The recently announced Ante Up Poker Tour is filling its schedule quickly, and Michigan seems to be a perfect candidate for the new tour. With three poker rooms in downtown Detroit, Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant, Caesars in Ontario, Hollywood Casino in Toledo and more than 20 charity rooms in the tri-county area, there are plenty of poker players to fill the tables at a tournament series like the Ante Up Poker Tour. Plus, there are no major tournament series that stop in Michigan, so there’s an opportunity for great turnouts without even counting the draw of nearby destinations such as Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Ontario.
In discussions on the online forums, players speculated on what venue they would prefer. There was a mix of votes for MGM, Motor City and Greektown, with the possibility of comps and cash games affecting the debate. Some claimed MGM would have the best facilities, while others preferred the action at Motor City. Greektown’s location and draw from downtown sporting events placed it in the conversation, too. Some argued the red tape to get the tour into Detroit would make Soaring Eagle a more likely candidate for the AUPT, but we were unable to verify with management there if any discussions had occurred to bring a stop there.
Wherever it might land, players agreed the influx of poker dollars would be great for the state and the poker economy in Michigan.
— Frank Panama and Gambit Gras are Ante Up’s Michigan Ambassadors. They host the Michigan Poker Monster weekly podcast at mipokermonster.com. You can email them at anteupmichigan@gmail.com.
