WSOP, WPT, EPT: Epic Poker December in 2023

The third series's a charm?

There are three major poker series for poker fans: WSOP, WPT, and EPT. Anyone with a trophy from any tournaments of such events is the owner of a "Triple Crown."

Although there has always been some competition between the three organizers, the fight has reached a new level this year.

On July 17, 2023, the WSOP Paradise was announced, a new stop to be held at the end of the year (December 3 - 14) at the Atlantis Casino in the Bahamas.

Two other major tournament events have already been announced in other parts of the world at this time:

1. WPT World Championship — from November 29 to December 23 at Wynn Casino in Las Vegas.
2. EPT Prague — from December 6-17 at King's Casino in the Czech Republic.

The WSOP executive director, Ty Stewart, emphasized that the new series was made possible thanks to the partnership with GGPoker.

Curiously, in 2020, this partnership began with a similar move: the first WSOP Online was announced for the same dates as the WPT World Online Championships in partypoker and the Stadium Series in PokerStars.

The WSOP Paradise World Series is creating a new brand along with the other two existing ones: WSOP Circuit and WSOP Europe.

Schedule and details

Four months before the start of the series, none of the organizers have yet released the full schedule, but we already know the most important events of each:

WSOP Paradise

There will be 15 bracelet events on the schedule. Their total guarantee will be $50M. 

Five main tournaments:

1. $5,000 WSOP Paradise Main Event $15M GTD.
2. $100,000 Super High Roller $5M GTD
3. $50,000 High Roller $2M GTD
4. $25,000 GGMillion$ Signature Event $10M GTD
5. $1,500 Mystery Bounty Event $5M GTD

Hence, 13 million dollars will be played for the remaining 10 events. The organizers said that some Omaha tournaments will be included in the schedule.

Interestingly, the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) is played in the same venue in January.

WPT World Championship

This series was held last December after a seven-year hiatus. Back then, 23 events were played, including a whopping $15M GTD Main Event for $10,4000, doubling the guarantee thanks to the massive assistance.

So far, we know about two tournaments on the schedule. The $10,400 Main Event and one of the most high-profile novelties of live poker this year:

As part of the WPT World Championship 2023, we expect the return of the Big One for One Drop for $1,000,000.

Recall that the million-dollar tournament was held only 4 times during WSOP, and the most massive of them was the first tournament, which was won by Antonio Esfandiari ($18,346,673).

EPT Prague

With rare exceptions, the Czech stage of the European Poker Tour has been held in December since 2007. The two other brands, WSOP and WPT, joined the last-year party recently.

So far, we have confirmed seven events:

1. Eureka* Main Event: €1,100
2. Eureka Cup: €440
3. Eureka High Roller: €2,200
4. EPT Super High Roller: €50,000
5. EPT Main Event: €5,300
6. EPT Mystery Bounty: €3,000
7. EPT High Roller: €10,300

*The EPT sub-brand was created initially for Eastern European countries.

Last year there were 54 events in the schedule of the series. Most likely, in this, their number will be similar. So EPT Prague 2023 will have the most extensive schedule compared to its competitors.

Which series to play?

Such a "coincidence" challenges players because many will be forced to choose one series or another, even dispersing the field.

Americans, top high rollers, and fans of tournaments with massive guarantees will have the tougher choice because WSOP Paradise and WPT World Championship are ideal for them. The only significant differences are bracelets and that The Bahamas is an ideal spot for a Caribbean vacation.

Asian and European players can travel easier to Prague, although many can also prefer competing for a bracelet.

Will online poker win?

The number of packages guaranteed by online poker rooms will strongly influence the popularity of all three series.

WSOP Paradise will gain an advantage over competitors in terms of the size of online satellites: the GGNetwork “undertakes” to send at least 1,000 players to the Bahamas.

This number can be even higher considering the GGPoker traffic, the global availability of different skins, and the ClubGG app. For example, 500 packages were guaranteed for the ME WSOP 2023, but 774 players were rewarded.

About the WPT World Championship, two online sites will guarantee packages: WPT Global and ClubWPT. However, both sites are unavailable in many countries as GGPoker; hence the number of packages should be lower.

PokerStars will debut the new 4-level Power Path satellites from $0.50. In the last step of $109, you can win Power Passes of $2,500 or $10,300, which can be used in any live event organized by the room, including the EPT.

In any case, poker fans worldwide will have many opportunities to travel to big tournaments in December 2023. Which will be the most popular series? — time will tell.

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