December is a really great time to visit Vegas with the Strip aglitter with holiday spirit. All the casinos try to better each other with millions of decorations, lights and mega-Christmas trees – and there’s nowhere better than Bellagio. The free fountain water show features a special performances of classic holiday tunes in the run-up to Christmas and the famous Atrium is also awash with decorations. The casino’s famous 13,573-square-foot, Conservatory & Botanical Gardens is a feast for the eyes with thousands of twinkling lights, more than 28,000 poinsettias and a 42-foot White Fir holiday tree.
As luck would have it, Bellagio also hosts one of the big poker events of the year in December with the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic. The overall festival is already under way but you still have plenty of time to book your flights and accommodation to take part in the six-day $10,000 Main Event which starts December 5, 2016.
The Five Diamond World Poker Classic has been a part of the World Poker Tour for all 15 seasons, dating back to 2002. The Main Event has awarded more than $77 million in prize money through the first 14 seasons and is where illustrious WPT Champions Club members Gus Hansen, Daniel Negreanu, Joe Hachem, and Antonio Esfandiari were all crowned.
The $10,400 Main Event highlights a 23-event schedule which runs November 25-December 10 at Bellagio. Main Event players will start with 30,000 in tournament chips, levels will last 90 minutes each, and registration will remain open until the start of Level 9 at approximately 5:15 p.m. PT on December 6. Last year’s Five Diamond Classic Main Event was won by American Kevin Eyster for $1,587,382 after he beat a 639-strong field.