After unveiling a new poker room at Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto in January, the effort to grow the area’s card-playing offerings has already paid some big dividends. The property is upping the ante and announced this week that Great Canadian will host Toronto’s first-ever World Series of Poker Circuit series this spring.
In partnership with GGPoker, the property will host eight WSOP Circuit championship ring events from March 22 to April 1 with an estimated total of $3.9 million in estimated prize pools.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with GGPoker to bring the World Series of Poker to Toronto for the first time,” casino general manager Robert Katsavelos said. “This is a fitting milestone that will create further momentum for our recently opened 30-table poker room at Great Canadian Toronto, Canada’s newest and largest casino resort.
“We are excited to welcome tournament participants from across the North American poker community and from right here in the City of Toronto and are certain that this event is going to be a huge success.”
Beyond Toronto, the WSOP Circuit is also rolling into two more Canadian provinces in the coming months, bringing players plenty of tournament fun and major prize pools to look forward to.
Details on the Series
Canada is no stranger to major poker tournament series and the WSOP Circuit also regularly hosts events at other casinos in the country as well (more on that below). However, this event allows the property to partner with GGPoker, the international online poker operator that also hosts a platform in Ontario in conjunction with the WSOP.
The WSOP Circuit is the series mid-major tour that features events around the world. The Great Canadian series brings players a $2,000 Main Event with a $2.1 million total prize pool guarantee. The action also includes a $3,500 High Roller with a $850,000 prize pool guarantee. The series builds on last summer’s record-breaking 54th annual WSOP.
GG sent 774 qualifiers to the Las Vegas Main Event last year and will exclusively offer online qualifying for the Toronto series. The company’s brand ambassadors will also be in attendance, including poker pro and Toronto native Daniel Negreanu.
“I have been playing WSOP events around the world for over 25 years,” Negreanu said. “There is something quite special about being able to finally compete in one in my hometown.”
Negreanu, one of the most recognized players in the game, produced a video on Twitter to hype the event and his appearance in his hometown.
The full schedule will be announced soon. Great Canadian Toronto is adjacent to Woodbine Racetrack and home to a 400-room hotel, 5,000-person entertainment venue, and 328,000 square feet of gaming space, including 4,800 slot machines, 175 live table games, VIP rooms, sports betting kiosks, and more.
Other Canadian WSOP Circuit Series Also on Tap
Canadian poker players have even more to look forward to in the coming months. Following the Great Canadian WSOP Circuit series, the tour also heads to Quebec and Alberta as well.
The Quebec series immediately follows the Toronto stop and heads to the Playground Poker Club in Montreal from April 8-23. The popular poker destination hosts an even larger series with 15 events and buy-ins ranging from $300 to $3,300. That includes a $300 Colossus event that kicks off the series and comes with a $500,000 guarantee and a hefty 11 starting flights.
A $400 Monster Stack event is also on tap with three starting flights and a $200,000 guarantee. The $1,700 Main Event features three starting flights and a guaranteed prize pool of $1.5 million. For a complete schedule, click here.
In Alberta, the WSOP Circuit heads to Deerfoot Inn & Casino from May 1-13 with 15 events and buy-ins ranging from $400 to $2,200. The $1,700 Main Event highlights the series on May 9, featuring three starting flights.
The schedule also includes: a $2,200 High Roller; $400 Ladies EVent; $400 Seniors Event; a $600 Mystery Bounty; and more. For a complete schedule, click here.
The Deerfoot has hosted WSOP Circuit series for several years with two playing out each year at the property each year over the last few years. The latest came in January and saw Edmonton’s Singh Chen come out on top in the Main Event for $334,891. The tournament brought in 1,475 entries for a $2.2 million prize pool. Calgary’s Hasanain Al Ghunaim finished runner-up for $206,978.
Canadian poker players have plenty to look forward to in the coming weeks and plenty of WSOP Circuit championship rings will be up for grabs.
