The journey for WPTDeepStacks started a decade ago with founder Chris Torina launching a poker instruction program called DeepStacks University. That evolved into a sort of grassroots poker tour that offered lower buy-ins than bigger tours like the World Poker Tour, as well as locations that catered to players not near the standard venues chosen by WPT and others.
The DeepStacks Poker Tour grew and competed with similar tours, such as the Heartland Poker Tour, WSOP Circuit, and Mid-States Poker Tour. However, the strain hoisted upon the entire poker industry by Black Friday in 2011 proved an obstacle to difficult to overcome. That led Torina to initiate talks with the World Poker Tour, and a match was made.
The WPT Regional Tour became WPTDeepStacks and began with little more than a dozen events in 2014, growing exponentially until the WPT officially acquired the DeepStacks brand in 2017. Torina remained with the brand to continue directing its growth, which has led to the most recent announcement of its 2019 schedule.
From a modest tour to a worldwide mid-major poker phenomenon, WPTDeepStacks has 18 events listed for the beginning of 2019, and that only comprises the first half of its 2019 action.
https://twitter.com/WPT/status/1062422705830412288
Berlin to Kick Off 2019
The 2018 WPTDeepStacks (WPTDS) tour is still in full swing. Having just wrapped its stop in Brussels, the crew is on its way to India to hold an event in Goa, which will be followed by an American stop at Thunder Valley Casino in California in late November. The December stop will be in Deauville, France, where the Casino Barriere will host the festivities from December 6-9.
Everyone will then break for the holidays, but the WPTDeepStacks action will pick back up again on January 11 in Berlin. In that first month of 2019 alone, the tour will host stops in Florida and Sochi after Berlin, with Montreal and Brussels to follow in February.
The global stops for the first half of 2019 also include Spain, Netherlands, UK, and New Zealand, while the American stops will offer events in Florida, California, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. The full schedule is as follows:
--January 11-14 = WPTDS Berlin, Germany @ Spielbank Casino (€1,200 buy-in)--January 17-22 = WPTDS Hollywood, Florida @ Seminole Hard Rock Casino ($1,100 buy-in)--January 24-27 = WPTDS Russia in Sochi @ Casino Sochi ($1,500 buy-in)--February 1-5 = WPTDS Montreal, Canada @ Playground Poker Club (C$1,500 buy-in)--February 7-10 = WPTDS Brussels, Belgium @ Grand Casino Brussels (€1,200 buy-in)--March 8-12 = WPT500 Barcelona, Spain @ Casino Barcelona (€550 buy-in)--March 8-11 = WPTDS Jacksonville, Florida @ bestbet Jacksonville ($1,500 buy-in)--March 14-17 = WPTDS Barcelona, Spain @ Casino Barcelona (€1,650 buy-in)--March 15-17 = WPTDS Johannesburg, South Africa @ Emperors Palace Casino (RAND10,000 buy-in)--March 19-23 = WPT Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City @ Pro Poker Club ($1,070 buy-in)--March 22-25 = WPTDS Maryland in Hanover @ Live! Casino ($1,500 buy-in)--March 28-31 = WPTDS Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Holland Casino (€1,200 buy-in)--April 4-8 = WPTDS Sacramento, California @ Thunder Valley Casino ($1,100 buy-in)--April 5-10 = WPT500 UK in Nottingham @ Dusk Till Dawn (£550 buy-in)--April 11-14 = WPTDS UK in Nottingham @ Dusk Till Dawn (£1,650 buy-in)--April 11-15 = DeepStacks Edmonton, Canada @ Casino Yellowhead (C$1,100 buy-in)--May 9-13 = WPTDS Blackhawk, Colorado @ Golden Gates Casino ($1,500 buy-in)May 17-20 = WPTDS Big Stax, Bensalem, Pennsylvania @ Parx Casino ($1,600 buy-in)May 31-June 3 = WPT New Zealand in Auckland @ Skycity Auckland (NZ$2,200 buy-in)June 13-17 = WPTDS Tampa, Florida @ Seminole Hard Rock Casino ($1,100 buy-in)
Two of the stops on the schedule are actually WPT500 tournaments, which back up to WPTDS events. Including them in this schedule gives players an idea of which stops have the potential for multiple mid-majors to play over a longer stay.
It is unclear why the WPT Vietnam stop is on this particular list, as it does not seem to be connected to WPTDS or other small tours.
As for the Edmonton stop without the WPTDS attached to its official name, this is per provincial regulations, but points for that event do still qualify for WPTDS players.
Millions of Dollars and Miles
Overall, the first half of 2019 looks to be a whirlwind for WPTDS players, complete with familiar stops and new ones and a range of affordable buy-ins. Including the WPT500 stops and Vietnam, there are 20 stops in 11 countries on the schedule thus far.
In total, there are more than $3 million in guarantees at these events as well. Details about the individual prize pool guarantees will be posted as the tour gets underway.
https://twitter.com/WPTDeepStacks/status/1062424941570785282
