The WSOP attracts so much noise every year that it’s easy to forget that there are a ton of other poker festivals taking place over the Summer that promise just as much fun (and sun!)
If you can’t manage the trek to Vegas this year, you can easily cheer yourself up simply by taking a look at the MainEventTravel’s poker calendar. This handy resource enables you to check what’s on day-by-day or enjoy an overview of the whole month but, whichever way you use it, you’ll get the picture – it’s not all about Vegas!
What makes this summer’s poker action in Europe so enticing is that a lot of the tournaments are brand new stops such as the Irish Poker Tour’s eagerly-awaited Portugal Adventure, the UKIPT’s first trip to Malaga and the Unibet DeepStack Open UK which is joining forces with Aspers for the first time. Other treats on the near-horizon include WPT Prime’s new San Remo festival (which made its debut last year) and the new British Poker Series which is hosting a load of £50k guaranteed events this year.
European events often offer excellent accommodation options at great rates, quicker flight times, and an amazing array if affordable food and drink choices.
So here’s our lowdown on tourneys in Europe this summer – and don’t forget a lot of these events are eligible for MainEventTravel’s FinalTableFreeroll promotion giving you the chance to win 100% of your travel costs back in credits.
Irish Poker Tour’s Portugal Adventure – June 18 – 24 – The Irish Poker Tour’s new Portugal Adventure is another event which gives players the chance to enjoy a real poker holiday. With this in mind, tournaments don’t start until 4pm each day giving everyone plenty of time to enjoy the sun, the sea, swimming pool and all the other attractions. Taking place at Casino Tróia in the beautiful seaside resort of Setubal, the festival features €400,000 in overall prize pool guarantees. The €700, €250k guaranteed Main Event gets underway on June 20 with the first of four start flights. As Official Travel Partner MET has Hotels, ATOL Protected Flights, and Buy-ins, all at great rates! You can also contact us for a bespoke package info@maineventtravel.com.
UKIPT Malaga – June 10-16 – Excitement is really building for this new PokerStars festival which brings the UKIPT and Estrellas Poker Tour together for a seven-day extravaganza in the Costa del Sol resort of Benalmadena. UKIPT Malaga takes place at Casino Torrequebrada, just 20 minutes from Malaga airport and 40 minutes from Malaga city centre. With sun, sea, beautiful beaches and one of Europe’s oldest port cities nearby, we’re expecting UKIPT Malaga to be a hugely popular spot. Highlights include the €2k ESPT/UKIPT High Roller from June 11-12, the €1,100 ESPT/UKIPT Main Event starting on June 12 and the €330 ESPT/UKIPT Cup kicking off on June 15.
The Festival Rozvadov – May 31 – June 9 – The Festival is heading back to Rozvadov at the end of the month with its exciting and madcap mix of poker tournaments (straightforward Hold’Em plus tons of other variants), cash game challenges, casino games and off-the-felt activities. There are 54 different events in total including a €500,000 guaranteed poker Main Event plus Blackjack tournament, Roulette tournament and Slots tournament.
GUKPT Leeds – May 30 – June 9 – the 18th season of the GUKPT is already in full swing and will be heading to Leeds for Leg 7 at the end of the month. There is a £900+£100 Main Event plus all the other usual attractions on a GUKPT schedule including Opener, Mini Main, PLO and GUKPT Cup.
Unibet DeepStack Open UK Aspers – June 1-9 – the UDSO first kicked off in 2009 and has been attracting mid-stakes players to events all over Europe and Morocco ever since. The tour doesn’t often come to the UK though so the forthcoming festival at Aspers is certainly something to celebrate. The UDSO will be truly national with Day 1s for the £500 Main Event taking place at both Aspers Newcastle and Aspers in Stratford, London. The six Day 1s will all stop at 15% players left awarding all players remaining with £900 in cash. Day 2 will resume in London on June 8. As well as the Main, other schedule highlights include the DSO Cup, DSO Gold high roller and DSO Omaha.
Skill Poker Master Bratislava – July 2 - 8 - The Skill Poker Masters Main Event has a buy-in of €320+€30, a whopping €500k guarantee, and offers eight starting flights! IN addition, the High Roller will be played with a buy-in of €675+€75 and a €40k GPP. Omaha fans will also be in for a treat during the PLO Masters tournament, and the €30,000 Skill Mystery Bounty is sure to be attractive.
USDO Barcelona – June 11-16 – if you get the taste for UDSO action at Aspers, you may enjoy a back-to-back UDSO experience with a trip to Barcelona for the UDSO starting there on June 11. Barcelona barely needs introducing as a poker destination – it’s got it all – fabulous city, amazing nightlife, sun, sea, sand and superb cuisine. UDSO Barcelona will feature a €490 + €60 Main Event, Mini UDSO, UDSO Gold and UDSO Cup.
USDO San Remo – July 23-28 – the third UDSO of the Summer is in gorgeous San Remo in Italy – just a hop, skip and a jump away from the Monaco border. San Remo Casino is an iconic and glamorous venue and perfectly located in this popular resort with lots of restaurants, bars and cafes nearby. UDSO San Remo will feature a €490 + €60 Main Event, €300 Mini DSO, €150 UDSO SuperStack, €200 UDSO Silver and UDSO Cup.
WPT Prime San Remo – May 31 – June 10 – the new WPT Prime tour made its debut in San Remo last year and is off there again at the end of the month. As well as the €1,100 Main Event which starts on June 6, there’s a massive number of other tourneys on the schedule including the €200 Opener, €250 SuperStack, €150 Bounty and €300 Mystery Bounty along with a €1,500 High Roller which gets underway on June 9. There were a massive 838 entries in last year’s Main Event with champion Simone Andrian winning €147,020.
BPS Aspers – June 20-23 – the new British Poker Series has lined up an amazing eight events at Aspers Stratford City, London's biggest poker room, for 2024. Coming up next month is BPS200 London with a £50,000 guaranteed Main Event costing just £200 + £30 to enter. There will also be a £120 tournament with £10k guarantee. The Series’ BPS200 MK event starts May 29 at the Aspers Casino in Milton Keynes and also features a £50k guaranteed prize pool for the £200 buy-in tournament.
Worldwide
If you have the time, inclination and funds to head further afield this summer, some major events are also taking place worldwide. Chief among them are WPT Macau which is taking place from June 20-24, the WPT Cambodia Passport to The World Championship at Nagaworld Integrated Resort from July 18-22, the BSOP Sao Paulo, Winter Millions from July 23 to 31 and APPT Manila 15 at the end of July.
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