Record-Breaking WPT Prime Tour Awarded $20 Million Around the Globe in 2023
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Another big year is on the horizon for the World Poker Tour (WPT) Prime Tour after a stellar 2023 with 14 events in 12 countries.
The premier mid-major tour tallied a total of $22,734,998 in prize pools in 2023 from 22,290 entries across the many events worldwide. Eight new events got in on the action and it was all capped off by the WPT Prime Championship at the Wynn in December.
The flagship event in Las Vegas drew 10,512 entries for a prize pool of $10,196,640. Ultimately, Calvin Anderson beat the all-time largest field in WPT history for the top prize of $1,386,280. Anderson topped a field that nearly doubled the turnout from the previous year and obliterated the $5 million guarantee.
Read more about Calvin Anderson's victory in the WPT Prime Championship
The seven new stops in 2023 included Paris, Amsterdam, India, Slovakia, Sanremo, Aix-en-Provence, and Liechtenstein — with an additional event held for the first time on WPT Global.
Records Smashed
Several other records fell besides the largest-ever turnout for a WPT event, with the largest WPT event ever held in Paris starting the 2023 season with 1,071 entrants and a prize pool of over $1,000,000. WPT Prime Gold Coast turned out 1,224 entries a short time later and WPT Prime Taiwan followed with 1,359. Finally, in Liechtenstein, a WPT record was set for the largest event in Europe with 1,644 entries.
Of the 14 events in 2023, eight drew over 1,000 entries.
What’s Next for the WPT?
The WPT Prime Tour will return on February 1 in Aix-en-Provence with three opening flights to its €1,100 Championship Event. The rest of the first half schedule includes stops in Amsterdam, Slovakia, the Gold Coast, Sanremo, and the WPT Voyage cruise. More stops are expected to be announced in the coming months.
2023 WPT Prime Winners
| Event | Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPT Prime Paris | €1,100 | 1,071 | €1,028,160 | Fabrice Bigot | €177,240 |
| WPT Prime Gold Coast | A$2,000 | 1,224 | A$2,206,639 | Sheng Ye | A$374,953 |
| WPT Prime Cambodia | $1,100 | 1,011 | $970,270 | Kono Reiji | $121,331 |
| WPT Prime Amsterdam | €1,100 | 1,000 | €959,618 | Philip Hollederer | €161,552 |
| WPT Prime India | ₹65,000 | 857 | ₹50,648,700 | Prasit Chowdhury | ₹8,600,000 |
| WPT Prime Slovakia | €1,100 | 552 | €529,920 | Mate Sandor | €109,660 |
| WPT Prime Vietnam | ₫25,000,000 | 1,151 | ₫25,099,729,000 | Duy Thuc Nguyen | ₫4,173,000,000 |
| WPT Prime Sanremo | €1,100 | 838 | €804,480 | Simone Andrian | €147,020 |
| WPT Prime Aix-en-Provence | €1,100 | 457 | €438,720 | Samy Boujmala | €83,180 |
| WPT Prime Taiwan | NT$33,000 | 1,359 | NT$39,546,900 | Seonguk Huh | NT$6,652,200 |
| WPT Prime Liechtenstein | SFr 1,100 | 1,644 | SFr 1,644,000 | David Kozma | SFR 224,953 |
| WPT Prime Madrid | €1,100 | 396 | €366,758 | Oscar Gironella | €67,461 |
| WPT Prime World Championship | $1,100 | 10,512 | $10,196,640 | Calvin Anderson | $1,388,280 |
ClubWPT to Award Weekly WPT Passports on Super SATurdays
ClubWPT has kicked off a new membership level called Super SATurdays and it will allow players to win their way into exciting live WPT events.
Super SATurdays will give players the chance to play in a freeroll satellite that awards multiple WPT Passports. Current passports include a live event buy-in, hotel accommodations, a cash stipend for travel, and the usual VIP treatment from WPT.
ClubWPT memberships start with the basic free package, with VIP membership available for $29.75 per month and Diamond for $149.95. You can attach the Super SATurday add-on to any membership level for $100 per month.
The Super SATurdays kicked off on January 13 and the top prize was a $6,000 WPT Voyage Passport, along with $2,500 WPT Prime Championship Passports for everyone that finished in second through fifth place. The next event is on January 27 and there will be a $12,500 WPT World Championship Passport for the winner.
For more information, including schedules, rules, and location eligibility, visit ClubWPT.com
Meet the ClubWPT qualifiers from the 2023 WPT World Championship
*Images courtesy of WPT.
Las Vegas-based PokerNews Live Reporting Executive, originally from Chicago, IL
