WSOP Summer Schedule

The big news this week is, of course, yesterday’s announcement of the full schedule for the 47th Annual World Series of Poker, which heralds the imminent release of the rest of the schedules from the Venetian, Planet Hollywood (the smaller Ceasar’s-run series), Golden Nugget, etc.

There are 69 bracelet events this year, including the Main Event and already-announced Colossus, Millionaire Maker, and Seniors events. Looking down the list are some new entries, including #53 Mixed PLO/Omaha Hi-Lo/Big O,  #54 Crazy Eights (an eight-handed $888 buy-in with three entry flights and $888,888 guarantee), #61 Tag Team NLHE (news of which linked a couple of weeks ago), and Big O is in the mix for both the Dealer’s Choice/Six-Handed events (#5, $1.5K buy-in and #11, $10K buy-in).

PacWest Poker Classic

There was some beautiful weather down at the beach for the opening weekend. Chill and windy, but sunny. But if you’re there, you probably won’t see much of it because you’ll be inside the windowless conference center. So here’s a picture. This is on the path down to the beach next to the casino; it’s literally a couple hundred feet to the right of where this picture was taken. Take your convertible down. I did.

Everyone seems to be taking a week off from winning (except for me). Maybe they’re resting up for Chinook Winds! Just a little bit of news before the good stuff, then….

10th Annual Northwest Deaf Poker Tournament

Portland Players Club re-booted in A&L Bar, on the corner opposite its old location at NE 60th & Glisan, with the latest installment of the NWDPT. Attendance, as always, was good for three tournaments ranging from $50—100 buy-in, there were a couple of casks of Read My Lips Rye IPA from Grateful Deaf Brewing, available, and reports from the attendees were positive.

$100K Coming

Final Table has announced the 3rd Annual Portland Poker Classic for April 30th, a $100K guarantee. Also on the docket is a $20K guarantee-to-first-place game, on March 12th. More details to come, presumably. And, of course, a week from Friday is the First Friday $20K guarantee.

Hand-By-Hand 6-Max

In case you didn’t see it (and if you care), I’m running a series with equity evaluations and analysis of every single card dealt down to heads-up in an online 6-Max tournament from December. Twenty hands, five days a week, until the bitter end.

In Memoriam

Last weekend was the memorial service for Curt Lockard, a regular in Portland poker circles and former dealer at Final Table (among many other things), who passed away a couple of weeks ago. Lots of people knew him, he was always a friendly face at the table when I ran into him, and there are lots of people sorry to see him go.

More Memory

While we’re at it, today would have been my mother’s 75th birthday. Despite her never saying anything about it, I don’t think she was particularly fond of my playing poker (the way I play, who would be?), but she liked it when I was writing, so I’m dedicating the Planner for today to her.

Deal of the Day: Wildhorse Spring Poker Round Up

Mid-April (4/7—17) is the time to drive (or fly) out to Pendleton again for a series of events. Pendleton has a staple set of events, with the only real tinkering being with the High Roller that they added a couple of years ago. This year’s schedule is similar, with opening events on Friday and Saturday (the 8th and 9th), the first of which should get more than 400 entries in a $120 buy-in (including entry and dealer bonus). Limit Omaha Hi-Lo on Monday, HORSE on Tuesday, Seniors on Wednesday. The High Roller ($1.1K) has finally been moved off the days with HORSE and Seniors (where there is some overlap between the player pools) to Thursday, which might make it too close to the Main (starting Saturday the 16th) for some, but if you go that long in the High Roller, you’ll probably be able to live with it.

This Week in Portland Poker

• 2pm today at The Game, there’s a $40 buy-in, $20 add-on tournament. The winner there gets the travel package and an entry into this year’s Colossus tournament. Same thing Sunday at 2pm, with a freeroll for the package at 7pm Sunday. Saturday is another of the $10K Big Shot tournaments ($10K guaranteed to first place). A 70-player cap is in place for that event.
• Encore Club is running two special events this week. Tonight at 8pm is an $8K guarantee ($50 buy-in, no re-buy, $25K add-on). Saturday night at at is a $25K guarantee ($100 buy-in/re-entry, $50 add-on). Friday night’s guarantee is $11K instead of $13K, because of the big game on Saturday. So if you’re not down at Chinook Winds….

Only a Day Away

• The PacWest Poker Classic at Chinook Winds continues through Sunday. Today is Omaha Hi-Lo with a bounty tournament tonight. Tomorrow at noon will be the ever-popular Big O tournament: $150 buy-in with re-entry through 3 levels. Friday is a $175 no re-entry NLHE tournament, and Saturday is the entry day for the Main Event ($550 + $200 add-on).
• Tonight at 7pm is the second satellite for the Muckleshoot Spring Poker Classic. Tonight’s satellite is $125. There are satellites on the next two Wednesdays. Sunday at noon is their end-of-month $150K buy-in, $100 add-on Deepstack. If you buy them both at the same time, you get extra chips.
• Sunday at Tulalip is a $20K guarantee with a $230 buy-in (including fee and dealer add-on).
• The LA Poker Classic at Commerce Casino continues through 3 March. The rest of this week is dedicated to satellites for the $10K buy-in WPT Main Event, which starts Saturday with just a single entry day.
• At the Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza through Saturday are starts for a $250K guarantee with just a $250 entry. It’s the last big event of the series before it ends on March 2nd.
• The Card Player Poker Tour/Wynn Classic starts today in Las Vegas. Three signature events with $100K, $200K, and $500K guarantees, plus 10 more mostly $25K guarantees.
• The World Series of Poker Circuit at Bally’s tomorrow, with a $365 buy-in $250K guarantee. 29 February is what I believe is the first $580 Big O WSOPC ring event (other stops have featured $365 Big O tournaments).
• Friday is the Great Canadian Freeze Out in Calgary. Seven events from C$110 to C$550 over a week-and-a-half.
• Next Thursday is the beginning of the Bicycle Casino’s Winnin’ o’ the Green and WSOP Circuit series that runs the whole month of March. Circuit events begin on the 19th, before that is Mega Millions XIV with 18 starting flights over 11 days and buy-ins ranging from $160 to $880 to get to Day 2 on 15 March.

Check out the Pacific Northwest Tournament Calendar for more poker.