WPT World Championship at Wynn to Set Record w/ $40 Million Guarantee
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Last year's World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas easily surpassed its lofty $15 million guaranteed prize pool with $29 million in the pot. This coming December, the same $10,400 buy-in tournament is going to be even bigger — much bigger — with a record $40 million guaranteed.
The historic no-limit hold'em tournament runs Dec. 12-21 as part of a WPT festival that kicks off Nov. 29 on the Las Vegas Strip. On Dec. 21, the final table will be live-streamed, and those six players could be competing for an eight-figure payday.
Outside of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, never before has a $10k tournament had as many entrants as it will take to reach that record-setting guarantee. It may seem like an ambitious goal to hit $40 million in one event, but the inaugural WPT World Championship in 2022 wasn't far off, and this year's edition figures to attract even more players.
2023 WPT World Championship Event Details
As you probably assumed, achieving that huge promised prize pool will take more than just one or two Day 1 sessions, and of course re-entry will be permitted. Players can enter any and all of the four starting flights beginning Dec. 12 with one per day planned.
The structure should be to the liking of both pros and recreational players. Everyone starts with 100,000 chips and plays 60 minute levels on Day 1 with the levels increasing to 90 minutes throughout the remainder of the tournament until heads-up play begins (45 minutes).
Eliot Hudon is the reigning champion, having won $4.1 million for beating out 2,960 entrants, the largest field ever for a non-WSOP $10k. This year's winner will almost certainly take home a significantly higher prize than Hudon's score.
The WPT World Championship series will be competing heavily with the first ever World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise series in the Bahamas, which runs Dec. 3-15. Many players will travel back and forth from the Bahamas to Las Vegas, and also the Czech Republic for the European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague stop, which also takes place in December.
More than Just One Big Event
The WPT World Championship series has a host of juicy tournaments on the schedule. Action begins on Nov. 29 with two events — $600 Limit Omaha/8 ($60,000 guaranteed) and $600 No-Limit Hold'em ($1,000,000 guaranteed).
There are numerous other major tournaments on the schedule, none more anticipated than the $1 million buy-in WPT Big One for One Drop from Dec. 18-19, the first time the seven-figure charity event has been hosted in the US outside of the WSOP.
WPT Bringing Back $1 Million Buy-In Charity Event
On Dec. 4, the $1,600 Mystery Bounty starts, and that one will have a $2,000,000 minimum prize pool. The return of the WPT Prime Championship at Wynn, an $1,100 buy-in no-limit hold'em contest with $5,000,000 guaranteed, kicks off Dec. 7 with the first of four Day 1 starting flights. Stephen Song, who beat out 5,430 entrants for $712,650, is the defending champion.
Back by popular demand is the $1,100 Ladies Championship, a three-day no-limit hold'em tournament with $250,000 guaranteed starting Dec. 6. Last year's same event was one of the biggest female-only poker tournaments in history. Lina Niu beat out a field of 578 entrants for a $105,136 payday.
There's something for just about every type of tournament poker player on the schedule, and many opportunities to win life-changing money.
Full 2023 WPT World Championship Series Schedule
| Dates | Tournament | Buy-In | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 29 | Limit Omaha/8 | $600 | $60,000 |
| Nov. 29-Dec. 4 | No-Limit Hold’em | $600 | $1,000,000 |
| Dec. 3 | No-Limit Hold’em 8-Max | $10,000 | |
| Dec. 4-7 | Mystery Bounty No-Limit Hold’em | $1,600 | $2,000,000 |
| Dec. 4-6 | Seniors Championship (55+) | $1,100 | $500,000 |
| Dec. 4 | No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max | $1,100 | $100,000 |
| Dec. 5 | No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha | $1,100 | $100,000 |
| Dec. 6-8 | Ladies Championship | $1,100 | $250,000 |
| Dec. 7-12 | WPT Prime Championship | $1,100 | $5,000,000 |
| Dec. 8 | 8-Game Mix | $2,200 | $200,000 |
| Dec. 12-21 | WPT World Championship | $10,400 | $40,000,000 |
| Dec. 12-13 | HORSE Championship | $1,100 | $100,000 |
| Dec. 13 | Pot-Limit Omaha | $1,100 | $100,000 |
| Dec. 15 | No-Limit Hold’em Turbo ($500 Bounty) | $1,100 | $100,000 |
| Dec. 16 | No-Limit Hold’em Progressive Bounty (PKO) | $3,000 | $500,000 |
