It’s a well-known fact that poker is the game at the top of every casino-dwellers itinerary. With easy-to-follow gameplay and a reputation for success, it’s no wonder why poker has maintained its popularity over the years!
For individuals looking to enroll themselves in a poker tournament, you will need to know how to properly play poker and how to win while doing so before you even consider entering.
As a result of its popularity, there are thousands (and we mean thousands) of poker tournaments that are held annually around the world.
Many of these are local or regional events but there are quite a few that have worldwide appeal and relevance. If you’re an enthusiastic player in online casinos like Fanduel.com or prefer to play in a land-based casino, there’s a poker event out there that you will thoroughly enjoy.
If you’re looking to learn more about the most famous poker tournaments, here are a few that you should know of.
World Series Of Poker (WSOP)
img source: cbsistatic.com
The World Series of Poker is one of the oldest, largest, and most prestigious annual poker tournaments currently operating in the world. It has been held in the US for over 50 years and invites poker enthusiasts from over 100 different countries to participate in the game. It usually occurs during the summer months (between May and July).
Nowadays, the WSOP consists of over 101 events with a lot of different poker variants. Recently, over half of these events have been variants of Texas hold ‘em poker.
The overall prize pool is easily in the hundreds of millions (USD). The top player will receive nearly $10 million for their efforts. Since 1970, the WSOP has invested more than $2 billion in individual awards for players.
The overall prestige of WSOP continues to grow year after year. So much so that it continues to receive humungous investments from its sponsors, including Ceasers Palace.
With such a massive amount of prize money on offer, it’s pretty easy to understand the magnitude of the influence that this tournament has in the modern poker world.
Aussie Millions
img source: somuchpoker.com
Now we make our way to the other side of the world for the next big poker tournament: the Aussie Millions.
The Australian Poker Championship, or the Aussie Millions, began in July 1998 and hasn’t looked back since. In its many years of operation, it has quickly become the Southern Hemisphere’s richest poker tournament with a prize pool of over A$7 million!
It is held in January/February every year at the renowned Crown Casino in Melbourne, with a A$10 million Main Event reward.
The structure of the Main Event differs slightly from other major poker tournaments. While major Texas Hold’em tournaments like the WSOP play at nine-handed tables, the Aussie Millions Main Event begins only with eight-handed tables. This continues until the field is reduced to just 36 players where the tables then become six-handed.
In addition to the main event, the Aussie Millions features many other high-roller side events. It’s renowned for the high roller boom with a A$100,000 and $250,000 challenge.
World Poker Tour (WPT)
img source: cardplayer.com
The World Poker Tour ignited the poker boom with the creation of a television show that is based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments. It’s essentially a poker festival that occurs over about six weeks, with the Main Event as the pinnacle.
Every individual event follows the format of a tournament with each player beginning with the same number of chips. As every other game of poker goes, the winner of the tournament is the person who is left standing at the end.
WPT is an annual event that attracts a massive number of participants both live and watching on television. Unlike the WSOP, WPT reaches players and individuals with an interest in poker via a poker television program that is then broadcast in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. In total, it reaches people from around 150 countries!
The WPT culminates in a Main Event championship where the champion will be crowned, win a coveted gold bracelet, and receive a $10 million reward for their talents.
It’s easy to say that the World Poker Tour is the premier name in terms of internationally televised entertainment and gaming, with a huge brand presence in many land-based tournaments.
European Poker Tour (EPT)
img source: cardplayer.com
The European Poker Tour was initially viewed as Europe’s answer to the World Poker Tour but has since gained an incredible reputation of its own. It is now Europe’s richest and most popular poker tour.
EPT was created in 2004 by online casino PokerStars as part of the global Texas Hold’em explosion and has since had stops in some of the most beautiful European cities including London, Barcelona, and Berlin.
Since 2011 it has been sponsored, owned, and controlled by PokerStars and broadcast by Sunset + Vine in many European countries. In 2020, the Main Event had a guaranteed $5 million prize pool. The total prize pool ended up exceeding $6.52 million, with $1,019,082 going to the eventual winner.
The EPT has its similarities with WSOP and WPT but on a much smaller scale. It attracts some of the greatest poker players from all around the world. All participants in EPT will be representatives from countries in many European regions.
However, to properly participate in the EPT, players must pay a fee. Though this may seem to be a setback, the prize is more than worth it!
Summary
These are a handful of the most famous poker tournaments that you should know about. In short, they are the poker tournaments that have the biggest global following and offer the largest amounts of prize money at the Main Event. All of the famous poker tournaments mentioned in this article offer prizes in the millions!
Whether it’s a professional or amateur poker tournament, these types of gaming events are always quick to spark lots of interest in poker fans everywhere.
