The World Poker Tour has unveiled an unprecedented guarantee of $40,000,000 for the upcoming WPT World Championship taking place at Wynn Las Vegas. Scheduled from December 12th to 21st, this $10,400 buy-in tournament will boast an extra starting flight compared to its 2022 debut, which attracted 2,960 entries.
“The WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas is poised to reach new heights and we wanted to match that expectation with a guarantee that no live poker tournament has ever seen before,” said WPT Chief Executive Officer Adam Pliska. “The journey to December begins now, and we plan on giving players another unforgettable experience at Wynn Las Vegas.”
Last year’s iteration of this tournament featured a $15 million guarantee, a figure nearly doubled thanks to the impressive turnout across three starting flights. Ultimately, the final prize pool reached a staggering $29,008,000, distributed among the top 371 finishers, with the eventual champion, Eliot Hudon, pocketing $4,136,000. The top six finishers all enjoyed seven-figure payouts.
Ryan Beauregard, the Executive Director of Poker Operations at Wynn Las Vegas, marveled at the overwhelming support and enthusiasm from the poker community, stating, “The incredible backing and enthusiasm we’ve witnessed from the poker community in just one year is unlike anything I’ve seen before. We eagerly anticipate the 2023 WPT World Championship and anticipate hosting yet another industry-leading event that offers an unparalleled player experience.”
This year’s edition will feature four starting flights as it strives to reach the largest guarantee in poker history. According to the structure sheet available on the WPT website, $9,800 from each buy-in will contribute to the prize pool, requiring a total of 4,082 entries to surpass the guarantee.
Check out a video from WPT about this massive event:
The WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas festival runs from Nov. 29-Dec.23 and features over 30 events. Other highlights include the $5 million guaranteed WPT Prime Championship $1,100 buy-in event (Dec. 7-12), the $250,000 guaranteed WPT Ladies World Championship (Dec. 6-8), and the $1 million Big One for One Drop (Dec. 18-20).
