partypoker Grand Prix Million to Return in December
What would you do if you had run a poker event that missed its guarantee by more than $270,000? Would you try to sweep it under the carpet and try to forget it ever happened? Or would you do what Dusk Till Dawn boss Rob Yong has done and immediately announce that the partypoker Grand Prix Million will return at the end of 2015 and again feature a $1 million prize pool?
The next partypoker Grand Prix million will take place between December 14-20 and costs the same low $100+$20 to enter, meaning Yong and company need 10,000 entries to hit the ambitious $1 million guarantee.
“No. We have not gone mad," writes Yong in his blog. "We can do this second time round. There were different reasons why we missed, many identified already from players’ feedback.
“Everyone involved has contributed their blood, sweat and tears, so delivering improvements in the format and execution second time around is an opportunity to strike this 10,000 target off everyone's bucket list.
“In terms of the $275,000 added to the prize pool - putting money back into our customers’ pockets is always the best form of marketing. Thank you for all the support.”
I was at DTD over the weekend and as soon as the final late registration closed, Yong was already conducting a post-mortem of the events, chatting with players, staff, and his team and already making noises about making a run for another 10,000-player field.
Yong says he’s not gone mad, but has he? Can he attract 10,000 players to the next Grand Prix Million? Honestly, I think he can. This event still saw more than 7,000 entries despite the event only being announced in mid-February. The follow-up will have a solid six months of anticipation, and that could make all the difference.
Furthermore, the regulars at DTD are still getting used to the relatively new partnership between their club and partypoker. Don’t underestimate the loyal following that Yong and his team have. Perhaps some were put off playing because they saw this as a partypoker event and not a DTD event. Maybe some players weren’t comfortable with the online buy-in element or they found the format confusing.
Whatever the case, Yong and everyone connected with the partypoker Grand Prix Million will be working around the clock to ensure that this next event not only hits the $1 million guarantee but smashes it.
Before then, the DTD is hosting a new The Deepstack series which opens its doors this weekend. Costing just $500+$50 to enter (the High Roller costs $1,500+$150), each of the four deep-stacked events carry a lofty guarantee, and you can win your way to them via ticket tournaments in the partypoker lobby.
If you don’t have a partypoker account, download partypoker via PokerNews and when you make your first deposit it will be matched 100% up to £250 in the form of a bonus.
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