In this column, we deliver you the latest and most interesting online poker industry news from across the world and all platforms.
Massive €5M GTD iPoker Festival Winter ongoing
A week into iPoker Network’s largest festival in history, the €5,000,000 guaranteed iPoker Festival Winter is in full swing right on time for the holidays. The massive prize pool is a huge jump from last year’s €2,500,000 combined offering. This season’s lineup consists of 476 tournaments with at least 20 games available daily with buy-ins ranging from $5 to its highest $1,000 entry fee. The series will run through January 16, 2023 to complete several multi-day events including its €100 buy-in Main Event.
Four Main Events are listed on schedule including a Pot Limit Omaha variant which carries a €40 price tag for a guaranteed pot of €15,000. The three remaining highlights showcase varying buy-in levels – Micro €7.5, Mini €25 and the €100 Main Event for a €200,000 prize pool. All Day 2’s will play through on the 16th as the festival wraps up. Another key event to look forward to is the KO Master multi-day festivities currently underway. Three buy-in levels are similarly available – Micro €7.5, Mini €30, and its largest €150 for an equally prestigious €200,000 prize pool as the Main Event. Day 2 for this highlight is set for January 3rd after at least a dozen flights have played through.
IPF Winter 2022 Main Events
| Date | Event | Buy-in | Guarantee |
| January 2 – 16, 2023 | IPF 78-L|€25K Micro|Day 1 | €7.5 | €25,000 |
| IPF 78-M|€100K Mini|Day 1 | €25 | €100,000 | |
| IPF 78-H|€200K Main|Day 1 | €100 | €200,000 | |
| January 9 – 16, 2023 | IPF 74-L|€15K PLO Main|Day 1 | €40 | €15,000 |
Caesars Entertainment reveals dates for 2023 WSOP
Recently announced by Caesars Entertainment in a press release, the 54th annual running of the World Series of Poker will hit the streets of Las Vegas from May 30 – July 18, 2023. The summer games will again be held in the same venue as last year – Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, rebranded as Horseshoe Las Vegas, featuring 88 bracelet events. So far, only twelve have been made known with two new events: $300 buy-in Gladiators of Poker, and $600 Ultra Stack.
“The historic debut of the WSOP on the Las Vegas Strip delivered in a big way, and we’re excited to announce our Summer 2023 dates in time for the holidays,” said World Series of Poker Senior Vice President and Executive Director Ty Stewart. “Poker players and fans can now officially mark their calendars and maybe even book their loved ones or themselves a trip to the WSOP as a holiday gift. We’re glad to be back at Paris Las Vegas and the future Horseshoe Las Vegas for another exciting chapter in the tournament’s history as these two resorts raised the bar in hosting last year’s event.”
As usual, all eyes will be on the esteemed World Series of Poker Main Event running from July 3-17. The 2022 Main Event racked up a whopping $80 million prize pool after collecting 8,663 runners to be the second-largest in WSOP history. Set with a similar structure, the 2023 games will play through four starting flights from July 3-6 with players given the option to also buy into Day 2 considering the deep stack nature of the event.
“With more than six months to go from the start of the next WSOP, you can already feel the anticipation building at our resorts,” said Jason Gregorec, SVP and General Manager of Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas. “The tournament delivered unforgettable moments during its debut on The Strip, and we’re excited to welcome back poker’s premier event of the year. We can’t wait to see the first WSOP Main Event champion crowned at the new Horseshoe Las Vegas.“
Interested tournament runners will have to wait a bit more until they can cement their series bankrolls with the full schedule yet to be revealed this nearing 2023.
We are delighted to announce the 2023 World Series of Poker will return to the Las Vegas Strip at @ParisVegas, and the soon-to-be @HorseshoeVegas on May 30 – July 18, 2023.
Learn more: https://t.co/GVJMOiVNuA pic.twitter.com/7GfUmgzBKK
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) December 12, 2022
PokerStars’ Sunday Million sees overlay week after week
While some have been taking advantage of the buzzing PKO format, it appears PokerStars’ Sunday Million needs to pick up a bit more action to meet its seven-figure guarantee. Aside from the permanent switch to the bounty format last June, the online poker giant has also increased the starting stack by five times amongst other changes.
Despite the player-friendly adjustments, the popular tournament has been continuously missing to hit its prize pool for nearly three months. The buy-in remains to be the same at a price point of $109 with every player collecting a starting bounty prize of $25. While the Sunday Million has been a steady name across the network for years, it may need a few more tweaks to ultimately disrupt its momentum of overlays.
PokerStars’ $40M New Year Series kicks off
Wrapping up 2022 with a blast, top site PokerStars is hosting an exciting three-week lineup to ring in an even better 2023 for its Ontario and Southern Europe market. The New Year Series kicks off this Sunday, December 25 and will be running on the platform through January 17, 2023 for a combined $40,000,000 in guaranteed prizes. A total of 334 tournaments complete the schedule along with three listed Main Events of varying buy-in levels (Low, Medium, High). The New Year Series Main Events fall later in the series, January 15th, for a combined $3,750,000 in guarantees across the three events alone.
- $109 New Year Series Main Event Low – $1,000,000 guaranteed
- $1,050 New Year Series Main Event Medium – $1,250,000 guaranteed
- $5,200 New Year Series Main Event High – $1,500,000 guaranteed
Aside from these, January 1st will also be a celebration in itself with a number of special events for players of all bankrolls.
- $20.23 Low – $400,000 guaranteed
- $202.30 Medium – $1,000,000 guaranteed
- $2,023 High – $400,000 guaranteed
Other highlights include:
- $109 buy-in Big Christmas Edition — December 25 — $125,000 guaranteed
- $109 buy-in Big New Year Edition — Jan 1 — $125,000 guaranteed
- $5,500 buy-in Titans, $10,300 buy-in Super Tuesday, and $5,200 buy-in Thursday Thrill – January 8 onwards
- $55 buy-in Women’s event — January 15 — $10,000 guaranteed
- $215 buy-in PLO Main Event — January 15 — $200,000 guaranteed
