After 21 years of bringing poker all over the globe, World PokerTour (WPT) Season XXII opens in Southeast Asia with the long-awaited WPT Championship! In partnership with Connaissance Management, this marks the world-renowned brand’s inaugural main tour launch in the region and the first time the brand boasts a USD 1,000,000 guarantee in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Excitement has been brewing for this event with eight days of pre-games witnessing impressive turnouts. Five WPT champions have already been spotted, namely Mel Judah (2003), Masato Yokosawa (2013), Dominik Nitsche (2013), Tony Dunst (2014), and two-time WPT champion Hoyt Corkins (2003 and 2010). These champions have the honor of being forever memorialized on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup. In an interview with Judah, he said he hadn’t seen the cup in 15 years and was thrilled to see his nameplate.
Tony Dunst
In addition to WPT Main Tour champions, other WPT decorated players have gotten an early start such as Dhaval Mudgal (2018 WPT DeepStacks Vietnam), Vincent Chauve (2019 WPT DeepStacks Vietnam), Zarvan Tumboli (2022 WPT Vietnam), and Ying Lin Chua (2016 WPT Philippines).
WPT Championship structure and info
The WPT Championship boasts one of the best structures in the world. Players start with a deep 50,000 stack which is 250 times the opening big blind. Day 1 levels increase at a slow 60 minute pace then to an even slower 90 minutes on Day 2 onwards until it drops to 45 minutes at heads up. Buy in stands at USD 3,500.
There are two starting days scheduled, Day 1A is on January 25 and Day 1B on January 26, both play a total of 11 levels, followed by Day 2, Day 3, and the official WPT Final 6 table. Day 1 registration closes at the start of Level 10 then bags up at the end of Level 11.
Alongside the substantial cash prize awaiting the champion and the honor of having their name inscribed among past winners on the trophy, the victor will receive an entry ticket valued at USD 10,400 for the 2024 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. WPT value-adds accommodation. The winner will also become a WPT Champions Club member.
