Live events are happening all around the Asia Pacific region. Mark your calendars with these upcoming festivals!
Baazi Poker Tour 2022: March 23 to 28
With covid cases at its lowest in India, the first live poker festival will finally take place as PokerBaazi hosts the Baazi Poker Tour 2022 from March 23 to 28. The long awaited live games will be held at the brand’s hub inside the Majestic Pride ship in Panjim, Goa. A total of five tournaments line the schedule highlighted by the IN₹ 35K buy in Main Event. As quoted in the BPT website,
“BPT 2022 promises to be a much-welcome return to the felts as India’s biggest poker players return to the Baazi felts for the first time since the onset of the global pandemic. Powered by PokerBaazi Live, the tour promises to envelope a global tournament standard and experience for all the poker players.”
The upcoming event is the third live series hosted by the brand. At the inaugural series in 2019, the IN₹ 50K buy in Main Event pulled in 567 entries for a prize pool of US$ 377,000. In January 2020, with the novel coronavirus already spreading fast, the BPT ran its second series however with a lower Main Event buy in of IN₹ 35K. Its popularity generated an impressive 609 entries for a prize pool of ~US$ 282,500. After a one year break, the BPT heralds the return of live poker festivals. Some of the country’s top pros and defending champions will likely make an appearance. For international players planning to arrive for this event, country borders are open however it is best to check for the necessary requirements prior to booking your flight.
BPT Main Event
Buy in: IN₹ 35K
Day 1A: Saturday March 26
Day 1B (turbo): Saturday, March 26
Day 1C: Sunday, March 27
Day 1D (turbo): Sunday, March 27
Day 2: Monday, March 28
BPT Kickoff
Dates: March 23 to 24
Buy in: IN₹ 15K
BPT Big Bounty
Dates: March 24 to 25
Buy in: IN₹ 10K + IN₹ 5K (Bounty)
BPT High Roller
Dates: March 25 to 26
Buy in: IN₹ 1 Lakh
BPT PLO Turbo
Date: Monday, March 28
Buy in: IN₹ 15K
Baazi Poker Tour 2022 schedule
PokerStars LIVE Manila Special: March 24 to 27
Nonstop live action for players in the Philippines as PokerStars LIVE Manila hosts its third live series since the start of the year. The brand’s newest event is called the Manila Special which takes place from March 24 to 27 at their hub in Okada Manila. The Main Event comes loaded with a PH₱ 3 Million (~US$ 57,200) guarantee with buy in at PH₱ 6,600 (~US$ 126). If the past two festivals are a sign of what to expect, then players can bank on smashing prize pools and big cash rewards. This year’s first champion Jose Colada pocketed PH₱ 492,700 and latest champion Joe Mark Vasay walked away with a heftier PH₱ 720,000.
Another event carrying a guarantee is the festival opener Warm Up NLH 1M guaranteed. This is a one day event with buy in at PH₱ 6,000 (~US$ 115). For players with heavy pockets, the most expensive tournament is the Super Knockout Hyper Turbo Freezeout event with buy in at PH₱ 20,000 (~US$ 380). Here’s a look at the full schedule:
Main Event
Dates: March 24 to 27
Buy in: PH₱ 6,600 (~US$ 126)
Guarantee: PH₱ 3,000,000 (~US$ 57,200)
Day 1A and Day 1A Turbo: Thursday, March 24
Day 1B and Day 1B Turbo: Friday, March 25
Day 1C and Day 1C Turbo: Saturday, March 26
Final Day: Sunday, March 27
*Single re-entry allowed per flight
Warm Up NLH
Date: Thursday, March 24
Buy in: PH₱ 6,000 (~US$ 115)
Guarantee: PH₱ 1,000,000 (~US$ 19,065)
PH₱ 10K NLH Freezeout Turbo
Date: Thursday, March 24
Buy in: PH₱ 10,000 (~U$ 191)
PH₱ 15K Deepstack Freezeout Turbo
Date: Friday, March 25
Buy in: PH₱ 15,000 (~US$ 286)
PH₱ 20K Super Knockout Hyper Turbo Freezeout
Date: Saturday, March 26
Buy in: PH₱ 20,000 (~US$ 380)
*PH₱ 10K of the buy in goest to the bounty pool
NLH Knockout
Date: Sunday, March 27
Buy in: PH₱ 5,500 (~US$ 105)
*PH₱ 1K of the buy in goes to the bounty pool
NLH Shot Clock Freezeout
Date: Sunday March 27
Buy in: PH₱ 15,000 (~US$ 286)
PokerStars LIVE Manila Special schedule
CPG Tour Xiamen: March 26 to 31
Premier poker brand China Poker Games is gearing up for a monstrous year as it celebrates its 10th year anniversary. Through the years, the brand has become the biggest in China that despite the pandemic, last year’s annual CPG Sanya Championships gathered 3,283 Main Event entries for a massive prize pool of US$ 4.9 Million. No other brand nor Main Event in Asia have come close to amassing those figures.
