WPT Attracting Big Fields Since Returning
The World Poker Tour continues attracting big fields since getting back in the action in January. The tour held its second major US event of the year in early March, the $5,000 WPT Venetian. The event attracted 937 entries for a $4.3 million prize pool, shattering the $1.5 million guarantee.
Qing Liu won the title for $752,880 on March 9 and was in a unique situation after the event. He played in another final table on Wednesday after the WPT resumed the first of four final tables from 2020. The tour films these events in Las Vegas for future broadcast. Liu had also qualified for the final table of the Gardens Poker Championship and he had a shot at two WPT titles in two days.
That didn’t happen. Liu took sixth for another $111,795—not a bad two days at the tables. California’s Markus Gonsalves finished on top for $554,495.
“I think I’ve come close once or twice before so it feels nice to finally win one,” he said after the event. “All my friends have them. That’s going to be great to troll Phil [Hellmuth], that’s for sure.”
In January, the Lucky Hearts Poker Open at the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood also produced big numbers. The event attracted 1,573 entries for a $5 million prize pool. That was a huge increase over the $1 million guarantee. The property is the next stop for the tour in April, with the $3,500 Poker Showdown set for April 23-27, with a $2 million guarantee. Other upcoming big tourneys include:
- Borgata Winter Poker Open Final, Aria PokerGO Studio, Las Vegas, NV – May 16
- LA Poker Classic Final Table, The Commerce Casino, Commerce, CA– May 17
- Deep Stack Series, Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood – May 20-31
- Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood – July 22-Aug.10