Live tournament poker has already returned to Las Vegas with several properties holding in-house events. Leading the way is the Venetian, which kicked off its latest DeepStack Extravaganza on October 26. The series will run through November 29 and offer more than $1.6 million in guarantees.
That includes a pair of premier mid-major Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) stops. From November 13-15, a $1,100 buy-in, $200K GTD Main Event will take place followed by a $1,600 buy-in, $400K GTD Main Event from November 19-23. The events mark the 168th and 169th Main Events respectively for the MSPT, which launched in December 2009.
Both tournaments, which will be live reported by PokerNews, are expected to be busy, meaning players will have a chance to pre-register for the tournament. All pre-registered stacks will be in play at 11:10 a.m. when the tournaments begin.
| Date | Buy-In | Tournament | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 13-15 | $1,100 | MSPT Venetian | $200,000 |
| November 19-23 | $1,600 | MSPT Venetian | $400,000 |
The $1,100 buy-in Main Event will start players with 25,000 in chips and play 40-minute levels. Day 1a will take place on Friday, November 13 with Day 1b on Saturday, November 14. Late registration will remain open until 6:25 p.m. both days. The surviving players from both flights will return at 11 a.m. on Sunday, November 15 to play down to a winner.
As for the $1,600 buy-in Main Event, that tournament will start players with 30,000 in chips and play 60-minute levels. There will also be three starting flights instead of two starting with Day 1a at 11:10 a.m. on Thursday, November 19. Days 1b and 1c will take place at the same time on Friday, November 20, and Saturday, November 21 respectively. Late registration will remain open until 1:15 p.m. on Day 2, which will play out on Sunday, November 22.
During the Venetian DeepStack Extravaganza, players must wear a mask and sanitize their hands before sitting down. Action is 8-handed at tables featuring Plexiglass dividers, which are wiped down each time a new player comes in. Additionally, dealers are required to sanitize their hands each time they enter and exit a table, and fresh decks of cards are circulated every two hours.
Click here to view the entire Venetian DeepStack Extravaganza schedule
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MSPT Looks to Continue Momentum
Due to the pandemic, Season 11 of the MSPT was interrupted at the beginning of March. After a six-month hiatus, the tour returned August 28-30 at Grand Falls Casino, which is situated just outside Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The stop proved to be a tremendous hit asthe $1,100 buy-in, $100K GTD Main Event attracted 518 entries, well ahead of the venue’s previous record of 238 runners from 2015.
The MSPT is slated to return to Grand Falls on December 18-20 to close out the abbreviated season.
Meanwhile, the upcoming Venetian stops actually mark the second time the tour has visited the venue this year. Back at the end of January, the MSPT hosted the annual $1,100 buy-in, $1 million GTD Poker Bowl, a tournament that attracted 1,093 entries. The night before the Kansas City Chiefs dispatched the San Francisco 49ers to win Super Bowl LIV, Bob Whalen claimed $100,682 in prize money after a five-way deal was struck.
While there is a lot of excitement surrounding the upcoming MSPT events, the tour and venue are already looking ahead to Season 12 with a tentatively-scheduled MSPT Venetian stop on January 1-3, 2021.
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