In this column, we deliver you the latest and most interesting live and online poker industry news from across the world and all platforms.
VBet Poker hosts €1M GTD Hexagon online series
For the second edition of its flagship tournament, Vbet Poker (BetConstruct Poker Network) is hosting a record-breaking Hexagon online series with a €1,000,000 prize pool guarantee across its 264-event lineup. The ongoing festival is set to run through June 12, 2022 with its biggest prize pooled events geared up for its concluding week.
This year’s knockout tournament series is aimed to be much larger than its inaugural festivities with double the combined prize guarantees and its craziest Main Event yet. The €200,000 guaranteed tournament posts a buy-in of €110, requiring at least 2,000 runners while suggesting a possible overlay. Apart from the festival’s crowning jewel, weekly specials with five-digit prize pools run typically from Fridays to Sundays. Its Afterparty event with a €100,000 guarantee will also close out the series, allowing players to cash in on a whopping payout following those who miss to make the Main Event money.
HEXAGON #247 | MAIN EVENT
Date: June 11, 2022
Time (CEST): 19:00
Buy-in: €110
Guarantee: €200,000
Hexagon series Highlights
| Date | Time (CEST) | Event | Buy-in | Prize Pool |
| June 3, 2022, Friday | 19:00 | HEXAGON #159: FRIDAY MAIN | €17 | €10,000 |
| June 4, 2022, Saturday | 19:00 | HEXAGON #170: SATURDAY SPECIAL | €55 | €50,000 |
| June 5, 2022, Sunday | 19:00 | HEXAGON #181: SUNDAY SPECIAL | €33 | €30,000 |
| June 10, 2022, Friday | 19:00 | HEXAGON #236: FRIDAY SPECIAL | €33 | €40,000 |
| June 12, 2022, Sunday | 19:00 | HEXAGON #258: AFTERPARTY | €55 | €100,000 |
KSOP partners with WPT Global
A staple across the South American live circuit, Kings Series of Poker is celebrating its fifth stop of the year with a special partnership with World Poker Tour Global. The upcoming live festival is set to take place in Balneário Camboriú Convention Centre, Balneário Camboriú, Brazil from July 27 through August 7, 2022. A total of 47 tournaments complete the schedule boasting a combined prize guarantee of over R$15 million (~US$ 306,000) with at least four events featuring a seven-figure prize pool.
The series’ R$5 million guaranteed Main Event remains to be the highlight of the season with the buy-in posted at an affordable R$3,500 (~US$ 738). Eight starting flights beginning on July 31st are sure to rack up a huge field as tournament runners battle it out for the R$1 million top prize alleged for the eventual champion. What’s more exciting is that players who are short with their bankrolls can opt to join in on WPT Global’s exclusive online satellites available on its newly launched application. To date, the poker room is accessible to over 85 countries worldwide, including Brazil and runs both iOs and Android systems.
Poker superstars join WPT Global’s Poker Heroes NFT collection
WPT Global’s launch last month is proving to be favorably successful as players hop in on its latest games including its $100,000 guaranteed welcoming event, as well as its upcoming $1 for $1 million tournament. Aside from its fresh market of users, the internationally renowned site has also most recently gotten the support of numerous poker celebrities.
The Poker Heroes NFT Club headlined by DJ Steve Aoki and poker legends Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan, have added a couple more personalities to its roster. Icons and the biggest crushers in the field joining in include Patrik Antonius, Tony Dunst, Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger, Brad Owen, Joseph Cheong, Johnnie “Vibes” Moreno, Maria Konnikova, Lynn Gilmartin, Maria Ho, Vince Van Patten, Justin Saliba, Matt Savage, Joe “Daddy” Stevenson, and Adam Owen amongst others.
“Our avatars are built with 100% utility in mind and will act as Access NFTs. Think of them as verified NFT profiles on the WPT Global app that come with valuable perks and access,” commented Meysam Moradpour, General Manager at Gamavrs.
“Players will immediately know if they are playing against the real Steve Aoki, based on his NFT profile, which has a different shape and size than common profiles inside the WPT Global platform.”
Gamavrs’ biggest drop so far saw Phil Ivey’s NFT sold for a whopping 40 ETH (~US$ 73K) which might mean interested NFT enthusiasts may have to prepare their bankrolls for the following releases. On the other hand, players and poker fans lucky enough to become NFT holders will also gain bonus perks listed below to jumpstart their WPT Global journey.
- Exclusive entry to over $100,000 of freeroll tournaments
- Opportunity to play against celebrities on WPT Global
- Participation in million-dollar giveaways
- Access to a Discord members-only channel and LearnWPT content
- Entry to exclusive VIP events during WPT Live Events
Winamax celebrates record-breaking Madrid stop; Online $1M jackpot extended across buy-in levels
The recently concluded Winamax Poker Open held at Casino Gran Madrid Torrelodones, Spain turned out better than expected with its €500 WPO Madrid Main Event seeing a record-breaking field for the French brand. The 6-max tournament saw a total of 2,182 entries making it Winamax’ biggest live event to date. Following its success, the gaming giant confirmed that its regional tours are set to resume with the global health situation now taking a back seat.
“We finally had the festival we were hoping for with, on top of that, a record attendance that beats Lloret De Mar of 2019 and, as is often the case with Winamax events, a very good mix of amateurs, qualifiers, professionals, semi-professionals, prestigious guests, French, Spanish, all eager to meet up again after more than two years of absence,” Matthieu Duran, the Live Event Manager for Winamax said.
Aside from its historic live presence, the online poker giant is likewise giving back to its community of users with the extension of its €1 million Expresso jackpot across multiple buy-in levels. Prior to the announcement, seven-figured prize pools such as the like were limited to entries valued at €100 and up. The challenge is now currently offered to buy-in levels as low as €1 where the probabilities of hitting the million dollar score increase as the stakes go higher. Just today, online player “_dutch_” pocketed an €800,000 bonus prize with a buy-in of €25 in an Expresso Nitro game.