With greater ambitions this year, the brand aims for 4,000 entries across multiple live and online satellite events. Unfortunately the first live satellite CPG Tour Haitang was canceled however CPG Tour Xiamen will run as scheduled from March 26 to 31 at the Xiamen Royal Seaside Hot Spring Hotel. The six day festival is highlighted by the CPG Sanya Championships Main Event satellite. Also on the list are 16 varied side tournaments. For more information, head to the CPG App or CPG website. Although borders are still closed to international tourists, foreigners already in China can participate, all that’s required is a green pass and a negative RT-PCR test.
Main Event Satellite
Dates: March 26 to 31
Buy in: RMB 9,500 (~US$ 1,500)
Day 1A: Saturday, March 26
Day 1B: Sunday, March 27
Day 1C: Monday, March 28
Day 2: Tuesday, March 29
Day 3: Wednesday, March 30
Final Day: Thursday, March 31
WPTDeepStacks Sydney: March 30 to April 11
Back in 2019, the World Poker Tour planted its flag at the Gold Coast in Australia then returned two years later, during the pandemic, in 2021. Both events were incredibly successful, each one producing over AU$ 3 Million in prizes. In just two weeks time, the globally renowned brand heads to Australia once again for what is expected to be its biggest festival down under.
For the first time, the tour brings its WPTDeepStacks series to Sydney, one of the largest cities in the country. Twelve days of games are scheduled at The Star Casino from March 30 to April 11 with a total of 11 tournaments in tow. Buy ins range from AU$ 330 to AU$ 5,000. Headlining the festival is the AU$ 1,500 Main Event. Last year, the Main Event amassed a WPT Asia Pacific record turnout of 1,113 entries for a prize pool of AU$ 1.5 Million. Will Davies topped the competition for a payout of AU$ 252,729 (~US$ 183,240).
Other games lined up are the Opening Event, 5K Challenge, Freezeouts, Bounty Tournaments, and Pot Limit Omaha. Recently announced, the WPTDS Sydney Player of the Festival winner will be awarded a WPT Australia Main Event ticket valued at over AU$ 5K. Here are a few of the festival’s key events:
Main Event
Dates: April 7 to 11
Buy in: AU$ 1,500
Day 1A: Thursday, April 7
Day 1B: Friday, April 8
Day 1C: Saturday, April 9
Day 2: Sunday, April 10
Final Day: Monday, April 11
Opening Event
Dates: March 30 to April 3
Buy in: AU$ 750
Day 1A: Wednesday, March 30
Day 1B: Thursday, March 31
Day 1C: Friday, April 1
Day 2: Saturday, April 2
Final Day: Sunday, April 3
5K Challenge
Dates: April 10 to 11
Buy in: AU$ 5,000
APT Phu Quoc Vietnam 2022: April 8 to 17
Having just concluded its first live event in two years, the Asian Poker Tour runs headstrong with a ten day series at Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam. This will be the brand’s first visit to the popular holiday destination and it will be the first international poker festival ever hosted on the island.
Running from April 8 to 17, APT Phu Quoc Vietnam 2022 takes place at the Corona Resort & Casino, the only casino in the country that permits eligible locals to gamble. Awaiting players are 22 varied tournaments highlighted by the Main Event VN₫ 3 Billion guaranteed. For those new to the tour, the APT Main Event is one the most highly revered tournaments in the region due to its deep structure and slow escalating blinds.
Before the main kicks off, the festival opens with the Mystery Bounty VN₫ 1 Billion guaranteed. This highly entertaining event has been all the craze in Las Vegas. Unlike regular bounty tournaments, only players that reach the money will have a chance at the bounty pool. Bounty rewards remain a mystery until it is drawn by the winning player, which could well be one of the largest amounts in the pile.
In addition to these key events, the lineup consists of different NL Hold’em formats, Pot Limit Omaha, Short Deck, and Open Face Chinese Pineapple. For heavy hitters, five high roller events are scheduled with buy ins of VN₫ 22,000,000, VN₫ 33,000,000, to the highest of VN₫ 55,000,000.
Main Event
Dates: April 12 to 17
Buy in: VN₫ 16,500,000 (~US$ 720)
Guarantee: VN₫ 3,000,000,000 (~US$ 131,000)
Day 1A: Tuesday, April 12
Day 1B: Wednesday, April 13
Day 1C: Thursday, April 14
Day 2: Friday, April 15
Day 3: Saturday, April 16
Final 8: Sunday, April 17
Mystery Bounty
Dates: April 8 to 9
Buy in VN₫ 7,700,000 (~US$ 336)
Guarantee: VN₫ 1,000,000,000 (~US$ 43,680)
Flight A: Friday, April 8 (12:00 Vietnam time)
Flight B: Friday, April 8 (16:00 Vietnam time)
Final Day: Saturday, April 9
Super High Rollers
Dates: April 10 to 11
Buy in: VN₫ 55,000,000 (~US$ 2,400)
Tricia David
Tricia David has long experience as a recreational poker player and has been covering poker events since 2010 for numerous outfits in Asia. She spent one year working part time with Poker Portal Asia then became editor and lead writer for all event coverage of the Philippine Poker Tour (PPT). Under the PPT, she overlooked content for their website, and produced live updates on all their events. In addition, she served as the live and online events website content writer for the Asian Poker Tour. Currently, she does live events reporting in Asia for online news site Somuchpoker and is also one of their news contributors.
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