Poker Championship (January 12-16) – Arena final table March 12WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open (January 27-31) – Arena final table March 13WPT L.A. Poker Classic (March 2-6) – Arena final table March 14WPT Choctaw (May 17-20) – Arena final table date to be determinedWPT Tournament of Champions (June 1-2) – Arena final table June 3
What to Expect
The HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas is located at the Luxor Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The 30,000 square-foot arena has several levels of seating and 50-foot LED screens for those who want a closer look at the action. There is also an owner’s box, similar to those at sports stadiums, though it is unclear if this will serve any purpose at the WPT final table filmings.
As mentioned, players who make final tables set for the arena will be paid the amount of sixth place in the tournament before they leave that event, and they will then play for more at HyperX, and those funds will be paid out at Luxor. The person who ultimately finishes sixth in each of those events will not receive any further prize money, but they will have the television exposure and arena experience.
Players scheduled for final tables at HyperX will be provided travel and hotel accommodations for the Vegas trip.
https://twitter.com/HyperXESALV/status/1072621181205995520
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