2023

Strong Start for 2023 Tournament Poker Season

It may feel like the 2022 poker tournament season just wrapped up a few weeks ago, but those in the poker world are already moving on to other things. We are entering the year 2023 with a new crop of tournaments and some interesting variations on the standard fare.

Borgata’s Offering

The poker tournament schedule for the year 2023 got off to a rousing start at the Borgata in Atlantic City. There are $1,000,000 in guaranteed bounties for the $2000 ($200 juice) Mystery Bounty tournament known as “The Return.” On Monday, January 2, the action began with Day 1A, and later that day, at seven o’clock in the evening, Day 1B began its portion of the tournament.

As exciting as that event was, it was really a warmup for the real thing. A $5,000 buy-in Championship Event with some unusual stipulations will take place on Wednesday at the Borgata. The total prize pool for the tournament is $3 million, and the winner is certain to receive at least $1 million.

WSOP

From January 4-24, 2023, King’s Casino in Rozvadov will play host to twelve tournaments as part of the World Series of Poker International Circuit. Simultaneously, an event on the WSOP Circuit is being held in the United States, with players making the trip to Oklahoma’s Choctaw Casino Resort.

PokerGO

The PokerGO Cup 2023 will begin on January 11 at the PokerGO Studios in Las Vegas. The eight-part “High Roller” tournament series culminates on January 19 with the $50,000 Championship Event, which will be broadcast online.

PokerStars

The Bahamas will host the second annual PokerStars Players’ Championship for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. The 46-event festival kicks off on January 22 at the Baha Mar Resort and Casino in Nassau. The $25,000 Poker Players’ Championship (PSPC) is only one of several tournaments, including bounty and High Roller events.

What About the EPT and WPT?

The World Poker Tour and the European Poker Tour, two of the biggest tournament poker circuits, will not get off until later in 2023. Out of the two, the EPT is the one that will be making its maiden trip to a new venue first.

Beginning on February 15 at the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile, the European Poker Tour (EPT) will host a series of tournaments with buy-ins of €5,000 for the Main Event, €10,000 for the High Roller, €50,000 for the Super High Roller, and €3,000 for the Mystery Bounty. The final match of the tournament will be held on February 26.

World Poker Tour Teams up with Blockchain Sportsbook

The worlds of gambling and cryptocurrencies and bitcoin are colliding once again, as the World Poker Tour has teamed up with FansUnite Entertainment, an innovative new sportsbook that is powered by blockchain technology. This will be the WPT’s first foray into the blockchain market, while providing FansUnite with more exposure through a leading international poker brand.

A Multi-Pronged Partnership

We’ll be seeing FansUnite and the World Poker Tour collaborating in a number of different ways. Firstly, the two companies will be engaging in cross promotion on social media and international TV distribution will be provided to FansUnite through the World Poker Tour’s programming. FansUnite will also provide the WPT with promotional tie-ins from the Leicester City Football Club, the sportsbook’s official partner.

Another aspect of the deal will be in the introduction of “Plays of the Week”, on Super Channel’s Heads Up Daily. The show broadcasts news and features related to the eSports market, so this will be the first time the WPT will get involved with this emerging sporting industry.

As you can see, this will be a mutually beneficial partnership. Both the WPT and FansUnite will be able to expand their reach across new markets, promoting themselves to viewers who are currently unfamiliar with their products.

“The sports betting and blockchain industries continue to provide applications to the gaming world, and the World Poker Tour is proud to name FansUnite as an official partner,” says Adam Pliska, CEO of the World Poker Tour.

According to Darius Eghdami, the World Poker Tour has been on the forefront of gaming entertainment for the past 20 years, gaining instant name recognition and making it the perfect partner for the cryptocurrency-powered sportsbook. Pliska is just as thrilled with the deal, excited about introducing FansUnite to the millions of WPT fans and players around the world.

Poker and Blockchain, Working Together Once Again

This year has seen plenty of interaction between the blockchain and poker worlds. In September, the World Crypto Con at the Aria Casino in Las Vegas hosted a blockchain poker tournament. It was only the second time that the world markets interacted, after a similar blockchain poker tournament was hosted at the Blockchain World Conference.

Blockchain technology continues to be a be perfect fit as a partner in the poker market. The technology offers both online and land-based players a new way to experience their favourite game, and there is plenty of opportunity for more interaction between these two industries. The recent deal between the World Poker Tour and Fans Unite will only serve to strengthen the bond and make way for many more similar partnerships to be formed in the future.