There is nothing quite like the summer months for poker. Many people refer to the Las Vegas scene from the end of May through July as poker summer camp, as there are tournaments and series in nearly every poker room in Sin City. But in the last few years, December has begun to shine. It is now a poker season in itself, with opportunities from Prague to Las Vegas and the Bahamas.
EPT Prague: A December Staple
The European Poker Tour started in 2004 and continues to provide festivals of tournaments around Europe today in association with PokerStars Live. Organizers introduced EPT Prague during Season 4 in 2007, and it has been a part of nearly every season since. In winter, often in a wintry holiday setting, the EPT Prague has been a well-attended tournament series and holiday getaway rolled into one for nearly two decades.
This year is no different. And as in some of the past years, it will coordinate with the Eureka Poker Tour stop in Prague to create an even larger series.
- When: December 4-15, 2024
- Where: Hilton Hotel Prague
- Total events: 68 tournaments, including satellites
- Schedule: PokerStars Live website
- Main Event: €5,300 buy-in EPT Prague Main Event (December 9-15)
Other featured events include the €1,100 buy-in Eureka Main Event (December 4-9), €550 buy-in Eureka Cup (December 7-8), €50K EPT Super High Roller (December 8-10), €3K EPT Mystery Bounty (December 11-13), €2,200 EPT Mixed Game Main Event (December 12-14), and €10K EPT High Roller (December 13-15).
WPT World Championship: The Wynn Experience
In 2022, the World Poker Tour celebrated its 20th anniversary. In doing so, it wanted to bring its WPT World Championship back to its once prominent status, complete with a new partner. Alongside Wynn Las Vegas, the World Poker Tour offered a new and improved World Championship, complete with a substantial guarantee on the Main Event and in conjunction with WPT Prime’s season finale. The inaugural festival was so well-attended and praised within the poker community that the WSOP decided to put up a competing series the following year. Regardless, though, the WPT had taken over December for the US poker market.
The 2023 WPT WC went bigger with a massive $40M guarantee on its Main Event, but it missed by several million dollars. This year, there is no guarantee on the Main Event but, instead, a $5M freeroll to introduce players to the new ClubWPT Gold sweepstakes online poker site. And the Wynn will make it all elegant and a player-first experience once again.
- When: December 3-23, 2024
- Where: Wynn Las Vegas
- Total events: 55 tournaments, including satellites
- Schedule: PDF via Wynn website
- Main Event: $10,400 buy-in WPT WC Main Event (December 14-21)
As mentioned, the 2024 WPT World Championship at Wynn will also feature a $5M freeroll (December 13-15), with approximately 2,000 players winning their Golden Passports in free online giveaways online to play. Other featured events will be the $1K WPT Prime Championship with a $5M guarantee (December 8-14), $1K Ladies Championship with a $250K guarantee (December 14-15), $3K NLHE with a $3M guarantee (December 18-21), $25K Alpha 8 (December 18-19), and $1,600 Mystery Bounty with a $1M guarantee (December 20-22).
WSOP Paradise: Bracelets in Bahamas
The World Series of Poker wanted a piece of the December pie and introduced a WSOP Paradise series of bracelet events for December 2023. They incentivized some players to make the trek to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, and the bracelet opportunities themselves drew other players.
This year, in the hopes of increasing participation, and with new ownership of the WSOP by GGPoker parent company NSUS, the World Series and GGPoker announced bigger guarantees for WSOP Paradise. There will be 15 bracelets on the line and many millions on the line, not to mention a partnership with Triton Poker.
- When: December 6-19, 2024
- Where: Atlantis Resort, Bahamas
- Total events: 15 tournaments, plus side events and satellites
- Schedule: WSOP website
- Main Event: $26,00 buy-in WSOP Super Main Event with $50M GTD (December 12)
The schedule doesn’t clarify the number of days for the tournament or if there are online starting days, as there will be for some other events. Among the featured events will be the $1M buy-in Triton Million teams event (December 7), $2,500 Mystery Millions Online with a $5M guarantee (December 16), and the $10K buy-in GGMillion$ Championship with a $5M guarantee (December 16).
