The much-anticipated WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas kicks off Thursday, December 1, perhaps forever changing the landscape of live tournament poker. This massive festival-like event will contain 20 days of poker tournaments, including a marquee event with an unprecedented $15 million guaranteed prize pool.
Poker professionals, amateurs, and fans have been buzzing about this groundbreaking event since the World Poker Tour and Wynn Las Vegas first revealed its inception via a joint early-summer press release. The multi-year partnership between WPT and Wynn — two of the biggest power players in the poker industry — could help return the sport to the level of popularity it had reached in the early 2000s.
The largest guarantee in live poker history.
— World Poker Tour (@WPT) June 6, 2022
This December.
The WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/ZFrdQOKvfV
“This is one of the most ambitious initiatives the World Poker Tour® has undertaken in our 20-year history,” said Adam Pliska, CEO of World Poker Tour.
Let's dive in to see more details, including the full tournament schedule and televised viewing options.
WPT World Championship: Event schedule
| DATE | EVENT | BUY-IN($) | START TIME | LEVELS | CHIPS | GUARANTEE |
| 12.1 | No Limit Holdem Day 1A | $600 | 11:00 | 30/40 | 25,000 | $500,000 |
| 12.1 | No Limit Holdem Day 1B | $600 | 17:00 | 30/40 | 25,000 | $500,000 |
| 12.2 | No Limit Holdem Day 1C | $600 | 11:00 | 30/40 | 25,000 | $500,000 |
| 12.2 | No Limit Holdem Day 1D | $600 | 17:00 | 30/40 | 25,000 | $500,000 |
| 12.3 | No Limit Holdem Day 1E | $600 | 11:00 | 30/40 | 25,000 | $500,000 |
| 12.3 | No Limit Holdem Day 1F | $600 | 17:00 | 30/40 | 25,000 | $500,000 |
| 12.4 | No Limit Holdem | $600 | 14:00 | 30/40 | 25,000 | $50,000 |
| 12.5 | H.O.R.S.E. | $600 | 11:00 | 30 | 25,000 | $50,000 |
| 12.5 | No Limit Holdem Day 1A | $600 | 12:00 | 40 | 25,000 | $200,000 |
| 12.6 | Limit Omaha 8/B | $600 | 11:00 | 30 | 25,000 | $50,000 |
| 12.6 | No Limit Holdem Day 1B | $600 | 12:00 | 40 | 25,000 | $200,000 |
| 12.7 | Seniors Championship (50+, 2 Day) | $1,100 | 11:00 | 40 | 30,000 | $200,000 |
| 12.7 | 5 Card PLO | $600 | 13:00 | 30 | 25,000 | $50,000 |
| 12.7 | Milestone Satellite to $1,100 WPT Prime Championship | $200 | 17:00 | 20 | 20,000 | 10 Seats |
| 12.8 | Milestone Satellite to $1,100 WPT Prime Championship | $200 | 11:00 | 20 | 20,000 | 20 Seats |
| 12.8 | WPT Prime Championship Day 1A | $1,100 | 12:00 | 40/60 | 30,000 | $2,000,000 |
| 12.8 | 8-Game Mix (2 Day) | $3,000 | 13:00 | 40 | 30,000 | $200,000 |
| 12.8 | Milestone Satellite to $1,100 WPT Prime Championship | $200 | 17:00 | 20 | 20,000 | 20 Seats |
| 12.9 | WPT Prime Championship Day 1B | $1,100 | 12:00 | 40/60 | 30,000 | $2,000,000 |
| 12.9 | PLO Turbo | $600 | 17:00 | 20 | 25,000 | $50,000 |
| 12.9 | Milestone Satellite to $1,100 WPT Prime Championship | $200 | 17:00 | 20 | 20,000 | 20 Seats |
| 12.10 | WPT Prime Championship Day 1C | $1,100 | 12:00 | 40/60 | 30,000 | $2,000,000 |
| 12.10 | NLH $1k Bounty Turbo | $600 | 17:00 | 20 | 25,000 | $50,000 |
| 12.10 | Milestone Satellite to $10,400 WPT World Championship | $1,100 | 19:00 | 30 | 20,000 | 10 Seats |
| 12.11 | Milestone Satellite to $10,400 WPT World Championship | $1,100 | 12:00 | 30 | 20,000 | 50 Seats |
| 12.11 | NLH High Roller (2 Day) | $25,700 | 13:00 | 40/60 | 200,000 | N/A |
| 12.11 | Milestone Satellite to $10,400 WPT World Championship | $1,100 | 17:00 | 30 | 20,000 | 10 Seats |
| 12.12 | WPT World Championship Day 1A | $10,400 | 11:00 | 60/90 | 100,000 | $15,000,000 |
| 12.12 | Milestone Satellite to $10,400 WPT World Championship | $1,100 | 12:00 | 30 | 20,000 | 10 Seats |
| 12.12 | H.O.R.S.E. Championship (2 Day) | $1,100 | 13:00 | 40 | 30,000 | $100,000 |
| 12.12 | Milestone Satellite to $10,400 WPT World Championship | $1,100 | 17:00 | 30 | 20,000 | 10 Seats |
| 12.13 | WPT World Championship Day 1B | $10,400 | 11:00 | 60/90 | 100,000 | $15,000,000 |
| 12.13 | Limit Omaha 8/B Championship (2 Day) | $1,100 | 13:00 | 40 | 30,000 | $100,000 |
| 12.14 | WPT World Championship Day 1C | $10,400 | 11:00 | 60/90 | 100,000 | $15,000,000 |
| 12.14 | Milestone Satellite to $3,000 NLH 6-Max | $400 | 17:00 | 30 | 20,000 | 10 Seats |
| 12.14 | No Limit Holdem Bounty Turbo | $1,600 | 19:00 | 20 | 30,000 | $100,000 |
| 12.15 | Milestone Satellite to $1,100 WPT Ladies Championship | $200 | 11:00 | 20 | 20,000 | 10 Seats |
