APAT World Championship Commences April 8
While professional poker players around the globe plan their schedules for the upcoming 2017 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, hundreds of budding poker players are making the trip to Manchester, United Kingdom, for the Amateur Poker Association & Tour World Championship of Amateur Poker.
The WCOAP is the crown jewel of each APAT season, and when you look at the schedule, it's easy to see why. Think of the WCOAP as amateur poker’s WSOP. Each championship event awards the eventual winner a custom-made bracelet in addition to a significant cash prize.
2017 World Championship Of Amateur Poker (WCOAP) Schedule
| Date | Time | Event | Buy-in | Stack | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 8 | 12 p.m. | 8-Game Players Championship Day 1 | £110 | 50,000 | 56 |
| 1 p.m. | Irish Championship | £56 | 10,000 | 54 | |
| 5 p.m. | 6-Max Championship Day 1 | £60 | 10,000 | 84 | |
| April 9 | 12 p.m. | WCOAP Main Event Day 1a | £110 | 20,000 | 150 |
| 1 p.m. | 8-Game Players Championship Day 2 | ||||
| 2 p.m. | 6-Max Championship Day 2 | ||||
| 6 p.m. | NLHE Turbo Championship | £56 | 10,000 | 80 | |
| April 12 | 12 p.m. | Shootout Championship | £56 | 8,000 | 100 |
| 2 p.m. | H.O.R.S.E. Championship | £56 | 8,000 | 56 | |
| 6 p.m. | Antes Only Championship | £56 | 10,000 | 70 | |
| April 13 | 12 p.m. | Team Championship Day 1 | £110 | Variable | N/A |
| 1 p.m. | Mixed (ROE NLHE/PLO) Championship | £56 | 10,000 | 56 | |
| 5 p.m. | High Roller Championship Day 1 | £220 | 25,000 | 70 | |
| April 14 | 12 p.m. | WCOAP Main Event Day 1b | £110 | 20,000 | 150 |
| 1 p.m. | Team Championship Day 2 | ||||
| 2 p.m. | Mix Max Championship | £56 | 15,000 | 72 | |
| 5 p.m. | High Roller Championship Day 2 | ||||
| April 15 | 12 p.m. | WCOAP Main Event Day 1c | £110 | 20,000 | 150 |
| 4 p.m. | Pot Limit Omaha Championship Day 1 | £60 | 20,000 | 96 | |
| 6 p.m. | Open Face Chinese Championship | £56 | 10,000 | 72 | |
| April 16 | 12 p.m. | Pot Limit Omaha Championship Day 2 | |||
| 1 p.m. | Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Championship | £56 | 20,000 | 80 | |
| 2 p.m. | WCOAP Main Event Day 2 | ||||
| 6 p.m. | Cash Game Champinship | £66 | £60 | 60 | |
| April 17 | 12 p.m. | Heads Up Championship | £56 | 5,000 | 64 |
| 2 p.m. | WCOAP Main Event Final Day | ||||
| 3 p.m. | Crazy Pineapple Championship | £56 | 10,000 | 72 |
Grosvenor Casino on Bury New Road in Manchester is the chosen venue for the 2017 WCOAP and will host 18 bracelet-awarding events between April 8 and April 17. Buy-ins for these events range from £56 up to £220 with the latter reserved for the two-day High Roller event on April 13.
WCOAP offers a wide variety of poker variants, including 8-Game, Irish, 6-Max, turbo structures, H.O.R.S.E, Antes-Only, a shootout event, a team tournament, Mix Max, pot-limit Omaha, Omaha hi/lo, crazy pineapple, a heads-up tournament, Open-Face Chinese, a cash game tournament and the tournament that every APAT member wants to win: the WCOAP Main Event.
When the WCOAP Main Event ran in March 2016, a field of 393 descended on Aspers Casino in Stratford, London to create a £39,300 prize pool. The top 45 finishers were paid at least £220, each of the nine finalists won at least £825 and the champion banked £8,300.
Andrew Dobson was victorious in 2016, defeating Kaveh Kiavand heads up for the title.
2016 WCOAP Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Dobson | £8,300 |
| 2 | Kaveh Kiavand | £5,770 |
| 3 | Mark Vasconcelos | £3,710 |
| 4 | Joel Holmberg | £2,750 |
| 5 | Matt Carter | £2,060 |
| 6 | Lisa Greer | £1,650 |
| 7 | Paul Rice | £1,375 |
| 8 | Balazs Roka | £1,100 |
| 9 | Frederic Gautrin | £825 |
This year’s WCOAP Main Event champion not only wins the first place prize but also a gold bracelet worth £3,000 and an expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas to play at the 2017 WSOP.
