The World Series of Poker is bringing its Circuit series to Toronto’s Great Canadian Casino and Resort in March, and hometown poker hero Daniel Negreanu will be there. The schedule starts with a $250 event on Friday, March 22, and ends with the $3,500 High Roller on Monday, April 1.
Between are six more Circuit ring events. The first of three starting flights of the $2,000 Main Event takes place Thursday, March 28. Qualifiers will be held on GGPoker, the WSOP’s online home outside the United States.
Toronto native Negreanu is a GGPoker ambassador and is looking forward to competing in the first live WSOP Circuit series in his old backyard.
“I have been playing WSOP events around the world for over 25 years,” Negreanu said in a press release. “There is something quite special about being able to finally compete in one in my hometown.”
Great Canadian is guaranteeing $3.9 million in prize pools for several of the events, including the $2,000 Main Event which will have a $2.1 million promise. The $3,500 high roller will have a $850,000 guarantee (All denominations are listed in Canadian dollars).
“We are thrilled to collaborate with GGPoker to bring the World Series of Poker to Toronto for the first time. This is a fitting milestone that will create further momentum for our recently opened 30-table poker room at Great Canadian Toronto, Canada’s newest and largest casino resort,” said Robert Katsavelos, Great Canadian General Manager, in the same press release. “We are excited to welcome tournament participants from across the North American poker community and from right here in the City of Toronto and are certain that this event is going to be a huge success.”
Great Canadian Entertainment opened its Toronto location last June. Adjacent to Woodbine Racetrack, it is Canada’s newest and largest casino resort and with 328,000 square-feet of gaming space, is one of the largest in North America.
Along with the 30-table poker room, the casino has 4,800 slot machines, 175 live table games, VIP rooms, and sports betting kiosks. Players can stay in one of the 400 rooms at a discount during the series. Contact the casino for more information and to make a reservation.
The series is part of WSOP’s international Circuit schedule. It’s one of three stops in Canada this season. Right after its stop in Toronto, it heads to the Playground in Montreal for a 15 event series. In May, the WSOP hits Deerfoot Casino in Calgary.
Negreanu, is of course, has been one of the most recognizable and popular poker players for nearly 30 years. He grew up in Toronto after his parents emigrated from Romania. He dropped out of high school several credits short of graduating to begin his poker career in card rooms all around Toronto.
At 22, he left Toronto for the first time to try to beat the games in Las Vegas, but failed and had to return to rebuild his bankroll. After he recovered going broke that first time, he really never looked back. Once — and I guess still – known as “Kid Poker,” he turns 50 in July.
