The World Poker Tour (WPT) lit up the global poker scene in 2024 with a thrilling series of events that brought record-breaking prize pools, dramatic showdowns, and a new generation of champions to the felt.
From Las Vegas to Cambodia, the tour captivated fans and players alike. With standout performances from both seasoned pros and breakout stars, the 2024 season cemented WPT’s reputation as the premier stage for high-stakes poker drama and global competition.
For info on the latest WPT festival, check out our complete World Poker Tour guide.
2024 WPT World Championship
The overall schedule for the 2024 WPT World Championship festival featured over 60 events with main tournaments and numerous satellites and qualifiers.
The World Poker Tour partnered with ClubWPT Gold to launch a brand new sweepstakes site, and to celebrate the launch, they held a massive $5,000,000 freeroll. The freeroll was a part of the 2024 WPT World Championship Festival schedule, awarding $1,000,000 for the winner and 100 seats to the $10,400 Championship event, among other things.
To qualify for the Invitational Freeroll, players just needed to register an account with ClubWPT Gold and then take part in different promotions that were running all the way up to the event.
In total, 2,000 seats were given away to the largest freeroll tournament in poker history but only 1,457 players turned out to play. When all the dust settled, the win went to Chase Bricker, who took home the promised $1,000,000 first prize.
2024 WPT & WPT Prime Information
The 2024 World Poker Tour schedule comprises numerous events taking place all over the world. Each stop features the Main Event with a buy-in of $3,500 – $5,000 and numerous side events.
| Dates | Event | Championship Event Dates | Buy-In | Prize Pool / GTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 17 – 30 | WPT Cambodia | Jan 25 – 29 | $3,500 | $2,432,760 |
| Mar 7 – 26 | WPT Rolling Thunder | Mar 23 – 26 | $3,500 | 1,465,600 |
| Mar 25 – Apr 3 | WPT Korea | Mar 28 – Apr 2 | KRW 2,800,000 | KRW 2,603,286,000 |
| Apr 1 – 3 | WPT Voyage Championship | Apr 1 – 3 | $5,000 | $1,347,800 |
| Apr 3 – 23 | WPT Seminole Hardrock | Apr 19 – 23 | $3,500 | $5,980,800 |
| Apr 17 – May 6 | WPT Choctaw | May 3 – 6 | $3,800 | $2,110,500 |
| May 9 – 22 | WPT Montreal | May 16 – 20 | CAD 3,500 | CAD 2,822,400 |
| June 18 – 24 | WPT Macau | CANCELED | HKD 40,000 | CANCELED |
| June 25 – 26 | WPT Alpha8 Trifecta | June 25 – 26 | $25,000 | $1,864,200 |
| July 3 – 4 | WPT Alpha8 Trifecta | July 3 – 4 | $25,000 | $2,581,200 |
| July 10 – 11 | WPT Alpha8 Trifecta | July 10 – 11 | $25,000 | $2,796,300 |
| Sep 20 – 25 | WPT Australia | Sep 20 – 25 | AUD 8,000 | AUD 2,930,400 |
| Oct 13 – 30 | WPT Playground | Oct 24 – 30 | CAD 3,500 | CAD 2,688,000 |
| Nov 15 – 19 | WPT bestbet Scramble | Nov 15 – 19 | $5,000 | TBA |
| Nov 16 – 22 | WPT Korea Championship | Nov 16 – 22 | KRW 2,500,000 | KRW 1.68B |
| Nov 29 – Dec 4 | WPT Seminole Hard Rock | Nov 29 – Dec 4 | $3,500 | $4,592,000 |
| Dec 3 – Dec 23 | WPT World Championship | Dec 3 – Dec 21 | $10,400 | $23,441,600 |
- WPT Cambodia Championship 2024: World Poker Tour picked Cambodia as the first destination for 2024, and the event delivered far beyond expectations. The $3,500 Championship event came with a guarantee of $1,000,000 but that goalpost was handsomely exceeded thanks to the 760-strong turnout, which translated into the prize pool of over $2.4 million. Konstantin Held, the eventual winner, took home $361,310 for his efforts.
- WPT Rolling Thunder Championship 2024: The WPT Rolling Thunder Championship was the second WPT Live stop for 2024 and it took place at Thunder Valley Casino & Resort, The $3,500 Championship event attracted a total of 458 entries, creating a prize pool of almost $1.5 million. Casey Sandretto, the eventual winner of the event, took home the lion’s share of that prize pool, pocketing $246,600 for his efforts.
