Poker Dream kicks off 2023 in Malaysia featuring RM 3.2 Million in guarantees – January 9 to 15 at Genting Highlands

2022 saw several new poker brands emerge in Asia. Taking the region by storm was Poker Dream created by well known industry figure Winfred Yu. Debuting in Malaysia in July, it became the first brand to host a full blown international festival in the Muslim country. The ten-day event was an immense success, drawing an overall prize pool exceeding US$ 2.9 Million.

Three months later, PD staged a second festival, and this too was held at an untouched destination. The event took place in Hoi An, Vietnam. Despite its remoteness, players flocked in and by the end of the ten-day series, it resulted in the richest event in Asia for 2022 of over US$ 3.8 Million. The Main Event and Super High Roller were record breakers, setting new heights for Vietnam.

Coming 2023, PD aims to dazzle players once again. The brand will open the year back at the Genting Highlands in Malaysia with games running from January 9 to 15. As seen during the past two events, players can expect Asia’s elite players in attendance. In fact, this is one of the reasons why Yu created PD, to give players a platform to be inspired and strive to “step up to Triton”. The 18 game lineup will see four events feature guaranteed prize pools with the Main Event boasting a hefty RM 2,000,000 (~US$ 451,400) guarantee.

Poker Dream – Schedule
Poker Dream – Tournament Structures

Here’s a closer look at the 2023 PD Malaysia schedule.

Main Event – RM 2,000,000 (~US$ 451,400) guaranteed

Setting the bar high, the Main Event roars in with a confident RM 2,000,000 guarantee which is double the amount advertised at the brand’s debut and slightly higher than the Vietnam guarantee. If past events are an indication of what lies ahead, then this figure will be crushed.

Dates: January 12 to 15
Buy in: RM 5,000 (~US$ 1,130)
Guarantee: RM 2,000,000 (~$ 451,400)

Day 1A: Thursday, January 12
Day 1B: Friday, January 13
Day 1C (Turbo): Friday, January 13
Day 2: Saturday, January 14
Day 3 / Final Day: Sunday, January 15

PD Malaysia defending champion: JOSHUA TJAN – RM 546,010 (~US$ 122,500)
PD Vietnam champion: MINH A NGUYEN – ₫3,378,000,000 (~US$ 137,700)

For those looking to get in at a fraction of the buy in, there are six Main Event satellites scheduled at just RM 1,200 (~US$ 270).

Warm Up – RM 300,000 (~US$ 67,870) guaranteed

The festival opens with a RM 300K guaranteed Warm Up event. This is a two-day tournament running from January 9 to 10. To join, three flights are scheduled on opening day. Buy in is RM 1,500 (~US$ 340)

Mystery Bounty – RM 400,000 (~US$ 90,500) guaranteed

The Mystery Bounty continues to dominate all other bounty tournaments and at the 2023 PD Malaysia, it comes suited with a RM 400,000 guarantee. Two starting days kick off the fun running on January 10 and 11 followed by the final day on January 12. Buy in is RM 3,000 (~US$ 680) with RM 1K per entry going to the bounty pool. To get in for less, players can try their luck at the Mystery Bounty Satellites which costs only RM 710 (~US$ 160).

High Roller events

High Roller tournaments are gaining in popularity in Asia but at PD these events are a norm. The past two PD events amassed the richest Super High Roller events in Asia for the year – Malaysia RM 3,677,450 (~US$ 826K) and Vietnam ₫19,699,960,000 (~US$ 803,100). For the upcoming series, six are scheduled with buy ins from RM 6K to a jaw dropping RM 50K and one event featuring a guarantee.

Super High Roller: January 11 to 12 – RM 50,000 (~US$ 11,310) buy in

20,000 NLH: January 9 to 10 – RM 20,000 (~US$ 4,525) buy in
15,000 NLH – Single Day: January 10 – RM 15,000 (~US$ 3,395) buy in
30,000 NLH – Single Day: January 12 – RM 30,000 (~US$ 6,787) buy in
Mini High Roller: January 15 – RM 6,000 (~US$ 1,360) buy in

High Roller – RM 500,000 (~US$ 113,120) guaranteed

Dates: January 14 to 15
Buy in: RM 11,000 (~US$ 2,490)
Guarantee: RM 500,000 (~US$ 113,120)
Registration closes: Start of Day 2

Other events

In addition to the above-mentioned events are a variety of fun tournaments such as the Bubble Rush, Deepstack, Monster Stack, and a selection of Turbos.

With the event drawing near, players are encouraged to take advantage of the Early Bird Packages as they may sell out.