WPT SHRPS Meet Up Game & Charity Tournament Take Focus
4 minutes
Last Updated: April 19, 2024
The WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown has been running preliminary weeks for two weeks at this point, and the time has come to transition from those to the Main Event, which kicks off tomorrow.
However, before the WPT Championship event could start, WPT made sure that players coming to town to enjoy the event were welcomed the right way, with WPT Ambassador Brad Owen playing host to another spectacular WPT Meet Up Game.
Similar to Meet Up Games at other World Poker Tour venues, this one also featured quite a few well-known names in the poker world playing significantly lower stakes than they usually do for the sake of the players who might not get a chance to experience playing with them otherwise.
This morning, the Meet Up Game attracted dozens of players, with tables firing up as early as 11 AM, and action going on for hours, with chips changing hands and big pots brewing as WPT Ambassadors made their way across the hall and made sure that everyone gets a chance to play with them.
Brad Owen and Vince Van Patten Play Hosts
Cash games are big part of any WPT festival, and they have been running at the famous Guitar Hotel every day of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown thus far, but there is something that makes a Meet Up Game different from others.
Namely, it is the chance to play with WPT Ambassadors, whose names, voices, and game so many fans of the game have come to respect over the years.
This time around, the famous YouTube Vlogger Brad Owen played the role of the host. Who better for such a role, considering that him and Andrew Neeme basically invented the concept of a MUG.
He was joined by Vince Van Patten, the WPT commentator whose voice has become a staple on the Tour, and may very well be one of the most well-known voices in the poker world.
The two took to the tables before noon, and spent their afternoon hanging out with the players, playing some $2/5 No Limit Hold’em, and making sure everyone got a handshake, autograph, or a picture as requested.
The practice of Meet Up Games at WPT stops has become the norm at this point, and for many fans it is one of the most enjoyable parts of an entire WPT festival.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hosts “Make-A-Wish Charity Tournament”
WPT has been supporting various charities through its work since the very start, and it continues to do so at this year’s WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.
Along with the Meet Up Game, the WPT Ambassadors made their appearance for the 5:30 PM reception as part of the Larry Frank Memorial Charity Event for Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The event started with a reception that included a silent auction of numerous valuable items, including trips to Las Vegas, signed sporting attire, entry into celebrity cash games, poker coaching programs, and much more.
Following the reception, players and Ambassadors alike moved to the tournament area, where they jumped into a turbo $300 Texas Hold’em event, with top place finished winning a grand prize of $5,000 and a $3,500 entry into the WPT Championship event that starts tomorrow.
Despite some very handsome rewards being included in the prize pool along with this, the focus of this event was on charity, as players came together to help a good cause and bring smiles to the faces of those who need it the most.
Make-A-Wish foundation goes above and beyond to create life-changing experiences for children diagnosed with critical illnesses and conditions, often helping them find the will to fight and even overcome the situation.
The tournament hosted at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino tonight once again demonstrated that the poker community has a big heart and is always there to help those who are most in need.
Great turnout for both the silent auction and the Charity Tournament ended up amassing thousands of dollars for a good cause, while one lucky winner came out on top and won his seat to tomorrow’s Main Event.
WPT Championship Starts Tomorrow
The weeks of build-up at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino were all in preparation for tomorrow, as the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship starts at 11 AM.
If you are already down in Florida, you will have a chance to enter the Championship on Friday and Saturday, with just two Day 1 flights organized this time around.
With a price tag of $3,500, the Championship guarantees a prize pool of $3,000,000, which means nearly 1,000 entries or more are expected over the two starting flights.
As is usually the case, the Championship event will feature a very deep structure and allow for a lot of play during Day 1 action, as players make their deep runs and edge closer to the money.
All survivors will come back for Day 2 action on Sunday at noon, two further days of action running on Monday and Tuesday.
On Tuesday, we will see the field shrink down to a final table, which will play out on May 29 at the HyperX in Las Vegas.
Day 5 of the action will be streamed from HyperX on May 29, as WPT names the next Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown champion, who will inherit this title from Bin Weng, the 2023 WPT Player of the Year.
Last year, Weng won over $1.1 million in this event, as the prize pool swell to over $7 million and easily eclipsed the $3 million guarantee.
This time around, the folks at WPT will be hoping for an even bigger turnout and an even more massive prize pool, as players from all over the world continue to flock to Florida even as you read this text.
