If you want to watch some of the world’s best poker players – or even take them on – the World Poker Tour is making a stop in Maryland.
On Wednesday the international poker league released its 2021 tournament schedule.
WPT Season XIX features an array of host sites, ranging from Florida to Las Vegas to Oklahoma, as live poker continues its return.
But local card sharps are sure to circle some specific dates on their calendar. After all, the WPT Maryland at Live! Casino tour stop lands in Hanover from Sept. 15-28.
Live! Casino & Hotel, the largest of six Maryland online casinos, plays host to the two-week poker bonanza.
What to expect with World Poker Tour in Maryland
Although the iconic poker brand has a few tournament formats, its most recognizable is the WPT Main Tour. The prize pools for these multi-day tournaments can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions.
If you win a WPT Main Tour event, you join the World Poker Tour Champions Club. Your name will be placed on the Mike Sexton Champions Cup with poker elite. The list includes some of the most prominent rounders in poker history, including Daniel Negreanu, Erik Seidel, and Phil Ivey.
Think you got what it takes to claim your own WPT trophy?
The WPT Maryland tour stop is the opportunity to put your Texas hold’em skills to the test. The main event takes place Sept. 24-28, and the buy-in is $3,500. That includes a $3,200 entry fee and $300 toward associated fees and costs, including dealer/staff gratuities.
MD resident Nitis Udornpim is the reigning World Poker Tour Maryland champion. He beat out 494 other competitors for a $319,415 payday in 2019.
If the main event is a little rich for your blood, WPT MD also has “festival dates” that precede the main event. They begin Sept. 15 and include smaller-buy-in tournaments, satellite tourneys, social events, and other happenings. It’s a great way to rub elbows with poker dignitaries and test your skills at the tables.
Officials will firm up those details as the World Poker Tour Maryland event gets closer.
WPT welcomes live poker in 2021
WPT Season 18 took place during the pandemic and proved to be a bit of a logistical nightmare. Many events were altered or outright canceled because of:
- COVID-19 lockdowns and closures
- Social-distancing measures
- Casino closings
- Limited travel schedules
The WPT shifted much of the action to online during the pandemic. However, poker players are ready to trade in the virtual felt and chips for the real stuff.
As WPT CEO Adam Pliska stated:
“As we emerge from restrictions throughout North America we have bolstered the momentum from last season’s historic numbers and are eager to meet the great demand for WPT events leading up to our twenty-year anniversary in 2022.”
The current 2021 WPT poker tournament schedule includes:
- June 18-22: WPT Seminole Hard Rock Tampa in Hollywood, FL ($3,500 buy-in)
- July 2-7: WPT Venetian in Las Vegas, NV ($5,000)
- July 23-27: WPT Choctaw in Durant, OK ($3,700)
- Aug. 27-31: WPT bestbet Scramble in Jacksonville, FL ($5,000)
- Sept. 24-28: WPT Maryland at Live! Casino in Hanover, MD ($3,500)
- Nov. 26-30: WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open in Hollywood, FL ($3,500)
- Dec. 15-19: WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas, NV ($10,400)
