Partypoker is taking its brand of poker off on a world tour in 2017 with the first incarnation of a new tournament series known as partypoker Live.
Despite being more of a bit part player on the live poker scene in recent years, partypoker is reviving its familiar “million” concept (it was the original home of the Sunday Million) with a calendar of events set to take place around the world.
Initially teased on social media before being announced via the official partypoker blog, the tour will kick off in Canada before travelling to the UK, Macau, the Caribbean and beyond.
partypoker Another Option for Tournament Players
The highlight of each stop will be a $5,000 buy-in tournament with million dollar guaranteed prizepools, which means partypoker Live will become a direct rival to PokerStars’ Championship events as well as WPT main events.
Following the demise of PokerStars’ European Poker Tour (EPT) in favor of Championship (high stakes) and Global (low stakes), the live tournament scene has gradually opened up. With more opportunities for competing operators to fill the gaps left following the drop off in EPT events, partypoker has seized an opportunity.
Thanks to a long history of running standalone live events in venues such as the UK’s Dusk Till Dawn, as well as TV tournaments, partypoker certainly isn’t entertaining unknown territory with its Live series.
But, with the WPT expanding its schedule in recent months and PokerStars still active in the marketplace, the success of partypoker Live isn’t guaranteed.
Something for Everyone
In a bid to support the series and offer something for recreational players, the operator will also host Million Nationals. Similar to the regional events offered by the WPT, PokerStars and even the WSOP, Nationals will feature buy-ins of $1,000 and guaranteed prizepools of $500,000+.
The first confirmed stop in the series is Montreal’s Playground Poker Club. Set to get underway in May, the event will feature a selection of side action as well as a CAD$5,000 ($3,800) Millions main event with a CAD$5 million ($3.8 million) prizepool and a top prize of at least CAD$1 million ($761,000).
In addition to announcing the creation of a new tournament series, partypoker recently added another ambassador to its ever-growing roster. Padraig Parkinson is one of Ireland’s best known players and has long had an association with the operator.
Often commentating on a host of partypoker TV tournaments, Parkinson will now fly the company’s flag outside of the commentary booth. His first tournament as a partypoker ambassador will be the Grand Prix Cork’s €340 ($362) main event, which will run from February 23 to February 26 inside the Macau Sporting Club in Cork, Ireland.
