PokerStars, WPT Announce Joint Event MonteDam Swing
PokerStars and the World Poker Tour announced a new joint promotion, the PokerStars Championship WPT MonteDam Swing, April 14.
This partnership event, the first of its kind in Europe, begins with the PokerStars Championship presented by Monte-Carlo Casino April 25-May 5 and concludes with WPT Amsterdam May 5-13.
“For many years, PokerStars and the World Poker Tour have collaborated behind the scenes to ensure the scheduling of our major events is done in the best interest of the players,” said Adam Pliska, chief executive officer of the World Poker Tour. “We are proud to take the collaboration a step further with the creation of the PokerStars Championship WPT MonteDam Swing.”
Beyond these two events that project a combined €32.5 million in prize pools, players can also earn additional prizes at this joint event.
Extra Prizes
Here are the four qualifying events:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| April 26-30 | €1,100 buy-in PokerStars National Championship Monte Carlo |
| April 29-May 5 | €5,300 buy-in PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo Main Event |
| May 5-8 | €1,500 buy-in WPTDeepStacks Amsterdam |
| May 9-13 | €3,300 buy-in WPT Amsterdam Main Event |
The top five finishers will earn the following prizes:
| Place | Prize | Worth |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PokerStars Championship Barcelona Main Event package | €7,500 |
| 2 | WPT Main Event* package | €6,000 |
| 3 | WPTDeepStacks* package | €3,000 |
| 4 | PokerStars National Championship Barcelona Buy-in + Barcelona hotel voucher | €1,100 + €500 |
| 5 | WPTDeepStacks* Buy-in | €1,500 |
*WPT and WPTDeepStacks prizes only apply to events in Europe
All players who participate in at least one event from each tournament will receive an online ticket for a PokerStars $30,000 freeroll. Likewise, players who participate in the two Main Events will receive $300 for buy-ins at the 2017 PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker.
"the PokerStars Championship WPT MonteDam Swing was developed to benefit players"
“Both PokerStars and the World Poker Tour are committed to growing the game of poker, and the PokerStars Championship WPT MonteDam Swing was developed to benefit players competing at both PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo and WPT Amsterdam,” said Edgar Stuchly, PokerStars director of live events.
The tournaments host over 80 events, with a wide range of buy-ins and formats.
“This exciting partnership allows players a natural transition from one world-class festival to another, and we encourage our players to head to WPT Amsterdam following their time in Monte Carlo,” Stuchly said.
Big Events
Some of the events at these tournaments include the €1,100 buy-in PokerStars National Championship Monte Carlo with a €1 million guarantee, the €5,300 buy-in PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo Main Event, the €1,500 buy-in WPTDeepStacks Amsterdam and the WPT Amsterdam €3,300 Main Event.
- The first features three starting flights with the third held as a turbo reentry flight and a 30,000 chip stack.
- The Main Event in Monte Carlo anticipates a larger crowd than last year, which brought 1,098 entries and a prize pool over €5.3 million. In this event last year, Jan Bendik took home what was then the EPT Grand Final first-place prize of €961,800.
The WPTDeepStacks Amsterdam marks the expansion of the WPT mid-major offering to Europe. The winner will receive a ticket to the last event of WPTDeepStacks Europe and €500 for travel.
This event is the first qualifying event for the 2017 WPTDeepStacks European Player of the Year, which will bestow €15,000 in buy-ins to WPT Main Tour events in Europe and a €5,000 WPTDeepStacks sponsorship package to the winner.
- As the second WPT Main Tour event of Season 16, the WPT €3,300 Main Event will guarantee a $15,000 seat to the WPT Tournament of Champions to the winner.
Photos by Neil Stoddart and Christian Zetzsche
