Japan Open Poker Tour: Overview of Premier Tournaments

While competing for monetary prizes in Japan is still illegal as of January 2025, the poker action in the country is thriving. One of the most popular competitions with multiple stops in different cities every year is the Japan Open Poker Tour (JOPT). It was held as early as April 2019 and has since visited different locations in Tokyo, Sapporo, as well as Osaka.

Online satellites for foreigners were previously held on GGPoker, which also acted as main sponsor for the series since April 2021. However, the partnership ended in late 2024 while JOPT is set to continue without being connected to any online poker platform. Instead of money prizes, participants compete for packages to international poker events such as the World Series of Poker.

The Tokyo-based parent company was established on April 22, 2016 and JOPT is a member of the Japan Poker Federation. Different poker variants are available during each stop with the Grand Final featuring several dozen tournaments on the schedule.