WPT Prepares for First Half of Season XXI Starting in Paris

Written by: Jennifer Newell January 4, 2023 Affiliate Disclaimer

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In December 2022, the World Poker Tour held a 20th anniversary party like no other. There were tournaments and cash games, meals and entertainment, money and more money. The WPT World Championship delivered 20 days of poker action and concluded the company’s 20th season in a big way. There may…

In December 2022, the World Poker Tour held a 20^th anniversary party like no other. There were tournaments and cash games, meals and entertainment, money and more money. The WPT World Championship delivered 20 days of poker action and concluded the company’s 20^th season in a big way.

There may be a hangover. That doesn’t mean the WPT team will take a break and revel in its success, though. There is a Season XXI to plan and prepare for.

Before the WPT World Championship even wrapped in Las Vegas, there was a press release with a schedule for the first half of Season XXI.

Wrapping Up History

We’ve written about it already. The WPT World Championship festival was a historic poker series. So, while all eyes in the poker world were on the World Poker Tour, it was a perfect opportunity to announce some of the initial stops in 2023.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from all of us @WPT!
We can't wait to see you in 2023!
View the first half of next year's schedule here: https://t.co/wCpghPTmjS pic.twitter.com/ZAdylPI5XY
— World Poker Tour (@WPT) December 24, 2022

First, though, it’s important to look at the entirety of the 2022 series of the World Poker Tour. By tracking the Main Event tournaments of each WPT main tour stop and WPT Prime stop, we came up with these numbers:

WPT main tour: 13,544 entries in 10 events / $70,797,900 paid to 1,700 players
WPT Prime: 9,651 entries in 6 events / $9,236,275 paid to 1,205 players

The relatively low numbers for WPT Prime are a result of the rebranding of WPTDeepStacks to WPT Prime, with the latter beginning about halfway through the year. Its first full year will be 2023.

Speaking of which, this year’s action will make up Season XXI. For the second year in a row, the World Poker Tour will hold the season in conjunction with the calendar year. And it will combine WPT Prime – the series of mid-stakes buy-ins – with the WPT’s main tour, to offer poker players around the world a variety of live poker options.

Getting Ready for 2023

The WPT’s release of the Season XXI starter schedule came with some expected stops and the results of some new partnerships.

WPT VP of Global Tour Management Angelica Hael thanked all of the live partners worldwide, as well as the players for their support. “It is the pride of WPT to offer such a wide range of tournament festivals when it comes to buy-in and location,” she said.

That brings us to the schedule, per the press release. The dates provided are for the Main Event only, as the dates of the entire festivals remain mostly unpublished so far.

WPT Prime Paris (Jan 31-Feb 5) at Club Circus Paris in France
WPT Prime Gold Coast (Mar 2-6) at the Star Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia
WPT Prime Cambodia (Mar 16-20) at Naga World Integrated Resort in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
WPT Prime Amsterdam (Mar 29-Apr 1) at Holland Casino in Amsterdam, Netherlands
WPT Rolling Thunder (Apr 1-4) at Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, California
WPT Prime India (Apr 13-17) at Deltin Royale Casino in Goa, India
WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown (Apr 28-May 2) at Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida
WPT Choctaw (May 5-8) at Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma
WPT Prime Slovakia (May 11-15) at Card Casino Bratislava in Slovakia
WPT Gardens Poker Championship (May 21-25) at Gardens Casino in Hawaiian Gardens, California
WPT Prime Vietnam (May 25-29) at Crown Poker Club in Hanoi, Vietnam
WPT Prime Sanremo (Jun 7-11) at Casino di Sanremo in Italy

There is one more stop listed on the Hendon Mob database, which is an October WPT Prime Aix en Provence in France.

The World Poker Tour will reveal more tour stops as they solidify contracts and obtain the proper regulatory approvals.

WPT Prime Details

Seeing as this is the first tour stop on the 2023 schedule and starting in just a few weeks, there are details for WPT Prime Paris.

Want to kick off 2023 from Paris, France? 🇫🇷
We head to @ClubCircusParis in less than 3 weeks for #WPTPrimeParis @TexapokerEvents!
Festival Dates: Jan 22 – Feb 5
Main Event Dates: Jan 31 – Feb 5
More Info: https://t.co/EPM3FavMTB pic.twitter.com/IYu4gWWWIB
— World Poker Tour (@WPT) January 4, 2023

The festival will begin on January 22 with the first of three starting days in the €500 buy-in WPT Opener tournament. A €400 buy-in WPT Turbo will also run that day. In total, there will be 27 tournaments, including the Main Event:

€1,100 buy-in WPT Prime Paris Main Event (4 starting days, reentries): Jan 31-Feb 5

That Main Event final table on February 5 will be livestreamed.

The Hendon Mob has information about the WPT Prime Gold Coast as well. That 14-event festival will kick off on February 23 with the WPT Opening Event, which offers two starting flights and an A$1K buy-in. As for the Main Event, it will be: