After a successful Ante Up World Championship series at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in August, the Ante Up Poker Tour’s marquee event will return to the resort just north of Sacramento, Calif., in August.
"It’s been an amazing experience watching the relationship between Thunder Valley and Ante Up grow," said Scott Long, who is publisher of Ante Up Poker Media with Christopher Cosenza. "Two years ago when we hosted the first Ante Up NorCal Classic at the beautiful resort, neither Thunder Valley nor Ante Up were known nationally for tournaments. Now, both are."
Dates and details of the Ante Up World Championship series will be announced later, but the event will play out in early August like it did in 2014, making it one of first major tournament series after the World Series of Poker concludes.
"Thunder Valley is looking forward to hosting the Ante Up World Championship once again" Thunder Valley director of poker Ben Erwin said. "Players really responded well to the format of the 2014 main event, which featured just one re-entry so every hand mattered. We will build on that success in 2015."
Champions at all Ante Up Poker Tour series through July will earn an entry in the Ante Up World Championship. Players from Derby Lane, Pensacola Greyhound Track and Palm Beach Kennel Club in Florida have qualified for the event, as has Michael Loncar, the champion of Thunder Valley’s recently concluded Ante Up NorCal Classic.
Thunder Valley also will host the fourth annual Ante Up NorCal Classic in late November, giving the AAA Four Diamond property two of the 12 possible Ante Up Poker Tour events planned for the season. Additionally, the property will host the 2016 Ante Up World Championship series and the Ante Up NorCal Classic again in 2016.
Thunder Valley features spacious guest rooms, highly rated restaurants and a well-appointed spa, giving players and their guests a resort experience when they’re taking breaks from the poker room.
"Ben Erwin and his terrific team have built Thunder Valley into a tournament poker powerhouse, hosting several major series throughout the year," Long said. "Knowing that Ante Up holds two spots on the resort’s annual schedule is truly special to us."