- WPT Korea Championship 2024: The WPT Korea Championship took place March 28 – April 2, 2024 at the Jeju Shinhwa World. The event featured a buy-in of KRW 2.8 million, which is just around $2,000, and it attracted 1,065 players. When it was all said and done, the title went to Mate Hanusi, who picked up just over $320k for his performance.
- WPT Voyage Championship 2024: The 2024 WPT Voyage Championship took place April 1 – 3 on board of a cruise ship, The event had a million guarantee, but that guarantee was blown out of the water as 293 entrants ended up creating the prize pool of well over $1.3 million. After three days of play, the Championship title went to Aram Oganyan, who pocketed $214,245 for his performance.
- WPT Seminole Hardrock Poker Showdown Championship 2024: The Championship event came with a promise of $3,000,000, but that guarantee was blown out of the water as 1,869 entries translated into a prize pool just shy of $6,000,000. Unlike most WPT Championship event, this one was paused when it reached the final table of six. The final six players came back to Las Vegas to play down to the winner, and when it was all said and done, it was Josh Reichard taking home the win and $839,300 for his efforts.
- WPT Choctaw Championship 2024: In May 2024, the World Poker Tour visited Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma, for one of its usual live stops. The $3,800 Championship event attracted a total of 603 entries, creating the prize pool in excess of $2.1 million. The tournament played down to the final table of six, with the last six players playing down to the winner in Las Vegas on May 30. When it was all said and done, the WPT trophy and the first-place money of $361,600 went to James Mackey.
- WPT Montreal Championship 2024: The WPT Montreal Championship event took place May 16 – 20 at the popular Playground Casino in Montreal, The event’s original guarantee of CAD 2,000,000 was blown out of the water thanks to 882 entrants, which created the total prize pool of over CAD 2.8 million. When it was all said and done, the winner took home CAD 434,900.
- WPT Macau Championship 2024: For the first time in its 22-year history, the World Poker Tour was headed to Macau, a Chinese region often referred to as Las Vegas of Asia. However, the tournament was canceled a few weeks before the official start, with a promise of bringing the Macau stop at a later date.
- WPT Alpha8 Trifecta 2024: The WPT Alpha8 Trifecta featured three high-roller tournaments with buy-ins of $25,000 for each event. The three tournaments took place over the span of two weeks (June 25 – July 11), at the Wynn, attracting some of the biggest names in poker.
- WPT Australia Championship 2024: The World Poker Tour made its way to Australia in September to host its Championship event at the The Star Gold Coast Casino in Broadbeach, Queensland. The tournament attracted a total of 396 entries and the title went to the poker legend that is James Obst, who pocketed just over AUD 585k for his efforts.
- WPT Playground Championship 2024: The World Poker Tour returned to Canada, with poker festivities taking place at the Playground Poker Club in Montreal this time around. The WPT Playground Championship featured the buy-in of CAD 3,500, and it attracted a total of 840 entries, with Michael Wang outlasting the other 839 to walk away with the prestigious title and CAD 384,738 for his efforts.
- WPT bestbet Scramble Championship 2024: One of the final WPT stops for 2024 played out in Jacksonville, Florida, with the $5,000 Championship event attracting a respectable crowd of 361 entries, which was enough to create a prize pool in excess of $1.6 million. When it was all said and done, the win went to Nick Yunis, a man who’s found a lot of success on the virtual felt, but a major live title continued to elude him. This is no longer the case as Yunis can add a WPT champion title to his list of accomplishments, alongside over $300k he got for the first place finish.
- WPT Korea Championship 2024: The highly anticipated WPT Championship event in South Korea did not fail to meet the expectations. The tournament ended up attracting 667 entries, generating the prize pool of KRW 1.68 billion (just shy of $1.2 million). Miao Chenxiang was the last man standing, outlasting the massive field and picking up a coveted WPT Champion title and the first-place prize of KRW 300,000,000 (just over $210,000) for his stunning performance.
- WPT Seminole Hard Rock Championship 2024: The WPT Seminole Hard Rock Championship was a roaring success once again, attracting a total of 1,435 entries, which resulted in the prize pool of $4.6 million. The lion’s share of the massive prize pot went to Dylan Smith, whose name will be added to the Mike Sexton WPT Championship Cup, and he picked up $662,000 for this triumph.
- WPT World Championship 2024: The seson-ending WPT World Championship attracted 2,392 entries in total, generating a big prize pool of over $23 million. The event featured three starting flights and five more days of play after that. After a grueling but exciting week of poker action, Scott Stewart emerged victorious, picking up $2.5 million for his win and adding his name to the legendary Mike Sexton Cup.
