Genting Poker Series Announces 2016 Tour Dates
The Genting Poker Series (GPS) posted details of the 2016 tour during the season-ending Sheffield Main Event and it is sure to divide the opinions of the tour's regulars.
When the Poker Operations Manager for Genting, Kevin Proctor, spoke to PokerNews in January, before the 2015 Genting Poker Series kicked off, he said, "We have listened to player's feedback and in the present dark climate we want to put the fun back into poker."
One way they did this was to reduce the number of levels played on Day 1, introduce poker seminars and fun activities at each of the 10 stops, and create the GPS Mini events.
Each GPS Mini cost £220 to buy into, half of the £440 main events, and featured a £30,000 guaranteed prize pool that had nine GPS Main Seats in it. The Minis proved popular during their debut season, which is possibly why they feature heavily in the 2016 Genting Poker Series Schedule.
2016 Genting Poker Series Schedule
| Dates | Event Type | Buy-in | Venue | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 21-24 | Mini | £220 | Luton | £35,000 |
| Feb 3-7 | Main | £440 | Star City | £100,000 |
| Feb 25-28 | Mini | £220 | Sheffield | £35,000 |
| Mar 16-20 | Main | £440 | Westcliff | £100,000 |
| Mar 31-Apr 3 | Mini | £220 | Glasgow | £35,000 |
| Apr 14-17 | Mini | £220 | Reading | £35,000 |
| May 19-22 | Mini | £220 | Stoke | £35,000 |
| Jun 16-19 | Mini | £220 | Liverpool | £35,000 |
| Jul 14-17 | Mini | £220 | Luton | £35,000 |
| Aug 18-21 | Mini | £220 | Genting International Casino | £35,000 |
| Sep 8-11 | Mini | £220 | Star City | £35,000 |
| Sep 28-Oct 2 | Main | £440 | Edinburgh | £100,000 |
| Oct 13-16 | Mini | £220 | Westcliff | £35,000 |
| Nov 10-13 | Mini | £220 | Torquay | £35,000 |
| Nov 17-20 | Mini | £220 | Newcastle | £35,000 |
| Dec 7-11 | Main | £440 | Sheffield | £100,000 |
There are 16 stops planned on the 2016 GPS and Minis make up 12 of those, leaving only a quartet of £400+£40 buy-in Main Events. Those Main Events, at Southend Westcliff, Edinburgh, and Sheffield, carry the same £100,000 guaranteed prize pool, but the Minis have had their guarantee boosted to £35,000 and still include a £400+£40 Main Event seat for anyone reaching the final table of them.
The tour pays a visit to three new locations during 2016 as Genting give players the opportunity to play in a well-structured event without having to break the bank. A trip to Torquay is pencilled in for November 10-13, 2016, but before then it heads to Glasgow (March 31-April 3) then makes its debut in the new Genting International Casino at the recently opened Genting Resorts World in Birmingham between August 18-22, 2016.
Although Genting is guaranteeing more prize money than the previous year, the focus on the £220 Mini tournaments over the £440 Main Events is sure to draw some criticism from the tour’s regulars, many of whom play much larger events around the UK and in Europe.
The new focus now pits the GPS in direct competition with Grosvenor’s 25/25 Series, which there are more than 40 up and down the country during the coming year, so it creates much-needed competition in the low buy-in sector of live poker tournaments.
2015 Genting Poker Series a Success
With the completion of the Sheffield Main Event, the Genting Poker Series has finished another successful season. Five of the six £440 buy-in main events surpassed their £100,000 guarantee, with Newcastle only missing by two entrants.
Its four £220 minis each smashed their £30,000 guarantees. Reading attracted enough players to beat the guarantee by £27,000 while both Liverpool and Birmingham paid out at £25,400 and £24,800 more than the advertised £30,000. The biggest success was in the Luton Mini thanks to 434 players turning out for it and creating a monster-sized £86,800 prize pool, completely obliterating the £30,000 guarantee and showing that Luton could almost certainly support a £440 buy-in Main Event.
| Leg | Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star City, Birmingham | 404 | £161,600 | Chris Johnson | £37,000 | |
| Southend | 340 | £136,000 | David L’Honore | £21,790 | |
| Newcastle | 248 | £100,000 | Ludovic Geilich | £27,500 | |
| Reading | 288 | £57,000 (Mini) | Jason Willis | £15,280 | |
| Liverpool | 277 | £55,400 (Mini) | Matty Stitt | £14,450 | |
| Luton | 434 | £86,800 (Mini) | Yucel Eminolgu | £13,200 | |
| Stoke | 284 | £113,600 | Pia Jeppesen | £30,660 | |
| Edinburgh | 275 | £110,000 | Colin Gillon | £25,270 | |
| Star City, Birmingham | 274 | £54,800 (Mini) | Darren Grosvenor | £12,000 | |
| Sheffield | 358 | £143,200 | Matt Davenport | £37,000 |
What do you think of the changes to the 2016 Genting Poker Series tour? Are you a fan of the increased number of lower buy-ins, or would you prefer to see higher buy-in events? Let us know in the comments box below.
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