What You Should Know About The Upcoming WPT Korea

The  World Poker Tour (WPT) National Korea December 2015 and May 2016, had a field of 138 players and 160 players, respectively.  With the growing number of participation and the increasing demand, the WPT and its partner Poker King Club had decided to give another offering 5 months after the last one, expecting that the field would increase once more.

And as the WPT National Korea October 2016,  is just around the corner, happening on October 5-11 in Paradise Grand Jeju Casino at Maison Glad Jeju Hotel, there are just certain details all players have to know about.  After all, travelling for a poker tournament should all be about the tournament, relaxation and fun without having to worry about particulars and what-nots.

Schedule

The festival will feature a Main Event with a buy in of ₩2,000,000 ($1,814) and a guaranteed prize pool of ₩300 Million ($272,000,000) and a ₩8,000,000 High Roller Event.

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Details: WPT National Korea – Schedule

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Getting  to Jeju Island

The most important detail is how to get there.  There are flights that go directly to Jeju Island from Hong Kong and Mainland China. If you are coming from Manila and don’t have a Korean visa you have to take Manila-HK-Jeju (Cathay/Dragon Air/ HK Express) or Manila-Shanghai-Jeju (China Eastern Airline).

 Flights to Jeju from Seoul can cost an addition ¥175.  So players have a choice, if they wish to go earlier than the scheduled tournament, they can enjoy these stops before heading to Jeju Island.

Details of direct flights can be seen here:

Hong Kong		1 Flight per day		KHD1,000	HK Express
Mainland China	Beijing	*6 flights per day	2h30m	¥ 1,600	Air China (3)
					Korean Air (2)
					China Eastern (1)
	Shanghai	*19 flights per day	1h10m	¥ 700	Spring Airlines (3)
					Juneyao Airlines (3)
					China Eastern (12)
					JinAir (1)
	Tianjin	*2 flights per day	2h55m	¥ 1,300	Spring Airlines (1)
					OKAir (1)
	Hangzhou	*3 flights per day	1h20m	¥ 700	Spring Airlines (1)
					Air China (2)

Visa Requirements:

• Countries with 30-180 day free entry, click here.
• Chinese Nationals with passports with 6-months validity are visa-exempt for up to 30 days unless part of a travel-agent organized tourist group coming from  Seoul, Busan, Cheongju, Muan, and Yangyang.  For travel groups, exemption is only up to 15 days.
• Macau SAR passport holders exempt for up to 30 days
• Hong Kong SAR passport holders exempt up to 90 days
• Philippine passport holders need a visa to enter in Mainland Korea.  Requirements can be seen here. If you transit via Hong Kong or Shanghai and fly directly to Jeju,  no visa is required.

Accommodation

Poker King Club is offering an exclusive Package for ₩2,840,000 which includes a Main Event ticket and 6 night stay at Maison Glad Jeju Hotel.

Jeju Island

However, Jeju Island is a beauty in itself that’s why it has been called the “Island of the Gods”.  A definite tourist paradise, the island offers volcanic peaks, waterfalls, beaches, hiking and sightseeing activities. So there are a lot of things to do in Jeju Island.

Moving around Jeju Island

So what’s the best way to move around Jeju then with all these things to do.  There are numerous modes of transportation that provide different costs.  Here are some of the following:

Taxi: Regular Fare: ₩1,500 going up ₩100 every 213 meters. The night-fare (from midnight to 04:00 AM) will cost 20% more.

Bus:

LINE NO.	DURATION	ROUTE	DESTINATION
Bus no. 701	Every 20 minutes from Terminal	Jeju – Sehwa – Sungsan – Seogwipo	Ø  Hamdeok Beach
			Ø  Udo Island
			Ø  Seongsan   Ilchulbong
			Ø  Jeju Folk Village
			Ø  Seogwipo
Bus no. 702	Every 20 minutes from Terminal	Jeju – Hallim – Daejung – Seogwipo	Ø  Gwakji Beach
			Ø  Hyeopjae Beach
			Ø  Hallim Park
Bus no. 780	Every 20 minutes from Terminal	Jeju – Namwon – Seogwipo (Fastest route to   Seogwipo)	Ø  Halla Eco Park
			Ø  Jeju Dinosaur Island
			Ø  Hello Kitty Island
			–  Circles Mt. Hallasan
Bus no. 755	Every 1 hour from Terminal	Jeju   – English Education City – O’Sulloc – Moseulpo	Ø  O’Sulloc(Tea-growing area)

 

Jeju Trolley Limousine Bus Tour: One-day Pass Fare: ₩35,000 per adult; Two-day Pass Fare: ₩55,000 per adult

Rent-a-Scooter: Mr. Lee’s Bike Shop and Scooter & Free Zone.

Where to Eat:

Finally, with all these activities one is bound to get hungry.  Here are recommended places to eat near Maison Glad Jeju, in case you want to step out of the hotel:

• Café 8IGHT (Café): 10-1, Jewon 4-gil, Jeju, Jeju Island 690-813, South Korea (690-813제원4길10-1) | T: +82-064-711-8876 (3 minute walk)
• Jiang BBQ(짱 숯불갈비) (Korean BBQ): 282-34 Yeon-dong, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, South Korea (연동 제주특별자치도 제주시 연동 282-2) | T: +82 64-749-1023 (10 minute drive)
• Marado Sushi(마라도 횟집) (Japanese Cuisine): 82, Sammu-Ro, Jeju, Jeju Island 63124, South Korea (63124삼무로 82) | T: +82-064-746-2286 (15 minute drive)
• Jjui Bbang(쭈이빵) (Seafood): Yeon-dong, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, South Korea (제주특별자치도 제주시 연동 273-18) | T: +82-064-745-8888 (4 minutes)

And with these details, everyone is ready to go!

Article by Gabrielle Barredo  and sponsored by Poker King Club