Another seasonal major event will take place at the Arena Poker Room at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale as its third annual Winter Poker Classic returns March 15-17. The wildly popular tournament features a $335 buy-in and will offer two starting flights (Day 1A and Day 1B) with a re-entry format, so players who fall short on their first crack can sign up for another shot if their bankroll permits.
Based on last year’s turnout, Talking Stick estimates a first-prize payout of more than $27K, making the Winter Classic one of the most valuable tournaments in Arizona in terms of return on investment. A series of satellites will run March 2 to provide players with a chance to win their way in for a fraction of the buy-in.
On March 9, the ongoing Winter Seasonal Points Challenge will conclude, with qualifiers competing in an invitation-only freeroll boasting an estimated $40K prize pool. March 23 is Ladies Night at Talking Stick, with the return of the $75 buy-in event.
In addition, the Arena Poker Room’s monthly schedule of multitable tournaments will run as scheduled, with the $330 Big Stack tourney March 1, the $225 Super Bounty Big Stack on March 8, the $150 End of Month on March 29 and the $115 Jack & Jill tourney March 30.
Talking Stick also is hoping to bring single-table tournaments, a once-popular format, back from the brink.
Registration for single-table shootouts is open 24-7 at the Arena Poker Room, and whenever 10 players sign up the sit-n-go action will commence. The buy-in for these one-time tournaments is $115, and $5 more will pad your 1,500-chip starting stack with another 500 chips.
Rather than use the traditional payout structure where top three make money, Talking Stick set up its SNGs to be winner-take-all, for $1K. Of course, the final three players are free to negotiate an equitable chop, so for the most part these exciting, one-off events play out in a similar fashion to the online SNGs of old.
CLIFF CASTLE: Players in $3-$6 LHE or a spread-limit game get to register first at this casino in Camp Verde, so be sure to sit in a game if you don’t want to miss your chance to play.
All other casinos in the region will be running their regularly scheduled daily and nightly tourneys, so check our Where to Play section for specific information and phone numbers.
BUCKY’S: Chuck Shoaf was the January Tournament Player of the Month, good for $300, followed by Eric Mevissen ($200) and Jon Victor and Michael Miles ($50 each).
— Email Jonathan at editor@anteupmagazine.com.
