We like to tell you all about the latest poker tips and tools to help with your game. By improving your poker skills you will be able to compete in bigger tournaments or just feel more confident playing on video poker machines.
Obviously, not everyone can be at the very top of the game. But hopefully, your poker skills have improved in the last few years and you can start dreaming about playing for even bigger prizes. We like to set our sights high, so here are five of the biggest poker tournaments in the world to aim for.
World Series of Poker
The WSOP is probably the most prestigious series of events in poker. It is one of the oldest, still-running poker tournaments out there and attracts the biggest audiences watching the best players. From seven entrants at the first event in 1970, the WSOP runs throughout the summer, with some events boasting thousands of players.
The aptly titled Main Event is the big one though. Usually taking place in the middle of the year, the most recent winner – Espen Jørstad – took home the $10,000,000 prize. Event winners also claim the highly coveted WSOP bracelet, the biggest non-monetary prize available for poker players.
World Poker Tour
Founded in the US in 2002, the World Poker Tour is another high-profile poker tournament that attracts the best players and is broadcast live worldwide. The events take place at the most popular casinos and every event has its own main event.
The buy-in ranges from $3,000 to $25,000 for the main tour events. But the winner can expect to leave the table with over a million dollars and will be a newfound celebrity on the poker circuit. As with many of the big poker series, the World Poker Tour also incorporates online events into its season.
World Championship of Online Poker
Capturing the popularity of playing poker online, the World Championship of Online Poker – or WCOOP – is the biggest of its kind. It was established by PokerStars in 2002 in an attempt to rival the World Series of Poker and cater for players who were introduced to the game online.
Although the main event is No Limit Hold ‘Em, plenty of other variations are played over the series of events. Although the main event winners’ prize is not as big as with the WSOP or WPT, the eventual champion in the last few years has claimed easily over a million dollars for their troubles.
The Big One for One Drop
This event has been hosted at the World Series of Poker since 2012 and was set up with the twin goals of producing a big poker event to add to the calendar – and raising a lot of money for a good cause. Canadian entrepreneur Guy Laliberté set up the event, as well as the One Drop Foundation.
His organization aims to provide safe drinking water in crisis zones and a portion of the entrance money for all competitors goes towards One Drop. It is the highest buy-in poker event in history and $111,111 is donated by every player. The Big One for One Drop takes place every two years but there are other related events also raising money for the charity. You can also start playing poker part time as well.
Triton Super High Roller Series
Although not quite as popular as the World Series of Poker, the Triton Super High Roller Series has made quite a splash on the poker scene in the last few years thanks to its six and seven-figure buy-ins. That cuts down the potential entrant pool but makes for a fascinating watch.
This organization followed the Big One for One Drop’s lead and includes philanthropy as one of its main features. With events taking place all around the world, Triton has raised money for charities working with people in those locations, as well as donating to the One Drop Foundation.