One of the most lucrative and competitive industries in the world is poker and gambling championships, which host tournaments and events around the world. Professional gamblers are able to prove their skills and supremacy among their peers.
These events take the shape of both amateur and professional competitions with significant prize pools. Ultimately, these events draw a huge gathering of active participants and online or in-person spectators from all parts of the world. For example, one of the most popular poker events on the planet, the World Championship of Online Poker, recorded over 1 428 000 entries in 2021 alone.
Ranging from offline slot tournaments to online satellite poker championships, there are a rich plethora of casino events waiting to be attended or watched live. Check the list of high-rated events below to find out about some of the most popular casino championships held annually all around the globe.
World Series of Poker (WSOP)
World Series of Poker or WSOP is regarded as the number one poker tournament on the planet. The Las Vegas WSOP held in 1970 was the pioneer poker tournament. The event was first hosted by Benny Binion in the Horseshoe Casino. Only seven players attended and Johnny Moss won the title for the first “World Champion of Poker”. Fast-forward to the present day, the WSOP now hosts over one hundred satellite events, most of which are a variety of the Texas Hold’em game.
The main event is the No-Limit Hold’em event with an entrance fee of $10 000. Thousands of passionate players from all parts of the world join in, eager to grab the top prize worth several million dollars, a WSOP bracelet, and the prestigious World Champion title.
Here are some of their most noteworthy wins:
- in 2019, Iranian-born Hossein Ensan won the WSOP Main Event and took home a whopping $10 000 000;
- in 2006, American Jamie Gold won the 2006 WSOP Main Event and grabbed $12 000 000. He became rich and famous overnight and turned into one of the most talked-about names in the industry;
- Peter Eastgate is a Danish poker player, who won the WSOP Main Event in 2008, becoming the youngest player to win the Main Event;
- Canadian Jonathan Duhamel collected $8 944 310 in 2010 and outlasted no less than 7 319 other players during the WSOP Main Event.
The Baloot Championship
Saudi Arabia organizes the highly successful yearly Baloot Championship in Riyadh with thousands of attendees. It invites both individual players and entire teams to attend the event and prove their skills at this ancient skill card game that resembles the French Belote. The competition enjoys a great deal of popularity in Saudi Arabia as it encourages friendliness and lobbies for a united Arab world. The event also aims to expand the culture of the game among Arab countries. It is attended by around 2 000 participants on a yearly basis. First-place winners receive a prize worth one million Saudi riyals, or the equivalent of $266 000.
Slot machine tournaments in Vegas
Las Vegas is home to some of the biggest slot machine tournaments on the planet. Each year, more slot tournaments are held there, than in any other city worldwide. The events feature a satisfying variety of buy-ins ranging from free comped tourneys to events with $100 000 buy-in fees. The prize pools can easily go over $1 000 000. Many of these competitions are invitation-only types of events. Bellagio, Caesars Palace, and the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino are just a few of the most popular sites where these events are held.
The World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP)
The first championship took place in 2002 with 238 players. Ever since, the WCOOP has been organized on a yearly basis, in September.
In 2021, the easily accessible event that resembles the offline WSOP recorded over 1 428 000 entries. It hosted 306 tournaments over a period of three weeks. A wide array of poker games is played during the championship with buy-ins running as low as $10. The main WCOOP event is the No Limit Hold’em. In 2021, the prize pool reached $10 million. The event was won by a player with the username Russian CrazyLissy who grabbed close to $1.5 million.
World and European Poker Tours
The first World Poker Tour (WPT) was held in 2002. The event is televised and played by international players, even though the majority of its events are held in the US. The championship also hosts a series of online events held on the partypoker platform. In 2021, the WPT was held at the Bellagio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The buy-in fee was set at $10 400. This year’s event will be held in Choctaw Casino & Resort, May 13 – 16, and has a $2 million guarantee to the winner.
In 2004, John Duthie won the first Poker Million, a former European Poker Tournament, that is no longer organized today. Duthie decided to start the European Poker Tour (EPT) the same year. Seven years later, the event was taken over by PokerStars. The EPT organizes tournaments in London, Barcelona, Prague, Monte Carlo, and Sochi.
The Bahamas also hosted its own PokerStars Caribbean Adventure tournament between 2008 and 2019. The event was canceled in 2020, in spite of its popularity and exquisite location.
These are a few of the most popular casino tournaments in the gambling world today. Many other smaller events are held all over the world, both online and offline. Keep an eye on their schedules and keep practicing your skills online for a chance to enter into these competitions.
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