Get Ready for the WPT World Championship

Get Ready for the WPT World Championship

Tuesday, 21 April 2015

The season ending WPT World Championship gets underway in Atlantic City this weekend and when the action begins many of the world's finest players are expected to ante-up for a shot at glory.

Set to start on Saturday April 25, this year's marquee event will once again cost $15,400 to enter and already on the start list for the five-day battle are the likes of Daniel Negreanu, Matt Salsberg, Jared Jaffe and last year's champion, Keven Stammen.

Back in 2014 the American pro not only made history by outlasting 328 players, including Byron Kaverman heads-up, to win the title and $1,350,000, but he was the first ever winner inside Atlantic City's Borgata Casino.

In an effort to increase the WPT's reach, the organisers decided to move the tour's main event to Borgata in 2014 and drop the entry fee from its customary $25,500 to a more manageable $15,400. On top of those alterations, the organisers also added $5 million to the prizepool which helped take the overall field to a respectable 328 runners.

Despite many players having reservations about hosting such a high profile event at the Borgata, the reviews after the fact were extremely positive. In fact, such was the response that many players who have avoided the tournament in the past, including Negreanu, have decided to ante-up in 2015.

As well as the changes implemented in 2014, the organisers have also created an impressive roster of events around this year's World Championship, including the Borgata Spring Poker Open. The combination of this, plus an online poker series being hosted by partypoker, has prompted backroom staff at the WPT to suggest that this year's event could welcome close to 400 runners.

The final throes of action in the World Championship will takes place on April 29, by which time many players will already be thinking about their next set of tournaments at the 2015 WSOP.



Tags: World Poker Tour, WPT Championship