A look at some featured events around the country. The following pages also highlight daily events and promotions. October looks busy for most of the United States. Here’s a look at the upcoming events, which includes one of the busiest Midwest schedules we’ve ever seen.
East
* WORLD POKER FINALS:
The WPF (Oct. 25-Nov. 9) at Foxwoods in Connecticut has everything you could want in a tournament series: a wide range of buy-ins and game types, great structures, huge fields and a world-class poker room. If you’re on the East Coast or you can get there from around the country, you really shouldn’t miss this one. See the ad on Page 31 of our latest issue for the series schedule.
SENECA FALL POKER CLASSIC: This series, which begins Oct. 29, is a nice little series that has six events, including a ladies tournament, at the Seneca Niagara Falls.
West
HPT ROUTE 66: The Heartland Poker Tour returns to the Route 66 Casino in Albuquerque with the $1,650 main event starting Nov. 2. Qualifiers run for two weeks before the start of the event, which missed its guarantee last time so there could be some free money in the prize pool.
FESTA AL LAGO: The world’s best tournament players will converge on the Bellagio for the Festa al Lago (Oct 12-27). The smallest buy-in for this series is $1,080, so you’ll need a serious bankroll, but the prize pools and prestige will be huge, too.
* VENETIAN DSE: The Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza returns Oct. 25 and runs through mid November. The schedule includes a larger event at noon every day, a bounty event starting at 3 p.m., and a $200 buy-in at 7 p.m. The main event is $2,500, and with a good schedule and structures, the DSE often draws fields of more than 500 entries.
WSOPC RIVER ROCK: The World Series of Poker Circuit makes its first stop outside the United States when it rolls into the Vancouver area Oct. 27-Nov. 7 at the River Rock Casino, less than 20 miles from the Vancouver airport. This is a huge metro area that includes Seattle and Tacoma, and we expect huge fields.
Central
* CHOCTAW DREAMCATCHER: Scotty Nguyen’s Dreamcatcher tournament will double as his birthday party, and Scotty definitely knows how to party so the Michelob should be flowing. From Oct. 25-Nov. 5, the Choctaw Resort and Casino in Oklahoma will have tournaments every day with $250-$1,000 buy-ins.
* FALL POKER CLASSIC: Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., hosts its annual series Oct. 6-21, running two events per day. With seniors and ladies events, and mixed and alternate-game events scattered throughout, there’s a little something for everybody.
* WPT ISLE BLACK HAWK: The Isle of Capri Casino in Blackhawk, Colo., hosts its World Poker Tour Regional with the $1,850 main event Oct. 18. For more information, see the ad on Page 41 of our latest issue.
MSPT DOWNSTREAM: The Mid-States Poker Tour will be at Downstream Casino in Oklahoma for the first time with satellites running nightly. The main event has multiple starting days (Oct. 5-6) and should soar past the $100K guarantee at Downstream in Quapaw, just across the state line from Joplin, Mo.
MSPT MESKWAKI: This will be the third MSPT event at this casino this year, giving away nearly $700K total in those tournaments. It returns with another $300K guarantee Oct. 5-7.
WSOPC HORSESHOE HAMMOND: The largest fields for the circuit every year are in Hammond, Ind., half an hour southeast of Chicago. The main event last year drew more than 1,600 entrants, with nearly $400K awarded for first. This is a can’t-miss event for tournament players in the Midwest. Events run Oct. 11-22.
HPT PRAIRIE MEADOWS: The Heartland Poker Tour will stop at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa. Satellites begin Oct. 13 and the main event starts Oct. 19. Standard HPT format applies, with satellites running daily and a $1,650 main event with a new structure.
South
* WPT JACKSONVILLE: The WPT Jacksonville Main Event is the culmination of the Jacksonville Fall Series at bestbet (Oct. 25-Nov. 13). The main event (Nov. 9-13) features a $500K guarantee. This should be a big series with multiple events on most days, a nice variety and a fantastic new poker room.
* HPT DAYTONA BEACH: The HPT rolls into Daytona Beach with satellites starting Oct. 5 and the main event starting Oct. 11, featuring three starting days. Beautiful weather, beaches and a great venue should add up to a fun event.
* ISLE OPEN: The Isle Casino in Pompano Park, Fla., hosts the last of its four big annual tournaments with the Isle Open, which runs Oct. 15-27 and sports massive guarantees on every event. This will be one of the largest guaranteed series in Florida history, and we expect big crowds.
* Denotes the main event of this series/tournament qualifies for Ante Up Player of the Year consideration as the final 10 players earn POY points.
