WPTDeepStacks is one of those mid-major poker tours that continues to grow, standing out from its competitors with new stops, bigger events, and better livestreams. While the tour consistently expands to new locations around the world, it also keeps a focus on North America with the only Player of the Year leaderboard of its kind.
First Half of Current Season
When WPTDeepStacks kicked off its latest season, it did so with a new director leading the way. Cathy Zhao took over the role in June 2019 with the goal of expanding the tour in the Asia-Pacific region and strengthening the North American sector.
The WPT Asia Swing was the first of its kind and took WPTDeepStacks to Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan. Not long after, there were stops in India and Cambodia. And, of course, the tour went to the Star Gold Coast in Australia for the first time.
WPTDeepStacks also took its action to the Czech Republic at the famous King’s Resort in Rozvadov, Portugal, Marrakech, the legendary Dusk Till Dawn in the UK, Brussels in Belgium, and Johannesburg in South Africa.
In North America, it was another whirlwind of tournaments, starting off the season in Tampa, Florida, then heading up to New York, over to San Diego in Southern California, Colorado, and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. A detour up to Montreal and the Playground Poker Club crossed the border and then finished off the year back in America at Thunder Valley in California.
https://twitter.com/CathyZhaoyuan/status/1203563646078447617?s=20
Setting Records Along the Way
It didn’t take long to set records in the new 2019-2020 season.
Action kicked off at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa, Florida, complete with a $500K guarantee on its Main Event prize pool. But with 659 entries into the tournament, the prize pool jumped to $639,230 to set a casino record for the largest World Poker Tour event ever held there.
The aforementioned Asia Swing made national history in two of the three countries. The Vietnam stop at the Pro Poker Club brought in 373 entrants to set a prize pool of VND18,090,500,000 (equivalent to about US$780,000. It was the largest poker prize pool in Vietnamese history. And in Japan, the 541 entry-field made it the largest WPT event ever in Japan.
In Cambodia, the festival offered a variety of tournaments that culminated in the $1,100 Main Event, and the 750 entries created a $727,500 prize pool, nearly triple the amount of the original $250,000 guarantee. NagaWorld set the stage for the second-ever WPT event in Cambodia, and its impressive field and prize pool set records for the largest open event in the WPT Asia-Pacific region.
And in its first trip to Australia, the WPT brought in 658 entries for its Main Event and delivered a A$1,480,500 prize pool, which is equivalent to more than US$1 million. It became the third-most attended poker event ever in Australia.
https://twitter.com/WPT/status/1219804136033673216?s=20
Same Season, Different Year
The second half of the WPTDeepStacks season started within just a few days of the new year. And the two January stops – half a world apart – delivered impressive numbers.
WPTDeepStacks Hollywood at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida--$1,100 buy-in Main Event with $1 million GTD--Total entries: 1,404--Total prize pool: $1,361,880--Winner: Edwards Muniz ($228,717)
WPTDeepStacks Berlin at Casino Spielbank Berlin in Germany--€1,200 buy-in Main Event with €500K GTD--Total entries: 641--Total prize pool: €683,947--Winner: Daniel Szymanski (€130,000)
The rest of the WPTDeepStacks season requires a passport and will garner players some frequent flier miles. The schedule is as follows:
--February 6-9: €1,200 Main Event at Grand Casino Brussels Viage in Belgium WPTDeepStacks Brussels Festival = February 4-9--February 14-17: PHP75,000 Main Event at Okada Manila in Philippines WPT Philippines Festival = February 6-17--February 26-March 2: €1,500 Main Event at Club Pierre Charron in Paris, France WPTDeepStacks Paris Festival by partypoker LIVE = February 20-March 2--March 12-15: €1,200 Main Event at Holland Casino Amsterdam Centre in Holland WPTDeepStacks Amsterdam Festival = March 7-15--March 17-21: VND25,000,000 Main Event at Pro Poker Club in Vietnam WPT Vietnam Festival = March 13-22--March 20-23: $1,500 Main Event with $300K GTD at Live! Casino & Hotel in Maryland WPTDeepStacks Maryland Festival = March 13-23--March 27-30: $1,500 Main Event at bestbet Jacksonville in Florida WPTDeepStacks Jacksonville Festival = March 20-30
--April 1-5: TWD33,000 Main Event at Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association in Vietnam WPT Vietnam Festival = March 27-April 6--April 3-5: R15,000 Main Event at Emperors Palace Hotel Casino in Johannesburg, South Africa WPT Johannesburg Festival = March 27-April 5--April 4-7: $2,500 Main Event with $1M GTD at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in California WPTDeepStacks Championship Festival = March 19-April 7--April 9-12: €1,500 Main Event at Casino Barriere de Deauville in France WPT DeepStacks European Championship Festival = dates to be determined--April 16-20: $1,100 Main Event at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania WPTDeepStacks Pittsburgh Festival = April 8-20--May 15-18: $1,600 Main Event at Parx Casino in Pennsylvania WPTDeepStacks Big Stax Festival = April 29-May 22
WPTDeepStacks Leaderboards
As the only mid-major poker tour with leaderboards that award prizes, WPTDeepStacks rewards players who follow the tour in various parts of the world.
The WPTDeepStacks North American Season XVIII POY offers points on its leaderboard for all cashes in WPTDS events in North America. The qualifying period for the current POY race started in January 2019 and runs through April 2020, meaning it will name its Player of the Year after the event in Pittsburgh.
--Grand prize: $10K WPT Passport good for any global WPT event, including WPT500 and WPTDS--2nd place: $3,500 WPT Passport--3rd place: $1,500 WPT Passport
https://twitter.com/WPTDeepStacks/status/1218997425412755456?s=20
There is also a WPTDeepStacks Europe Season XVIII POY that awards points for all cashes in WPTDS events in Europe. Of course, there are prizes for this Player of the Year race, too.
--Grand prize: €10K WPT buy-in credits for any global WPT event and POY trophy--2nd place: €3,500 WPT buy-in credits--3rd place: €1,500 WPT buy-in credits
