The World Poker Tour (WPT) has broadened its global reach once again by adding an interesting new stop to the second half of its 21st season.
Even though it feels like December’s hugely successful WPT World Championship only ended last week, the tournament team is already looking forward to the next grand finale.
The road to that finale will be paved with a plethora of tournaments, including main tour stops and WPT Prime events. Also wrapped up in the WPT’s Season XXI schedule is a new event in Liechtenstein.
Global Evolution Continues
According to WPT CEO Adam Pliska, the decision to add another stop to the annual schedule is based on his commitment to creating a truly global tour.
“As we build out the remainder of the schedule for Season XXI of the World Poker Tour, we are happy to be returning to some familiar WPT hosts, while we also welcome a first-ever stop in Liechtenstein, continuing our pledge to bring poker to loyal players around the globe,” Pliska said in Thursday’s press release.
Kicking off the second half of Season XXI in August will be WPT Prime Aix-en-Provence. The €1,100 tournament will run from August 3 to 6 inside a new host venue for the WPT, Pasino Grand Casino.
From there, the WPT Prime tour will stop in Taiwan before making its first ever visit to the Principality of Liechtenstein.
Season XXI Second Half Schedule – Main Event Dates
- WPT Prime Aix-en-Provence: Aug 3 – 6 at Pasino Grand (Provence, France)
- WPT Prime Taiwan: Aug 17 – 21 at the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association (Taipei, Taiwan)
- WPT Prime Liechtenstein: Sep 8 – 11 at Grand Casino LI AG (Liechtenstein)
- WPT Australia: Sep 22 – 27 at The Star Gold Coast (Gold Coast, Australia)
- WPT Prime Madrid: Sep 28 – Oct 1at Casino Gran Via (Madrid, Spain)
- WPT bestbet Scramble: Nov 10 – 14 at Bestbet Poker, Simulcast & Racing (Jacksonville, Florida)
- WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open: Nov 24 – 29 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Hollywood, Florida)
The German-speaking microstate, which is situated between Austria and Switzerland, may be small in stature but the organizers have big plans. WPT Prime Liechtenstein will take place at Grand Casino LI AG and, if the CHF1,100 tournament attracts the same number of entries as other events on the tour, we could see over 1,000 players descend on the microstate.
WPT is Becoming More Accessible to Global Audiences
WPT Australia will serve as the main tour’s second half opener. The tour’s inaugural main event Down Under attracted 709 players in 2022. That was the biggest ever turnout for a live poker tournament in Queensland and meant the winner, David Tang, took home AUD$647,470.
The WPT’s tournament team will be heading back to Oz in September. As well as side events and a live stream for the final table, the organizers have upped the WPT Australia main event buy-in to AUD$8,000 and added an extra starting flight due to popular demand.
The WPT schedule for the rest of 2023 shows just how far the organization has come since it launched in 2002. Back then, it was primarily a made-for-TV tournament series that held almost all of its events in the US (apart from stops in France and Aruba).
Fast-forwards 20 years and last year’s schedule saw the WPT’s tournament team host main events, Prime and WPT500 tournaments online and in multiple countries around the world. The WPT Season XXI schedule builds on this momentum, which means players everywhere have more ways to win some of poker’s most coveted titles.
