Exciting Times for Poker at ARIA

By Sean Chaffin

It will be a big poker week and summer at ARIA Resort & Casino, first with the Season XVI WPT Bobby Baldwin Classic, then carrying into the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions May 24-26, and then the ARIA Poker Classic running May 26-July 8 and featuring WPT500 Las Vegas. The ARIA Poker Classic is a robust schedule of events with numerous buy-in ranges and poker variants.

The WPT Tournament of Champions is open to any WPT champion and features a rake-free $15,000 buy-in. However, those who have taken home a title in Season XVI receive entry to the tournament included in their Season XVI victory, plus comped hotel and flight accommodations.

The WPT has added $100,000 to the prize pool and an additional $50,000 to the winner. A Hublot watch will also go to the champion, as well as a $50,000 membership to JetSmarter. Additionally, the player gift bags for WPT Champions Club members are valued at more than $1,000.

Planning and executing so much action is not easy, but Sean McCormack, director of poker operations for ARIA, feels the casino staff is up to the challenge.

“It’s our first year doing this, so obviously we’ve got a lot on our plate right now and I put my team up against any team on the planet,” McCormack said confidently. “They’re ready, they’re hungry, but we’re also a little anxious and just a little nervous to get this kicked off and just get it running and hoping for a successful event.”

The property also opened its brand new poker studio last week and is already deep in the planning stages for WPT500 Las Vegas. It’s quite a busy schedule of poker at ARIA, but the efforts speak volumes about the importance of the game to ARIA.

“We’ve we just got a lot on our plate,” McCormack said. “Then we move right into all of our summer tournaments and then conclude with the WPT500, so we basically bookend these three WPT events and they’re all very close to our hearts here.”

McCormack added that his staff treats all three events equally as special and tries to provide the best atmosphere for players, whether it’s a player at the $15,000 price point or the more accessible $500. The WPT500, he said, has become a huge event for ARIA over the years.

“These guys that win a quarter-million dollars for 500 bucks, it’s a super special story and you know it’s something that will last forever,” McCormack said. “We’re glad we’re able to give them that experience here.”

For more on WPT500 Las Vegas, check out the event hub on WPT.com. If you’re interested in ways to qualify for WPT500 Las Vegas, check out ClubWPT.com, where you can win a VIP package to WPT500 Las Vegas.

If you’re interested in becoming a WPT champion, you can play for your chance on ClubWPT.com. ClubWPT is where eligible VIP members can play for more than $100,000 in cash and prizes each month, including seats to WPT events. No purchase is necessary for the ClubWPT sweepstakes and the service is void in states where prohibited. See terms and conditions at ClubWPT.com.