The 2024 WPT World Championship is coming to Wynn Las Vegas.
The $5 million guaranteed $1,100 WPT Prime Championship began on Sunday, December 3. Entries for the 2023 event were almost unimaginable at 10,512. For nearly $1.4 million, poker pro Calvin Anderson won.
Arrival of the Champion
Wynn’s 2023 WPT series has ended. The World Poker Tour’s season-ending festival is back to big numbers this month. As Day 1a of the Prime Championship shows, this series will be huge.
Players had three more chances to enter after Day 1’s 1,263 entrants. Overtake last year’s field? Executive Tour Director of the World Poker Tour Matt Savage thinks so.
We’ll probably not reach 10,000, but I hope so. Nice, “Savage told PokerNews on Day 1a.
Savage predicts a field similar to 2023’s, which exceeded WPT expectations. First major tournament of series was packed at Wynn-Encore convention center on Sunday. Sportspeople like Joe McKeehen, Freddy Deeb, Matt Salsberg, and the defending champion Anderson attended.
Additionally, Dan Sepiol entered the first WPT Prime Championship session. Indiana native returns to Wynn a year after winning $10,400 WPT World Championship for $5 million. According to the Hendon Mob, he’s had $7 million in live tournament cashes in 12 months. He won $1 million in a daily fantasy sports contest.
Players Compete
Tournament poker is popular in December, with the World Series of Poker Paradise (WSOPP) in the Bahamas, the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) in Prague, and the WPT World Championship in Las Vegas. These events compete right now. According to Savage, there are enough players.
“I think it impacts it a bit,” Savage said the competing events’ impact on WPT World Championship attendance. “That makes these tournaments more valuable for players. Seeing that there aren’t many big-name players playing for all that money in the Bahamas makes these fields more appealing, and I think players notice that and come here. This series has had great numbers, so I don’t think it’ll matter.”
WPT World Championship poker players have praised the venue for the past two years, which may explain why the festival continues to attract so many players despite competition from the EPT and WSOPP. Wynn-World Poker Tour seems like a perfect match. Is it sustainable?
“I hope. It would be great to stay forever. This is a great location for us. It should last forever “Savage told.
Savage complimented Wynn dealers and poker room management.
There will be many of the same major events as in 2022 and 2023, including the $10,400 WPT World Championship (Dec. 14) and WPT Ladies Championship. Additionally, a historic $5 million ClubWPT Gold Invitational Freeroll will begin on Dec. 13. Golden Passports, which include a Wynn room and entry to the record-setting freeroll, have been won by over 1,500 players.
The Wynn’s two weeks of poker in Las Vegas are just beginning. Daily features, interviews, and floor updates are on PokerNews throughout the series.
