The World Poker Tour just finished its first main tour stop of 2022, the first one of Season XX. That WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Main Event attracted so many entries that it became the second largest live field in WPT history. Not a bad way to kick off a 20th anniversary year.
In other news, the WPT revealed that it was simplifying its Player of the Year rankings for Season XX, combining all qualifying events from the main tour and WPTDeepStacks into one leaderboard. It appeared to be a step in the direction of bringing players into a bit more of a cohesive brand. Another solid decision to get Season XX underway.
But wait, there’s more!
The WPT announced a new deal with fuboTV, launched its first big promotion with Steve Aoki, and announced a deal with The Star Entertainment Group to host more Aussie poker tournaments this year.
WPT on Fubo Sports Network
The World Poker Tour entered into a new distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, more commonly known as FuboTV. The streaming service is available in the United States and Canada. The list of compatible devices includes iOS devices, Androids, Chromecast, and the following:
RokuAmazon Fire TVApple TVAndroid TVSamsung Smart TVXboxVizio TVHisenseLG TV
Programming will feature WPT tournaments filmed over the course of ten seasons and archived events. In addition, the World Poker Tour will add to the library of episodes with coverage of Season XX and beyond.
WPT CEO Adam Pliska noted, “We are eager to crack open the vault of WPT tournament history to share with the poker world.” Fubo executive Pamela Duckworth added that the World Poker Tour shows will fit right in with the network’s range of sports and gaming content.
WPT at Steve Aoki’s Playhouse
In the spirit of going in a new direction, the World Poker Tour announced in mid-January that world famous DJ, producer, and musician Steve Aoki was the WPT Ambassador. In order to understand the first promotion between the WPT and Aoki, one must know that Aoki lives in a mansion that he calls his playhouse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5te-rPLqyek
Five winners of the promotion will go to that playhouse to play a sit-n-go with Aoki. To enter on Twitter, a person must like the WPT’s tweet, retweet it, and respond to the tweet with a guess at Aoki’s favorite poker hand. On Instagram, a person can enter by creating a video to indicate why they should be invited to the SNG, then tag the WPT and Steve Aoki.
https://twitter.com/WPT/status/1484224204526530566?s=20&t=9F1Z-PTNWgFh0fzrA3U9nw
There will be an invitation-only charity event this summer in Las Vegas as well. Aoki will be one of the hosts, as the proceeds will benefit the Aoki Foundation to support brain science and research.
WPT Down Under
When the World Poker Tour first announced its Season XX schedule, it was fairly light. This is not unusual, though, as many locations add tour stops through the year as casinos and the WPT finalize their contracts.
On the WPTDeepStacks part of the schedule, there was a WPTDS Sydney set for March 30 to April 11. It would take place at the Star Sydney in New South Wales. The full festival will offer 12 tournaments, with the WPTDS Main Event set with a $1,500 buy-in, three starting flights, unlimited reentries, and dates of April 7-11.
This week, the WPT added to that Aussie action. After that WPTDS Sydney, there will be a WPTDeepStacks at the Star Gold Coast and a main tour WPT stop there as well. Organizers will release details upon the approval by regulators, though the World Poker Tour has been approved to host tournaments at the Gold Coast location in the past.
Star COO Damian Quayle commented on the first visit of the WPT to Sydney. “This looks set to be the biggest ever (tournament) 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.”
WPT VP of Global Tour Management Angelica Hael added her excitement to the mix. As a native of Australia, she noted, “I look forward to greeting every single one of my fellow Aussies at the event and welcoming the world to an amazing host property, The Star.”
https://twitter.com/StarPokerSydney/status/1488419602749136896?s=20&t=YQCtnuQkGYMQeBZZFDGxRw
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