Poker Players Flocking to WPT Cyprus

The World Poker Tour has traveled to numerous luxurious destinations in recent years, so it should come as no surprise that they have once again upped the ante for traveling tournaments by selecting Cyprus as one of their destinations on this year’s tour. Running from September 6-12, 2009, the WPT Merit Cyprus Classic will offer several tournaments including several super satellites to the $10,000 Main Event, several smaller buy-in No Limit tournaments, as well as the televised $10,000 Championship Event.

Recognized as the third largest island in the Mediterranean, Cyprus is a hotspot for vacationers from all over the world making it the perfect location for the first World Poker Tour event in the region. Attracting over 2.4 million tourists each year, this lush island is the favorite getaway of many of the world’s jet-setters, so if poker in paradise is your thing, this may just be the right tournament for you.

Thanks to the tournament series’ tropical local, a number of top pros have already booked their flights and confirmed their participation in the Main Event. Leading the charge is this year’s World Series of Poker Player of the Year Jeffrey Lisandro. Joining him will be several Full Tilt players including Howard Lederer, former MIT blackjack wiz Andy Bloch, the always volatile Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, former Celebrity Poker host Phil Gordon and WSOP bracelet owner Allen Cunningham. Other big names that are confirmed for the Main Event include WSOP Main Event winner Dan Harrington and former WPT winner Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari.

Arguably the largest poker tournament in the regions history, the WPT is set to offer plenty of action for local and visiting players. Held at the luxurious Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, this stop on the "WPT Express" offers a number of $500 events and several two-day tournaments ($1,000, $1,500, and $2,500) that will run while the surviving players in the Main Event battle it out for the WPT title and the sizable first-place prize money. In addition to the scheduled tournaments there are several super satellites for players looking to score a cheap way into the Main Event. In order to tailor to the WPT’s growing list of international players, there will be two Day One flights for the Main Event.

For more info and a complete schedule check out WorldPokerTour.com