Newly Launched Gods of Poker Promises Shorter Days, Return to Community Spirit
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A new poker tour that aims to cut out irrelevant blind levels and give players more time for leisure will soon take over the Asian market.
Gods of Poker (GOP), a tournament poker brand founded by veteran tournament director Lloyd Fontillas, might be the most unique and innovative tour the poker community has seen in quite some time. The company has three confirmed stops, starting with the Eden Awakens festival at Landing Casino in Jeju, South Korea from Dec. 5-14.
Poker fans will notice that everything associated with GOP events and marketing materials will be mythology-inspired, including the winner trophies and event names. But this startup isn't just a creative gimmick. Fontillas has some big plans to improve tournament poker.
"If you love good poker, great people, and the feeling that you’re part of something — this is the tour you’ve been waiting for," Fontillas said.
Plans to Improve Tournament Poker
Gods of Poker is supported by regional powerhouses Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Club (CTP), Japan Poker Player Services (JPPS), Hong Kong Poker Players Association (HKPPA), and DK Poker Tour Booking, along with iPoker as its official online partner,
The GOP will introduce to the poker world its Cronus structure, named after the Ruler of the Titans and God of Time. This innovative model intends to restore fairness, pace of play, and depth to tournament play.
How does it work? All GOP events will only permit registration through the first two levels. There are four types of GOP tournaments, all with strict structures that prevent against marathon 14-hour days and players entering with just 10 big blinds.
The three numbers in each format represent the number of big blinds in the opening levels through registration close:
- Main Events, high rollers, and other key events: 120-60-30
- Turbos: 100-50-25
- Titans: 160-80-40
- Kraken Stack: 200-100-50
The purpose of the Cronus structure is to keep it fair game to all those involved, and shorten a player's day by up to four hours. There will be no sessions running until 5 in the morning, leaving traveling poker players with more time to spend exploring the tourism-centric tournament locations while playing poker.
First Three Events
Speaking of those exciting poker destinations, the first Gods of Poker schedule is out. It all starts with the Eden Awakens series at Landing Casino, part of the Jeju Shinhwa World resort, in Jeju, South Korea from Dec. 5-14. Plenty of poker will be played in the inaugural festival, and players will also have opportunities to relax on the beach and play golf.
Next up will be The Titan Assembly from Jan. 8-18, 2026 at the CTP Asia Poker Arena in Taipei, Taiwan. Poker players who attend this festival will compete from within the center of Taiwan's thriving poker scene. All the poker action will take place just steps away from a plethora of delicious restaurants and all the exciting nightlife venues the area has to offer.
The third stop, running March 26-April 5, 2026, will take place at the world-class NagaWorld Integrated Resort in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This venue, along with providing guests with five-star luxury, offers some incredible fine-dining options inside a vibrant entertainment complex. Visiting riverside promenades and centuries-old temples are among the endless attractions worth checking out around town.
There will be plenty of time for players to indulge in non-poker activities at all GOP stops. That includes the Main Events, which feature a mixed structure that will appease traditional tournament grinders and those who want to play shorter days.
“Our goal is simple — to create the most loved and fun-filled event for the world to experience," Ray Chiu, CEO of Gods of Poker, said.
Gods of Poker, following its first three events, has plans for five additional festivals in Taiwan, South Korea, and the Philippines. Those dates and specific destinations will be released before the end of 2025.