| 12.15 | No Limit Holdem (2 Day) | $3,000 | 14:00 | 40 | 30,000 | $500,000 |
| 12.15 | Milestone Satellite to $1,100 WPT Ladies Championship | $200 | 17:00 | 20 | 20,000 | 10 Seats |
| 12.16 | Mystery Bounty Day 1A | $1,600 | 12:00 | 40 | 30,000 | $2,000,000 |
| 12.16 | WPT Ladies Championship | $1,100 | 13:00 | 40/60 | 30,000 | $200,000 |
| 12.16 | NLH 6-Max | $3,000 | 13:00 | 30 | 30,000 | $250,000 |
| 12.17 | Mystery Bounty Day 1B | $1,600 | 12:00 | 40 | 30,000 | $2,000,000 |
| 12.17 | NLH Progressive Bounty | $5,200 | 13:00 | 30 | 30,000 | $250,000 |
| 12.17 | Milestone Satellite to $1,600 Mystery Bounty | $300 | 17:00 | 30 | 20,000 | 20 Seats |
| 12.18 | Mystery Bounty Day 1C | $1,600 | 12:00 | 40 | 30,000 | $2,000,000 |
| 12.18 | NLH High Roller | $10,500 | 13:00 | 40 | 100,000 | N/A |
| 12.19 | No Limit Holdem | $1,100 | 13:00 | 30 | 25,000 | $200,000 |
| 12.19 | Tag Team Bomb Pot - Double Barrel | $600 | 17:00 | 30 | 40,000 | $50,000 |
WPT World Championship: Full details
As you can see, WPT and Wynn gave us plenty to unpack across this poker-festive first 20 days of December. The obvious highlight: the $10,400 buy-in WPT World Championship marquee event on Wednesday, December 14 — which will feature a $15 million prize pool guarantee, the largest-ever in live poker tournament history. The final table for this landmark event will be televised live on Tuesday, December 20 at 4:00 p.m.
That event will certainly be the most talked about, but dozens of other noteworthy poker events will also take place during this 20-day stretch. The $1,100 Prime Championship will feature a $2 million guaranteed prize pool, and will span six days and conclude with a televised final table on Monday, December 19 at 4:00 p.m. The $1,600 buy-in Mystery Bounty will also feature a $2 million prize pool, and will take place between December 16 and December 19.
Countless milestone and satellite tournaments precede these events to allow players with lower bankrolls the opportunity to join the heavy hitters. That's after the hundreds and hundreds of online and in-person satellites throughout the past six months. When we spoke with Ryan Beauregard, the Executive Director of Poker Operations at Wynn Las Vegas, he explained how WPT and Wynn wanted this event to include the best poker players from all over the world, both professional and amateur.
“In our eyes, this is really going to be a tournament that’s not just for the stereotypical professionals,” Beauregard explained to us. “While they will certainly attend, this is a tournament that’s also for casual amateurs and recreational players due to the global satellite program. Hopefully we get the word out enough and it’s a can’t miss for everyone who loves the game.”
In addition to the many satellites, the WPT World Championship will include a plethora of affordable buy-ins for players of all expertise levels and bankrolls. The festival kicks off with a $600 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event with a $500,000 guarantee. Buy-ins range from as low as $200 to over $25,000. As our friends at PokerGO point out, "there is more than $22,000,000 in total guaranteed prize money across the series, independent of the more than 200 seats guaranteed to various tournaments in the robust satellite offering."
Another scheduled event generating plenty of conversation, the $1,600 buy-in WPT Ladies Championship will be played on Friday, December 16 and feature a $200,000 guarantee. They also have a H.O.R.S.E. championship, an Omaha 8 or Better championship, and other poker variants listed on the docket. They even have a 'tag team' event that will serve as the festival's wrap party: a $600 buy-in entitled 'Tag Team Bomb Pot - Double Barrel.'
The WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas series will also determine the WPT Season XX Player of the Year, with the winner taking home a $15,000 WPT Passport.
The events will operate out of Wynn’s Encore Ballroom, and feature approximately 120 tables. Beauregard expects the televised events, including the final tables, to draw the largest crowds. And growth could be immediate with a festival of this magnitude.
“In 10 years, I hope we have moved to a bigger space," he explained. "Of course, that could happen in two years!”
For more information on the festival, visit WPT.com. To make hotel accommodations, visit WynnLasVegas.com.