2024 WPT Prime Schedule
WPT Prime is a fairly recent addition to the World Poker Tour. The series was established in 2022 to complement the main tour, bringing similar excitement and big prize pools but with much more affordable buy-ins.
Usually, a WPT Prime Main Event will feature a buy-in of $1,100, while most side events only cost a few hundred dollars to enter.
| Dates | Event | Championship Event Dates | Buy-In | Prize Pool / GTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26 – Feb 5 | WPT Prime Aix-en-Provence | Feb 1 – 5 | €1,100 | €727,680 |
| Mar 15 – 23 | WPT Prime Amsterdam | Mar 17 – 22 | €1,100 | €1,289,400 |
| Apr 1 – 4 | WPT Prime Voyage Championship | Apr 1 – 4 | $1,100 | $968,000 |
| Apr 4 – 15 | WPT Prime Slovakia | Apr 11 – 15 | €1,100 | €702,720 |
| Apr 10 – 23 | WPT Prime Gold Coast | Apr 19 – 23 | AUD $2,000 | AUD $2,511,000 |
| May 9 – 22 | WPT Montreal | May 12 – 17 | CAD 1,150 | CAD 1,291,000 |
| May 31 – June 10 | WPT Prime San Remo | June 6 – 10 | €1,100 | €734,140 |
| Aug 6 – 19 | WPT Prime Taiwan | Aug 15 – 19 | TWD 33,000 | TBA |
| Aug 15 – 26 | WPT Prime Cyprus | Aug 22 – 26 | $1,100 | $1,165,940 |
| Aug 28 – Sep 9 | WPT Prime Lichtenstein | Sep 5 – 9 | CHF 1,100 | CHF 1,411,000 |
| Sep 12 – 16 | WPT Prime UK | Sep 13 – 16 | £1,100 | £263,040 |
| Oct 14 – 28 | WPT Prime Paris | Oct 23 – 28 | €1,100 | €1,192,320 |
| Oct 13 – 30 | WPT Prime Playground | Oct 20 – 25 | CAD 1,150 | CAD 1,587,000 |
| Dec 3 – 23 | WPT Prime Championship Wynn | Dec 8 – 14 | $1,100 | $9,379,900 |
- WPT Prime Aix-en-Provence Championship 2024*: The 2024 WPT Prime season opened with an event in picturesque Aix-en-Provence in France. The Championship event attracted 758 entries for the final prize pool of €727,680. Yakiv Syzghanov took home the lion’s share of that prize pool after being the last man standing in the tournament, claiming €133,400 for his performance.
- WPT Prime Amsterdam Championship 2024: The capital of Netherlands played the host for the second stop on the 2024 WPT Prime schedule. The WPT Prime Amsterdam Championship took place in late March, looking to match and exceed the last year’s success. In 2023, the tournament attracted an even number of 1,000 entries for the prize pool of €970,000 and the top prize in excess of €160,000. The event achieved its goal, as it ended up with a total of 1,340 entries, creating the prize pool of almost €1.3 million. The eventual winner, Rutger Hennen picked up €209,775 for his stellar run in the 2024 WPT Prime Amsterdam Championship.
- WPT Prime Voyage Championship 2024: The WPT Prime Voyage Championship took place alongside the main WPT Championship during the first week of April. The Championship event had a guaranteed prize pool of $500,000, but by the time it was all said and done, that guarantee was almost doubled. The tournament ended up with a total prize pool of $968,000 created by 968 entries, and the eventual winner took home $155,400.
- WPT Prime Slovakia Championship 2024: Card Casino in Bratislava played the host to the WPT Prime Championship from April 11 – 15. The event ended up attracting quite a crowd, with a total of 732 entries, which was more than enough to shatter the €500,000 guarantee. Of those 732 entries, 95 players made the money, sharing in on the prize pool of €702,720. Germany’s Fabian Gumz emerged victorious, pocketing €117,980.
- WPT Prime Gold Coast Championship 2024: Proving itself a truly international tour, WPT Prime traveled to Australia for the WPT Prime Gold Coast Championship that took place at The Star Casino, featuring a $2,000 buy-in event. By the time the registration ended, the tournament clock was showing 1,395 entries and a big prize pool of AUD $2,511,000. Lorenz Schöllhorn was the last man standing in the event, claiming AUD $401,510 for his efforts, including a seat in the WPT World Championship event in December.
