Day 1 of WPT Bellagio Elite Poker Championship on Tap

The World Poker Tour is back at Bellagio in Las Vegas for the first-ever WPT Bellagio Elite Poker Championship. This $10,400 buy-in event is a new addition to the WPT schedule and will see the best of the best compete at one of the world’s most iconic venues over the course of the next six days. Up for grabs will be a boat load of money and the right to be called a World Poker Tour champion. The winner will also receive a $15,000 entry to the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions.

The last time the World Poker Tour hit Bellagio was in December for the famed WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic. That tournament attracted a record-setting field of 812 entries. Winning that event for a whopping $1.958 million was Ryan Tosoc. Alex Foxen finished in second place and also earned seven figures, taking home more than $1.134 million. It was the second year in a row that the top two finishers in the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic each earned seven-figure paydays.

Not only was it the largest turnout at Bellagio for a WPT event, but the tournament proved to be the largest $10,000 buy-in event in the WPT’s rich 16-season history. Could the record be broken with the WPT Bellagio Elite Poker Championship? Only time will tell.

With a big, five-figure buy-in on the slate, plenty of Hublot WPT Player of the Year points will be up for grabs. The WPT Bellagio Elite Poker Championship is the second-to-last event of the WPT’s 16th season, and Art Papazyan leads the way in the Hublot WPT Player of the Year race with 2,450 points. Closest to Papazyan on the leaderboard are Derek Wolters with 1,850 points, Eric Afriat with 1,750 points, Joe McKeehen with 1,650 points, and Zach Donovan with 1,450 points. In sixth place is Tosoc with 1,400 points, and he will very likely be in the field as Bellagio is his home venue.

The Season XVI WPT Bellagio Elite Poker Championship kicks off at 12 p.m. local time in Las Vegas. Players will start with 30,000 in tournament chips and play will last five 90-minutes levels on Day 1. The event allows for one reentry and players will have until the beginning of Level 9 (fourth level on Day 2) to register or reenter.

Be sure to keep it locked right here to WPT.com for coverage of this tournament, coming straight to you from the legendary Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Looking to win your way to a World Poker Tour event for your shot at becoming a WPT champion? Play for your chance on ClubWPT.com, where eligible VIP Members can play for over $100,000 in cash and prizes each month, including seats to WPT events, no purchase necessary.