Florida Poker Rooms Only US Stops In Second Half Of Current WPT Season

Written By Aleeyah Jadavji on February 27, 2023
Only US stops will be in Florida in second half of WPT

The World Poker Tour released the second half of its Season XXI schedule on Feb. 23. It features exciting stops across the world. Aside from the season-ending WPT World Championship event held at Wynn Las Vegas, the only two US stops will be held in Florida.

One Florida stop remains in the first half of the World Poker Tour. The WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown $3,500 No-Limit Hold ’em Main Event runs April 28 through May 3 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. However, the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood will host a second WPT tournament series during the second half of this season. 

Both Florida stops will be in November

Live poker is booming in Florida, as several world-class poker rooms are available to players in The Sunshine State. Florida online poker, however, doesn’t really exist. Florida lawmakers only regulated brick-and-mortar poker at licensed live venues like casinos or pari-mutuels. As a result, Global Poker, which uses a sweepstakes model, is Florida’s best option for online poker.

WPT CEO Adam Pliska said the second half of the WPT will take place across the world.

“As we build out the remainder of the schedule for Season XXI of the World Poker Tour, we are happy to be returning to some familiar WPT hosts, while we also welcome a first-ever stop in Liechtenstein, continuing our pledge to bring poker to loyal players around the globe.”

The WPT bestbet Scramble $5,000 No-Limit Hold ’em Main Event runs Nov. 10 through 14 at bestbet Poker, Simulcast & Racing in Jacksonville, making its first return since 2019.

Just 10 days later, the action will move to Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood for the WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open. The $3,500 No-Limit Hold ’em Main Event will run Nov. 24 through 29.

Poker is booming in The Sunshine State

There are almost 30 poker rooms in Florida. Almost all of them feature both cash games and daily tournaments. In 2022, around 12 poker series were held per month in the state.

In 2022, a preliminary $400 no-limit hold’em event during the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open set a state record for the field size of a poker tournament. The $400 entry fee attracted 7,703 entries. Impressively, the Seminoles beat its own record of 6,196 entries from November 2021.

To date, the events at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood have made up eight of the 10 largest fields in the history of the World Poker Tour. With Florida being such a popular place to play poker, more records will likely soon be broken.

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Aleeyah Jadavji

Aleeyah hails from Toronto, Ontario in Canada, and has worked predominantly in the poker industry since 2015. From writing articles to interviewing big winners and live reporting on poker's biggest stages, she's seen it all. Aleeyah loves to cook and create content to showcase her passion for food and travel. She also loves sriracha and doesn't trust anyone that believes it's not a top-tier condiment.

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