- WPT Prime Montreal Championship 2024: The WPT Prime Championship event at Playground Casino in Montreal took place May 12 – 17, a few days ahead of the main WPT Championship tournament. The tournament managed to easily blow past its original guarantee of CAD 1,000,000 thanks to 1,291 entries who generated the prize pool of almost CAD 1.3 million. One Jikai Zhang was the last man standing from the massive field, picking up CAD 165,070 for his efforts.
- WPT Prime San Remo Championship 2024: The first half of the 2024 WPT Prime schedule ended with a WPT Prime event taking place at the Sanremo Casino in Italy. The event attracted a total of 781 entries, culminating in victory by Priamo Carta, who picked up $135,317 for his efforts.
- WPT Prime Cyprus Championship 2024: The WPT Prime Cyprus Championship event ended up attracting 1,202 players, which was enough to break its million guarantee, bringing the total prize pool to almost $1.2 million. Taking home the win was Romanian player Tudor Purice, who banked $183,270 for his success, which was the biggest live cash of his career so far.
- WPT Prime Liechtenstein Championship 2024: The WPT Prime Liechtenstein Championship exceeded expectations by quite a margin, attracting 1,411 runners to blow the CHF 1,000,000 guarantee out of the water. The last man standing was Marc Sen, who finished the runner-up in this very event last year, improving his score and taking home $248,056 for his outstanding performance.
- WPT Prime UK Championship 2024: The WPT Prime UK Championship took place at Nottingham’s legendary Dusk Till Dawn Poker Club, attracting 274 entries and generating the prize pool of £263,040. When the dust settled, the man holding all the chips was one Timothy Chung, who took home £67,660 for his efforts. The prize includes £57,660 in cash and the £10,000 package to the WPT World Championship taking place in Las Vegas in December
- WPT Prime Paris Championship 2024: The 2024 WPT Prime Championship in Paris took place towards the end of October, with the €1,100 event attracting a grand total of 1,242 entries, which was enough to create the prize pool of almost €1.2 million. The lion’s share of that prize pool went to Hugues Girard, who secured €170,000 for his victory in the tournament.
- WPT Prime Playground Championship 2024: The World Poker Tour put on a show at the Playground Poker Club in Montreal in October, with several big-guarantee tournaments that attracted large crowds. The 2024 WPT Prime Playground Championship ended up with 1,587 entries, resulting in a prize pool of almost CAD 1.6 million.
- WPT Prime Championship at the Wynn 2024: The year-ending WPT Prime Championship at the Wynn attracted an impressive field of 9,670 runners, coming ever so close to breaking the last year’s record. While the tournament didn’t quite get across the 10,000 entries mark, it was nonetheless an impressive field for a live tournament. Blowing its initial guarantee of $5,000,000 out of the water, the tournament ended up with a prize pool of almost $9.4 million. The eventual winner Zak VanKeuren thus pocketed an impressive amount of $1,162,350 for outlasting the other 9,669 hopefuls.
Brief History of the WPT Live
The World Poker Tour was established in 2002, starting with a vision of Steven Lipscomb, an attorney and television producer who wanted to create a poker show that would highlight all the excitement of the game. The first season of the WPT aired the next year, in 2003.
The first season of the WPT Live featured a series of high stakes poker tournament at different venues across the United States, with many well-known players like Howard Lederer and Gus Hansen making appearances and leaving their mark.
In the years to follow, the World Poker Tour went from strength to strength, becoming a major live series in the United States and attracting all big-name pros like Daniel Negreanu, Antonio 'The Magician’ Esfandiari, Doyle Brunson, and many more. The legendary duo of Mike Sexton and Vince van Patten provided commentary and helped make the broadcast as exciting for the viewers as it was for those actually playing the game.
After becoming a major name in the United States, the World Poker Tour continued to expand its reach, establishing events in Europe, Asia, and Australia, becoming a truly global brand, not just in the name but in the presence.
In 2022, the tour went a step further, introducing WPT Prime. Running concurrently with the main WPT Live tour, WPT Prime features mid-stakes tournaments, allowing more players to get the full WPT experience. Just like the main tour, WPT Prime has been a great success.
The same year, 2022, saw the debut of the WPT World Championship, a $10k event that featured an unprecedented $15,000,000 guarantee, which was blown out of the water. In 2023, the organizers shocked the poker world, as the 2023 version of the event guaranteed $40,000,000, setting a new record for the largest-ever guarantee in live poker.