WPT Montreal Added to WPT Season XXII

16 Jul 2024

Jonathan Raab 16 Jul 2024

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WPT announced addition of WPT Montreal to the 2024 calendar
First WPT event in Montreal since 2019
The festival in May will feature three main events

World Poker Tour Returns to Montreal, new event added to WPT Season XXII

The World Poker Tour has announced the addition of WPT Montreal to its Season XXII lineup, marking its first event in the city since 2019. WPT Montreal will include three Championship events spread over a 14-day extravaganza at the iconic Playground Poker Club. The festival features $3,500,000 CAD in guaranteed prize money and will run from May 9-22, 2024.

Adam Pliska, CEO of WPT, expressed his excitement about the tour’s return to the Playground, commenting

We look forward to returning to Canada and have a lot in store with events spanning multiple World Poker Tour levels.

At the heart of the tournament schedule is the $3,500 CAD buy-in WPT Montreal Championship, boasting a guaranteed prize pool of $2,000,000 CAD. Scheduled for May 16-20.

Phil Sabbah, CEO of Playground, reflecting on the significance of WPT Montreal returning to Playground, said

Since our landmark inaugural event in 2012, Playground has been the backdrop for groundbreaking moments in poker, including crowning the first female champion in a WPT open event and witnessing the legendary Mike Sexton secure his first WPT Championship.

The first female winner that Phil Sabbah is referring to is Ema Zajmovic, who in 2017 took down the WPT Montreal Championship event, claiming the first place prize of $241,500 CAD. Zajmovic remains the only female winner of a WPT Main Event, however she went very close to claiming a second WPT Championship as she finished runner up twice in 2018. The first of these was in the WPT Amsterdam Main Event and the second was at the Playgound again. She also made the final table at the WPT Montreal event that was won by Mike Sexton, just a few months before she won her own title.

The last WPT event in Montreal, held in late 2019 drew 1,109 entries and generated a prize pool of $3,327,000 CAD. It was won by Geoffrey, for a payday of $500,000 CAD and a spot on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup.

Additional Tournaments and Broadcasts

The festival will also include a $1,150 CAD WPT Prime Montreal Championship, running from May 12-17, complete with a $1,000,000 CAD guarantee. Both the WPT Prime Montreal Championship and the WPT Montreal Championship will have their final tables televised on May 21 and May 22, respectively, with live streaming available on WPT's YouTube and Twitch channels. The festival also schedule includes a WPT500 Championship event from May 9-13. The full tournament schedule is still pending.

Beyond the tournaments on the schedule, there is a Meet-Up Game planned, to be hosted by WPT Ambassador Brad Owen on May 14.

Online Qualification at WPT Global

WPT Global, the official online poker site of the World Poker Tour, will play a pivotal role in the festival, by running starting day flights for the WPT500 and WPT Prime Montreal events, as well as offering a variety of satellite options for players to win their way into the marquee events.

New players can use the WPT Global Poker Promo Code wired when registering to get a welcome bonus of up to $1,200.