Central Florida players have been waiting an eternity for their chance to play for a World Poker Tour title in their back yard, and that time has arrived. Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa will host the WPT Winter Poker Open regional series, which will run Dec. 2-11. This is the WPT’s first visit to Tampa since its inception in 2002.
The series includes seven tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $200 to $2,250.
This series is an exciting opportunity for Central Florida players to show off their skills and take home one of the poker community’s most coveted titles.
“We are very excited to be hosting the first WPT regional series on the west coast of Florida and anticipate a sellout for all seven events,” poker room manager Henry Funke said. “A full field in our championship event (700 players) will generate a prize pool of $1.4 million.”
Hard Rock Tampa always has been a hot spot for cash games, and management has done a fine job adapting to tournaments.
“The No. 1 poker room in Central Florida for live-action poker now is the No. 1 room for the best tournament action,” Funke said. “The full schedule and event details for our WPT Winter Poker Open can be found on our website (seminolehardrocktampa.com ). Tickets for all seven events are on sale at the poker-room cage and you must buy your ticket in person.”
The WPT Winter Poker Open will be one of the most talked about events in the area and is sure to bring some necessary attention to the local poker scene.
— Garrett Roth is the Ante Up Ambassador for Central Florida and the Where to Play editor. Email him at roth@anteupmagazine.com and follow him on Twitter @GarrettRoth.
WPT schedule at Hard Rock Tampa
Dec. 2: $25K guar. re-entry ($200, 11 a.m.)
Dec. 3-4: $75K guar. deepstack ($750, 11 a.m.)
Dec. 5: $10K guar. deepstack turbo ($200, 11 a.m.)
Dec. 6: $10K guar. Omaha/8 ($200, 11 a.m.)
Dec. 7: $20K guar. six-max ($440, 11 a.m.)
Dec. 8: $25K guar. re-entry ($200, 11 a.m.)
Dec. 9-11: $250K guar. main event ($2,250, 11 a.m.)
