Walt Strakowski Jr., you’re time is almost up.
Strakowski, who was player of the year for last year’s Ante Up Poker Tour, will have to get back on the road starting this month if he wants to defend his title against thousands of players in Ante Up’s live tournament series.
Players who finish in the top 10 of any tour stop earn points toward Ante Up’s Player of the Year title. The player with the most points at the end of this year’s season (which runs Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2011) will be crowned player of the year and win a cover story in Ante Up, a featured interview on the Ante Up PokerCast, a custom-crafted silver bracelet from Madison Jewelers and other prizes from sponsors to be determined. The rest of the top 10 will receive stories in Ante Up and prizes from sponsors to be determined.
The series, limited to Florida in its first year, has been revamped significantly for the 2011 season to put a heavier emphasis on individual events while at the same time allowing for enough events that there’s a good variety for players in all of Ante Up’s expanded coverage area of 25 states.
“Last year’s tour was fun, but it’s great to get on par with other tours so our players can travel the country for the AUPT,” Ante Up co-publisher Chris Cosenza said. “Plus this allows all of our readers to have a chance at a coveted title.”
The scoring system has been changed this year as well. A formula will determine how many points each of the top 10 in a particular event receive, taking into account the event’s buy-in and number of entrants.
“The new formula should balance out the players who play several events with those who play fewer, though arguably more challenging, events, ones with bigger buy-ins and larger fields,” Scott Long, Ante Up’s other publisher said.
This year’s schedule will continue to evolve as the year goes on, so look for updates on new tour stops in each month’s Ante Up. Standings will be updated after each event at www.anteupmagazine.com/tour.
Tour stops
We anticipate more than 20 tour stops this year when the schedule is finalized. Here are the confirmed stops:
Jan. 28: Orange Park Kennel Club, $5K (second annualChad Brown No-Limit Texas Hold’em Championship)
March 11: Ante Up Poker Cruise Main Event, $350
Sept. 1: Ante Up Poker Cruise Main Event, $350
Dec. 16: Ante Up Poker Cruise Main Event, $350
