The World Poker Tour returns for the Five Diamond World Poker Classic main event at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas from Dec. 15-19. The event ends with Season XIX opening a new era in 2022 in time for its 20th anniversary.
The $10,400 buy-in event, which has been the mainstay of WPT since the first season in 2002, will be the last event for season XIX. The final table will be filmed for broadcast at the HyperX Esports Arena at Luxor Hotels & Casinos and will be broadcast on Bali Sports later.
"Belagio has a special meaning for the world poker tour," said Adam Pliska, WPT's president and CEO. "The Five Diamond World Poker Classic was the first world poker tour event, and it seems fitting to finish the current season there before starting the historic 20th season in January."
The last time WPT was in Bellagio was in December 2019, when Alex Fox topped the 1,035 entry field at the XVIII Five Diamond World Poker Classic, winning $1,694,995 and his first WPT title.
WPT Season XIX The Player of the Year race will also end at Bellagio. Through six tournaments this season, Brian Altman, Rock Gostisa and Chad Eblage are in first place in a three-way race with 1,450 points. WPT Seminole Rock and Roll Poker Open champion Gediminas Uslis is just 50 points clear.
"We are excited to finish our season with a showcase event with one of our oldest partners," said Angelica Haal, vice president of WPT at Global Tour Management. "From there, we're ready to head into season XX and put a much bigger spotlight on our partners, our champions and our tour."
Beginning with season XX, all WPT seasons now start in January and run through December, usually changing to previous schedules beginning every spring. The first event of the season XX calendar is the Lucky Hearts Poker Open, running Jan. 13-26 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.