The WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic has become a December tradition as the biggest poker tournament to close out the calendar year.
December is also a really great time to visit Las Vegas – the Strip is aglow with high-florescence festive spirit and all the casinos are vying to impress. There’s still nowhere better than the Bellagio though – with stunning decorations, lights and mega-Christmas trees.
The overall Five Diamond World Poker Classic festival, which comprises nearly 30 different tournaments, gets underway on Thursday – with the six-day $10,400 Main Event starting Monday, December 16. There’s only one starting flight but registration remains open – with unlimited re-entries – until Day 2. For the past seven years in a row, the winner has won at least $1 million.
The Five Diamond World Poker Classic has been a part of the World Poker Tour for all 18 seasons, dating right back to 2002. Previous winners include Gus Hansen, Daniel Negreanu, Joe Hachem, and Antonio Esfandiari. Last year, American pro Dylan Linde took it down after besting a 1,001-entry field for a first prize of $1,631,468.
Other tournaments on the packed Five Diamond World Poker Classic schedule include a $1k Seniors event, numerous NL tourneys, the Bellagio $10k 8-Game Mix High Roller and the Bellagio $25k NLH High Roller. The final event of the festival is the two-day Bellagio $100k NLH High Roller starting December 21.
The six-handed WPT Final Table on December 21 will be live-streamed on a 30-minute delay on WPT.com.