A$4.5 Million Guaranteed WSOP Circuit Sydney Heads to The Star
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) takes its international circuit festival “Down Under” to Australia from Nov. 27-Dec. 17 for the 15-event WSOP Circuit Sydney festival where $4.5 million worth of guaranteed prize pools are up for grabs.
This latest festival is the third consecutive WSOP Circuit festival to take place at The Star Sydney and everything points to it being another massive one, if previous years are anything to base judgment on.
A$600,000 is guaranteed in the A$500 Opening Event that features four starting flights between Nov. 27-30 before crowning its champion on Dec. 1. Last year’s Opening Event saw 1,357 players take to the felt and create a $610,650 prize pool. Johan Lees emerged victorious that day and turned his A$500 into A$80,250.
"The event is now one of the most anticipated Circuit stops of the year."
The first seven-figure guarantee is reserved for Event #5: A$5,000 Challenge. This high buy-in event has A$1,000,000 guaranteed to be won and is certain to attract some of the best poker players in the Oceania and Asia regions, if not from around the globe. This event proved popular in 2017 when Brendon Rubie topped a field of 229 entries to scoop the A$207,397 first-place prize.
It is the A$2,200 Main Event that is the festival’s crown jewel, however. Featuring four starting flights, the 2018 WSOP Circuit Sydney Main Event boasts of a A$2,100,000 guaranteed prize pool, a figure that should quite easily be hit based on the attendances of the 2016 and 2017 editions.
Joel Dodds triumphed in the 2016 WSOP Circuit Sydney Main Event after outlasting 1,096 opponents to bank a cool A$268,481 while Michael Kanaan is the reigning champion having come out on top of 1,067 entries in 2017 to secure a A$297,241 payout.
2018 WSOP Circuit Sydney Schedule
All monetary amounts are Australian Dollars unless otherwise stated
| Date | Time | Event | Buy-in | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 27 Nov | 6:15 p.m. | Event #1: $500 Opening Event Day 1A | $500 | $600,000 |
| Wed 28 Nov | 6:15 p.m. | Event #1: $500 Opening Event Day 1B | $500 | $600,000 |
| Thu 29 Nov | 12:30 p.m. | Event #1: $500 Opening Event Day 1C | $500 | $600,000 |
| Fri 30 Nov | 12:30 p.m. | Event #1: $500 Opening Event Day 1D | $500 | $600,000 |
| Sat 1 Dec | 12:30 p.m. | Event #1: $500 Opening Event Day 2 | ||
| Sun 2 Dec | 2:00 p.m. | Event #2: $500 Ladies Event | $400 | |
| 4:00 p.m. | Event #1: Opening Event Final Day | |||
| Mon 3 Dec | 6:15 p.m. | Event #3: $550 Turbo | $550 | |
| Tue 4 Dec | 12:30 p.m. | Event #4: $550 Master Tournament (Age 50+) | $550 | |
| Wed 5 Dec | 2:15 p.m. | Event #5: $5,000 Challenge Day 1 | $5,000 | $1,000,000 |
| 5:15 p.m. | Event #4: $550 Masters Tournament (Age 50+) Final Day | |||
| Thu 6 Dec | 2:15 p.m. | Event #5: $5,000 Challenge Final Day | ||
| 6:15 p.m. | Event #6: $1,800 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed | $1,800 | ||
| Fri 7 Dec | 12:30 p.m. | Event #7: $2,200 Main Event Flight A | $2,200 | $2,100,000 |
| Sat 8 Dec | 12:30 p.m. | Event #7: $2,200 Main Event Flight B | $2,200 | $2,100,000 |
| Sun 9 Dec | 12:30 p.m. | Event #8: $1,320 6-Max Day 1 | $1,320 | $400,000 |
| Mon 10 Dec | 4:00 p.m. | Event #8: $1,320 6-Max Final Day | ||
| 6:15 p.m. | Event #9: $550 Mixed NLHE/PLO | $550 | ||
| Tue 11 Dec | 6:15 p.m. | Event #10: $500 Teams | $500 | |
| Wed 12 Dec | 2:15 p.m. | Event #11 $20,000 High Roller Day 1 | $20,000 | |
| Thu 13 Dec | 12:30 p.m. | Event #7: $2,200 Main Event Flight C | $2,200 | $2,100,000 |
| 2:15 p.m. | Event #11: $20,000 High Roller Final Day | |||
| Fri 14 Dec | 12:30 p.m. | Event #7: $2,200 Main Event Flight D | $2,200 | $2,100,000 |
| 8:15 p.m. | Event #12: $550 Pot-Limit Omaha | $550 | ||
| Sat 15 Dec | 12:30 p.m. | Event #7: $2,200 Main Event Day 2 | ||
| Sat 15 Dec | 2:15 p.m. | Event #13: $880 Short Deck No-Limit Hold’em | $880 | |
| Sun 16 Dec | 12:30 p.m. | Event #7: $2,200 Main Event Day 3 | ||
| 12:30 p.m. | Event #14: $1,150 Monster Stack | $1,150 | $400,000 | |
| Mon 17 Dec | 12:30 p.m. | Event #7: $2,200 Main Event Final Day | ||
| 12:30 p.m. | Event #14: $1,150 Monster Stack Final Day | |||
| 2:15 p.m. | Event #15: $660 Bounty | $660 |
Gregory Chochon, WSOP Director, says the WSOP Circuit Sydney festival is one of the must-play events on the live poker calendar. “We were hopeful WSOP Sydney would be one of the largest International Circuit stops, and The Star’s team has done a tremendous job in the promotion and operations of the event. All the players we have discussed the event with have really enjoyed the experience. The event is now one of the most anticipated Circuit stops of the year.”
Follow Our Live Updates from WSOP Circuit Sydney
PokerNews’ live reporting team will be on the ground providing coverage of seven of the scheduled events. Tune into our pages for the following events where you can live the action through our elite reporters’ eyes:
- Event #1: A$500 Opening Event
- Event #5: A$5,000 Challenge
- Event #7: A$2,200 Main Event
- Event #8: A$1,320 6-Max
- Event #11: A$20,000 High Roller
- Event #13: A$880 Short Deck No-Limit Hold’em
- Event #14: A$1,150 Monster Stack
