Poker is a game common to all casinos in the world (both physical and online) and its popularity has grown a lot in recent years. This is due to the development of new technologies that allow playing online and the transmission of the main poker events everywhere. Discover the 5 most popular poker tournaments in the world and find out why they are so popular.
World Series Of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a series of events that culminate in one of the most important poker tournaments in the world, where its winner is considered the world champion. This tournament started to be held in 1970, in the city of Las Vegas, when Benny Binion invited 7 of the best players of the time to a tournament at the Horseshoe Casino. At that time, the winner was determined by a secret ballot and there was no monetary prize. In the following years, the tournament underwent slight changes and from 2004 onwards it began to play against thousands of participants from all over.
The biggest prize ever was awarded in 2006 to the Californian Jamie Gold who took home a total of 9,429 million euros/24,971 million reais. From that year onwards, the final prize for the winner varies according to the number of participants in the tournament.
Players can enter this tournament by paying the entry fee (8 thousand euros/21.19 thousand reais), by winning online tournaments and/or secondary tournaments.
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a set of poker tournaments that was created in 2002 in the United States of America (USA) by television producer Steven Lipscomb. The tournament is divided into several journeys, each of which is performed by different countries until reaching the final journey, where the winner is considered the champion of the tour at that time. Each season lasts an average of one year, with the first journey starting in May and may last until May of the following year.
Prize money varies depending on the tournament, as they depend on the entry fee (which varies from matchday to matchday) and the number of participants. The last journey is the most advantageous in monetary terms, as the down payment is in the amount of 19,643 thousand euros/52,022 thousand reais. The last winner of the tournament took home a total value of 939 thousand euros ($1 million 196,000).
European Poker Tour
The European Poker Tour is a set of poker tournaments that was created in 2004 by John Duthie. The tournament is divided into several rounds across Europe and lasts an average of one year. The season can start in August or September and end in March or April of the following year, with the last journey taking place in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Due to the growing popularity of the tournament, it was necessary to make a journey outside Europe, more precisely in the Bahamas, American Continent. Tournament cash prizes vary from round to round as does the entry fee. The last win came from Monte Carlo, with an amount of 1,350 million euros/3,575 million reais.
Asia Pacific Poker Tour
The Asia Pacific Poker Tour was created in 2007 by Jeffrey Haas and was the first set of tournaments to be held in Asia and Australia. The final round of this tournament always takes place at the City Casino in Sydney, Australia. Prize money in the first two seasons was fixed and the winner took home a total of €509k/R$1,348 million. However, these days, prizes vary depending on the entry fee and the number of participants. The last winner of the tournament won a total of 372,000 euros / 985,000 reais.
Latin American Poker Tour
The Latin American Poker Tour is a set of poker tournaments that was created in 2008 and is sponsored by Poker stars. This competition takes place in South American countries and is divided into several days, with no fixed locations for the events. As well as the locations, entry payments and prizes also vary, where the highest entry payment was in the amount of 3,928 thousand euros/10,403 thousand reais and took place in Mar del Plata, Argentina and in São Paulo, Brazil. The biggest prize ever that this tournament offered was 299 thousand euros/792 thousand reais to German Dominik Nitsche.