EPT, WPT and WSOP News – It All Happened in Poker This Week
Author:
Roy Brindley
The 2023 European Poker Tour (EPT) came to a close this week. By claiming the Prague Main Event – and the accompanying €1,030,000 prize money – Padraig O’Neil entered the record books as only the second Irish EPT champion.
Taking his seat at the final table on the concluding day of play, O’Neil brought the shortest stack to the party. The final table featured players from nine individual countries. For most of the journey, Norway’s Jon Kyte dominated with a mighty stack and looked to have the title in the bag.
Main Event players at the 2023 WPT World Championship at the Wynn Las Vegas have found themselves on a good thing with a $2.4 million overlay in their favor. ?WPT/Flickr
Nevertheless, O’Neil overcame what has been described as “the biggest chip lead in EPT history” and landed the seven-figure prize after nearly five hours of heads-up play. It represents his most significant live cash by some considerable way.
Padraig O’Neil is an established poker winner. In 2012 he landed the Dublin leg of the Poker Masters of Europe for a €32,510 payday. Online he also won the Unibet Poker Open Main Event in back-to-back years (2019 and 2020).
Poker Million Was the EPT’s Sapling
PokerStars European Poker Tour is Europe’s richest and most popular poker tour. It was created in 2004 by former television director John Duthie. Duthie won the inaugural Ladbrokes Poker Million – a competition staged on the Isle of Man – in November 2000. His winning hand was a full house of 8s over Aces.
Amongst the final-table finishers was Brighton & Hove Albion’s majority shareholder and chairman, Tony Bloom. Bloom made the final table of the second Poker Million in 2003. It was won by snooker star Jimmy White.
Remarkably Tony Bloom reached a third Poker Million final in 2010. It was the last year that Sky broadcast poker on one of its main sports channels and the final time the competition was held. Poker Million promoters Matchroom Sports subsequently focused the bulk of its attention on boxing.
Wynn WPT Falls Almost $2.5 Million Short
The ongoing 2023 WPT World Championship held at the Wynn Las Vegas has created a small piece of history – even before its $5,678,000 first-place prize has been awarded! Attracting 3,835 entries, its $40 million guaranteed Main Event has fallen short of what was required to meet the promised purse.
Day 1D of the @WPT World Championship @WynnLasVegas @WynnPoker is over!
Today’s flight saw 1,523 entries for a total of 3,835 entries between all four flights!
With a $40,000,000 prize pool, 1st place will be taking home nearly $5.7 million dollars including a seat to the 2024… pic.twitter.com/AhqwM5eSqa
— World Poker Tour (@WPT) December 16, 2023
Four thousand and eighty-two players were needed to reach the guarantee. As a result, the WPT now needs to plug a $2,417,000 shortfall. However, with organizers claiming $600 of the Main Event’s $10,400 buy-ins to cover entry and dealer fees, the loss is closer to $900,000.
This enormous hit does not represent the biggest overlay in live poker history. In 2014, the Florida Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open guaranteed its main event for $10 million. However, less than 75 percent of the anticipated players took part. Red-faced organizers were forced to add $2.5 million to the prize fund.
WSOP Confirms 2024 Main Event Dates
It is now unlikely any other players will net a $2 million-plus tournament score in Las Vegas until next year’s World Series of Poker. This week, its organizers confirmed the 2024 event, the 55th Annual WSOP, will take place from May 28 until July 17.
There are no details on the WSOP schedule albeit it is confirmed the $10,000 Main Event will run from July 3 until July 17. Similarly, the festival will once again take place on the Las Vegas Strip at Paris Las Vegas and the Horseshoe Casino.
Daniel Weinman was crowned as the World Series of Poker Main Event winner in 2023. The 35-year-old outlasted 10,042 rival entrants to take $12.1 million of the staggering $93,399,900 prize pool.
