The Ante Up Poker Tour makes will make its first appearance in the Southwest at Sandia Resort & Casino with a unique five-event series that will span three months.
“We are very excited about hosting an Ante up Poker Tour stop,” said Clarence Hilton, director of poker for Sandia Resort & Casino in Albuquerque, N.M. “We have been putting out some preliminary information and have got a great response from our tournament players. This event will feature a $600 buy-in and our goal is to break the $100,000 prize pool mark.”
Sandia Resort & Casino is a luxurious, 228-room resort overlooking the majestic Sandia Mountains, with a 140,000-square-foot Las Vegas-style casino featuring a 15-table poker room, spa, outdoor pool, fine dining and entertainment and a Scott Miller-designed 18-hole golf club.
“Ever since our merger with Southwest Poker News, our goal has been to bring the Ante Up Poker Tour to the Southwest,” said Scott Long, who publishes Ante Up with Christopher Cosenza. “I’ve been to Sandia several times, and I know our players are going to enjoy a great series, at a fantastic resort in the fascinating city of Albuquerque.”
The Four Corners Championship will be unique in that it kicks off with four, two-day tournaments July 9-10, July 23-24, Aug. 6-7 and Aug. 20-21, with buy-ins from $155 to $315, before concluding on Labor Day weekend with the $600 main event, the winner of which will appear on the cover of Ante Up, earn a seat in the 2017 Ante Up World Championship and a fistful of cash. The main event will have two starting flights Sept. 3-4 with advancing players returning Sept. 5 to play for a winner.
“Last September, we ran the Sandia Casino Championships and we were very successful with 155 entries; we have made room for 210 entries plus alternates and re-entries,” said Hilton, who added that players will have qualifiers and sit-and-go opportunities to make it into the main event.
Sandia Resort & Casino hosts two other major series a year, the Big Dog Series in January and February and the Deepstack Series in March and April. It also recently expanded its weekly tournament schedule and added a large, special event every month.
“At the Sandia Casino Poker Room, we have a wide variety of games at all times and we pride ourselves on being able to promote and provide feature games,” Hilton said. “As of January, we have started for the first time promotions that pay cash.”
For more information on this Ante Up Poker Tour series, visit http://www.anteupmagazine.com/sandia.