| Dec. 17-18 | Limit Omaha/8 Championship | $1,100 | $100,000 |
| Dec. 17-20 | No-Limit Hold’em | $3,000 | $3,000,000 |
| Dec. 17-18 | No-Limit Hold’em High Roller | $25,700 | |
| Dec. 18-19 | WPT Big One for One Drop | $1,000,000 | |
| Dec. 19-23 | No-Limit Hold’em | $1,600 | $2,000,000 |
| Dec. 19-20 | Seniors High Roller (50+) | $10,000 | $500,000 |
| Dec. 19 | No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max | $3,000 | $500,000 |
| Dec. 20-21 | Dealers Choice Championship | $3,000 | $200,000 |
| Dec. 20-21 | WPT Alpha8 | $50,000 | |
| Dec. 21 | Pot-Limit Omaha | $10,500 | |
| Dec. 22 | No-Limit Hold’em | $1,100 | $200,000 |
| Dec. 23 | No-Limit Hold’em | $1,100 | $100,000 |
In this Series
- 1 Award-Winning WPT World Championship Returning to Wynn in December
- 2 WPT World Championship at Wynn to Set Record w/ $40 Million Guarantee
- 3 Tennessee Home Game Grinder Qualifies Into WPT World Championship
- 4 Iraq War Veteran Qualifies for WPT World Championship on ClubWPT
- 5 Here's How to Qualify for the $40 Million Guaranteed WPT World Championship
- 6 Alaskan Gold Miner Among Latest To Qualify For WPT World Championship
- 7 Premier Meet-Up Game with Phil Ivey Will Kick Off the WPT World Championship at Wynn
- 8 World Poker Tour Reveals Live Streaming Schedule for WPT World Championship
- 9 Women in Poker Initiatives Will Be at the Forefront During WPT World Championship
- 10 Over $55M in Guarantees for WPT World Championship Series at Wynn from Nov. 29-Dec. 23
- 11 Cancer Survivor Qualifies for WPT World Championship In Las Vegas
- 12 "Johnnyhaha" Riesterer Wins Seat Into WPT World Championship In Las Vegas
- 13 ClubWPT Qualifier Luis Gutierrez Ready to Take on WPT World Championship
- 14 PN Pod Special Edition: Phil Ivey & Gus Hansen at 2023 WPT World Championship; Everything You Need to Know
- 15 Phil Ivey & Gus Hansen Drop Down to Low-Stakes Poker (For One Day)
- 16 Mexican Pro Jacobo Montoya Seeking Another Score in WPT World Championship
- 17 Multiple Big Winners Already Crowned at WPT World Championship Festival
- 18 Mike Leah, George Tomescu Among Latest Big Winners in WPT World Championship Festival
- 19 Did Wynn Figure Out the Perfect Bubble Stalling Solution During WPT Prime Championship?
- 20 Alan Keating Bags Big Stack on Day 1a of WPT World Championship
- 21 Lynn Gilmartin Spins Up a Stack on Day 1b of WPT World Championship
- 22 Meet Some of the ClubWPT Qualifiers Playing the WPT World Championship
- 23 $40 Million Guarantee Within Reach as WPT World Championship Approaches Day 1d
- 24 Kristen Foxen Turns a Full House But is Drawing Dead in WPT Ladies Cash Game
- 25 Class of 2023 Reflect on Joining the WPT Champions Club
- 26 "WPT's Long-Term Plan Playing Out" says Pliska After World Championship Overlay
- 27 Class of 2023 Reflect on Joining the WPT Champions Club
- 28 "WPT's Long-Term Plan Playing Out" says Pliska After World Championship Overlay
- 29 Garrett Adelstein Books Another Six-Figure Win in WPT Cash Game
- 30 What Players Should You Expect for the WPT $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop?
- 31 Aces Cracked to Bust the Bubble on Day 2 of WPT World Championship
- 32 Will the WPT World Championship Have a Repeat Winner?
- 33 Defending Champ Eliot Hudon Out; Naj Ajez Leads WPT World Championship
- 34 WATCH: Joe Hachem Folds Kings Near WPT World Championship Bubble
- 35 WPT x Daniel Arsham Celebrity Invitational Features Actor Neil Patrick Harris
- 36 Reality TV Star Princess Love Among 45 Left in WPT World Championship
- 37 Phil Ivey Busts on Day 1 of $1M WPT Big One for One Drop
- 38 Dan Smith Bags Chip Lead w/ 6 Left in WPT Big One for One Drop
- 39 Ben Jacobs Leads WPT World Championship Final 16; Moorman, Lichtenberger & Sepiol Alive
- 40 Mikita Badziakouski Ships $1 Million Buy-In WPT Big One for One Drop ($7.1 Million)
- 41 Daniel Lowery Caps Off Career Year With WPT Seniors Win Just Weeks After His 50th
- 42 PN Podcast: MI Player Kidnapped & Zip-Tied & Dan Sepiol Talks Winning WPT World Championship
- 43 Ren Lin Wins $50k WPT Alpha8 for $1,045,781; Jason Koon Runner-Up
- 44 Dan Sepiol Wins WPT World Championship ($5.3 Million) w/ Brilliant Final Table Performance
- 45 Lucky Chewy Catches Fire to Lead Stacked WPT World Championship Final Table
- 46 2023 WPT World Championship Hands of the Week: WSOP Champ Felted By Hall of Famer
- 47 Gamble, Weng & Coleman Win at WPT World Championship Festival; Leah Claims 2nd Trophy
- 48 Calvin Anderson Wins WPT Prime Championship for $1,386,280
- 49 Actor Neil Patrick Harris Takes Brutal Cooler in WPT Celebrity Poker Tournament
