Professional Poker Players and Amateurs to Compete in High-Stakes Poker Action at Palm Beach Casino in London this October and at Bellagio in Las Vegas in December
World Poker Tour (WPT) today announced the first two cities for the upcoming second season of WPT Alpha8 – the premier series of super high-roller poker tournaments – as London and, for the first time on WPT Alpha8, Las Vegas.
The £60,000 buy-in non-televised WPT Alpha8 London event will be held October 6-7, 2014, at the exclusive Palm Beach Casino in Mayfair. Known for its stunning décor and world-class service, this will be the second consecutive year the Palm Beach Casino will host A8 London, which will once again attract some of the biggest high-stakes tournament and cash game players from around the world.
From December 18-20, 2014, WPT Alpha8 heads to Bellagio for the televised $100,000 buy-in WPT Alpha8 Las Vegas. Coinciding with the $10,300 buy-in WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic, Bellagio will once again make history by being the first casino to hold a televised WPT Alpha8 tournament simultaneously with a televised Main Tour event. By hosting two major buy-in events concurrently, Bellagio will surely be the center of the high-stakes poker universe in December.
The $10,000 + $300 WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic has been a staple on tour since Season 1 and has produced some of the game’s most notable champions including Gus Hansen, Daniel Negreanu, and Antonio Esfandiari. With 449 entrants, last year’s event generated a prize pool of nearly $4.4 million and a thrilling final table that included Season 10 WPT Player of the Year Joe Serock, Australian poker pro and runner-up Gary Benson, and poker pro Dan Smith who claimed the title and more than $1.1 million in prize money.
“We are truly honored to announce WPT Alpha8 London and WPT Alpha8 Las Vegas as our first events of WPT Alpha8 Season 2,” said WPT President Adam Pliska. “Not only are we returning to one of the most prestigious locations in the world at the Palm Beach Casino in Mayfair, but we are also bringing WPT Alpha8 to the home of high-stakes poker at Bellagio in Las Vegas, where we are already expecting to draw one of the largest fields in WPT Alpha8 history.”
With host and producer Lynn Gilmartin and commentators Ali Nejad and Olivier Busquet, WPT Alpha8 Season 1 featured tournaments at premier destinations around the globe including North America, the United Kingdom, the Caribbean, and South Africa, showcasing the world’s best professional poker players and amateurs. With more than 60 players and nearly $9 million in prize money over the span of only four events, the first season of the WPT Alpha8 tournament series captured the imagination of the poker world and the attention of viewers at home. WPT Alpha8 Season 2 promises to continue that success and will be adding more exciting and exotic events in the weeks and months to come.
Televised WPT Alpha8 Season 2 episodes will continue to air Mondays on Fox Sports 1 (FS1) and will again offer a unique look into the high-pressure action of high-stakes poker and the high-roller lifestyle of those who play at this level.