Super High Roller Bowl Set for Third Running at ARIA
The Super High Roller Bowl, one of the most anticipated events for high-stakes poker fans around the world, will return for its third year and run May 28-31 at its familiar home, ARIA Resort and Casino.
As with the 2016 event, the Super High Roller Bowl will be a $300,000 freezeout featuring a $5 million first-place prize with a number of seats reserved for "non-professional super high rollers." Players can once again reserve seats in advance, starting Feb. 2, via a $30,000 non-refundable deposit.
If 2016 is any indication, they had better plan on moving quickly.
“Last year’s Super High Roller Bowl sold out in two weeks, well in advance of tournament play," Sean McCormack, director of poker operations for ARIA, said in a press release. "It was an exciting event for the players and fans who stopped by to watch and we anticipate another successful Super High Roller Bowl again this year.”
There are a few changes to the event. For one thing, the total of number of seats is listed at 50 for a $15 million prize pool — the event has zero rake this year after sponsors contributed $300,000 to the pool last year. Also, last year featured 14 reserved seats for non-professionals, while this year will have 14 plus one for a yet-to-be-named "celebrity guest."
Poker Central again looks to be producing the show, though it isn't clear yet where it will be available for viewing, as Poker Central ended its dedicated TV channel near the end of 2016.
Players named in the release as expected to participate include Daniel Negreanu, Antonio Esfandiari, Tom Marchese, Phil Hellmuth and Brian Rast, who won the event for $7.5 million when it had a buy-in of $500,000 in its inaugural 2015 running.
Last year, German player Rainer Kempe defeated countryman and high roller crusher Fedor Holz for $5 million and the Super High Roller Bowl title.
