partypoker Live Announces Latin American Poker Championships
Partypoker’s resurgence on the global poker scene continues this week with the unveiling of the new partypoker LIVE Latin American Poker Championships. This new series will debut in late February in Punte del Este, Uruguay, a casino and jetsetter playground long considered one of the touristy jewels of South America.
Partypoker LIVE’s new Latin American Poker Championships will offer a (USD) $2 million total prize guarantee, including $1 million guaranteed for the stop’s main event. The six-event series will be held at the Enjoy Conrad Punta Del Este Resort & Casino, which has established itself as the premier venue for a major tournament in Uruguay.
The Enjoy Conrad casino has previously hosted stops for partypoker’s largest rival, PokerStars, as part of the Stars-sponsored Latin American Poker Tour, which means partypoker will have the benefit of local casino staff already familiar with running major events. The casino also just finished hosting a ten-day World Series of Poker (WSOP) International Series stop, and appears to have established itself as a go-to poker destination in the region.
Now, it’s partypoker’s turn. The announcement of party’s Latin American Poker Championships (and we hesitate to use the acronym “LAPC” with it, because that’s already closely associated with a major poker series in Los Angeles) comes just a handful of days after partypoker splashed across the headlines with the introduction of its long-running partypoker MILLIONS Online series, running throughout 2018 and eventually awarding $20 million in prizes.
Party has also introduced crossover elements, such as the recently revealed partypoker LIVE $$$ loyalty program, which is designed both to increase overall tourney participation (live and online) and increase brand equity.
Right now partypoker is rolling with everything they’ve got, and the Latin American Poker Championships, beginning late next month, fall right into that effort. Here’s the complete schedule for the series, courtesy of the partypoker blog:
| Dates | Event | Buy-in | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 24-27 | Open | $200+$20 | $200,000 |
| February 26-27 | Super High Roller | $5,000+$300 | $200,000 |
| February 26-28 | Warm Up | $500+$50 | $200,000 |
| February 28-March 4 | Main Event | $1,000+$100 | $1,000,000 |
| March 2-4 | High Roller | $2,000+$200 | $200,000 |
| March 2-4 | Finale | $200+$20 | $200,000 |
All of the events are scheduled to be no-limit hold’em, other formats such as Omaha not being as big in South America as they are in, say, Europe or the US. Note the sandwiching of the two high-roller events around the main and the inclusion of a last-chance “finale”: it’s a clear effort to get interested players there for the entirety of the series, not just the main event.
The nine-day series is being pushed by partypoker in a big way already, with satellites for $1,500 prize packages being offered for as little as a penny.
Partypoker warmed up a bit for this Uruguayan effort by serving as the official online provider for that WSOP International Series stop last month, which likely helped to nurture this Latin American Poker Championships offering as well. This looks unlikely to be a one-and-done effort, and we expect something similar from the refreshed partypoker in 2019 and beyond.
Partypoker LIVE president John Duthie, who’s had a few years of experience with major live events around the globe, offered this: “Our partypoker satellites mean that players from all over the world are going to have the chance to compete at the Latin American Poker Championships. Poker has taken off in Latin America in a major way in recent years so it’s a very exciting time to be playing there. I’m delighted that we are hosting another event in the region, especially somewhere like Punta del Este which is such a fabulous destination; I know players are going to love it.”
Party’s also playing up the tourism aspect of Punta del Este in its work to upsell the series. From the partypoker blog:
Known as the ‘St Tropez of South America, Punta del Este is Uruguay’s premier seaside resort with pristine beaches, prime surfing, great restaurants and vibrant nightlife. The city is easily reached from the Uruguay capital of Montevideo, and is just a short flight away from the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. The Conrad Punta Del Este Resort and Casino is one of South America’s best-known poker venues and has already hosted numerous prestigious tournaments.
Sounds like a bit of fun at that.
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