2015 WPT500 at ARIA: $2 Million Guarantee, 10 Starting Days, and Bonus for Cashing
This summer will arguably be the best for low- to mid-stakes poker players when it comes to variety of poker events that fit their bankrolls. One of those events is the partypoker presents: WPT500 at ARIA Resort & Casino.
Featuring an affordable buy-in of $565 and 10 starting flights over three separate weekends, there really is no reason to miss this event. Plus, it all comes with a $2 million guaranteed prize pool that is sure to whet the appetite of poker players everywhere.
The first Day 1, appropriately called Day 1a, will take place on May 31 at 12 p.m. Las Vegas time. There will also be starting flights at 12 p.m. local time on June 1-2, June 6-8, and July 2-4. Finally, on July 5 there will be a special turbo starting flight kicking off at 8:30 a.m. to give all those interested one last chance in reaching Day 2, which will begin later that day at 2 p.m.
Single-table satellites will begin May 27 at ARIA Resort & Casino for $65 if you fancy winning your way to the event for even cheaper.
If the multiple starting flights and $2 million guaranteed prize pool aren't enough to entice you to dive in, there's another little twist that should push you over the edge.
The event will feature a reentry format. According to WPT.com, "One reentry is allowed per day, and players who play multiple starting flights will have the opportunity to carry their largest stack forward to Day 2. Every starting flight will end in the money with five percent of the field remaining." Because even those who advance from a prior starting flight can play additional flights, players will be allowed to take their best stack forward into Day 2.
That means that although this is a multi-day event, players can reach the money after just one day, and that should be to their liking. Plus, this WPT500 event will be awarding an $800 bonus to all players that advance to Day 2 in addition to the minimum payout they will receive for making the money. In speaking with the WPT, PokerNews was informed that the $800 bonus will apply to all entries that advance to Day 2. That means even if you advance three different times and are only able to take your best stack forward, you'll receive the $800 bonus three times.
| Flight | Date | Start Time (PT) |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1a | Sunday, May 31 | 12 p.m. |
| Day 1b | Monday, June 1 | 12 p.m. |
| Day 1c | Tuesday, June 2 | 12 p.m. |
| Day 1d | Saturday, June 6 | 12 p.m. |
| Day 1e | Sunday, June 7 | 12 p.m. |
| Day 1f | Monday, June 8 | 12 p.m. |
| Day 1g | Thursday, July 2 | 12 p.m. |
| Day 1h | Friday, July 3 | 12 p.m. |
| Day 1i | Saturday, July 4 | 12 p.m. |
| Day 1j | Sunday, July 5 | 8:30 a.m. |
| Day 2 | 2 p.m. | |
| Day 3 | Monday, July 6 | 2 p.m. |
The structure for the event will see players begin with 15,000 in tournament chips, and the first eight levels will be 30 minutes long. After the first eight levels, the time for each will increase to 40 minutes until the final table is reached. At the final table, the levels will be 60 minutes. Late entry will be available through the break after Level 8, and the blinds to start Level 9 will be 400/800 with a 100 ante. Even buying in at the last possible second will start players with nearly 19 big blinds.
In 2014, the event was held with a $1 million guarantee and that was nearly doubled after a prize pool just shy of $1.8 million was generated from 3,599 entries. Last year's field was topped by Sean Yu. He walked away with a whopping $260,000 in prize money, and 432 players cashed altogether.
ClubWPT.com will host qualifiers for the event every day in May and more than 40 packages will be up for grabs. Additionally, players can win their way to the event on partypoker.com, partypoker.net, and nj.partypoker.com.
*Photo courtesy of the WPT.
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