Now that the post-WSOP lull is over, we’re back with our Las Vegas tournament preview series. While September was slow, October is a great month to visit Sin City and play some tournaments. The weather will be great, mostly in the 80s, and toward the end of the month, the Halloween celebrations are wild. But even more importantly, the tournament slate has something for everyone in October.
Venetian Deep Stacks just never end
Just as they’ve done all year, The Venetian begins a new series the day after the old series ends. The number of big tournaments they offer at this point is unparalleled anywhere on Earth, which is why they are at the top of the list.
The DeepStacks Extravaganza III ends on October 2, and the DeepStacks Showdown begins on October 3. With a range of buy-ins from $300 to $1,100, this series is geared toward the mid-stakes grinder or the recreational tourist looking for something to play. With so many other big events in town drawing the sharks into deeper waters, we expect the fields to be softer than usual at The Venetian.
Almost all of the events in the DeepStacks Showdown are either standard No-Limit Hold’em events or feature bounties of varying sizes. There are only three non-standard events – a PLO, a Limit O/8, and the obligatory seniors’ event.
With such a constant grind of tournaments, we can expect the dealers and floor staff to be excellent as they have been for years under Tommy LaRosa and his crew. Click here for the full schedule.
Aria will be filled with sharks during October’s high-roller events
The Aria Poker Masters ends on October 2 with the $50K No-Limit event, and the High Roller Series starts the next day, featuring buy-ins up to $300K for the Super High Roller Bowl. We’re sure to see a ton of poker’s biggest stars in this event. Last year, the top three were Michael Addamo, Alex Foxen, and Steven Chidwick, and every player who entered the event was well known among those who follow high-stakes poker.
| Aria High Roller Schedule | ||
| Date | Time | Event |
| Oct. 3 | 3 pm | $25K NLH High Roller |
| Oct. 4 | 3 pm | $10K NLH High Roller |
| Oct. 5 | 3 pm | $300K NLH Super High Roller Bowl |
| Oct. 6 | 3 pm | $10K NLH High Roller |
| Oct. 7 | 3 pm | $15K NLH High Roller |
Many of these events will be broadcast by PokerGo and played in the PokerGo Studio just a short stroll down the sidewalk from the poker room. Click here for the full PokerGo schedule.
Wynn Fall Classic features more than $4 million in guarantees
The Wynn got serious about tournament poker this year and doesn’t seem to be letting up. We love that someone is competing with The Venetian and it’s always a joy to play at The Wynn, so we hope the trend continues with a regular series every month or two.
The 2022 Wynn Fall Classic schedule includes a million-dollar guaranteed mystery bounty event that is sure to far exceed the guarantee and some nice alternate game events including HORSE, Big-O, Omaha/8, and a seniors’ event.
| Wynn Fall Classic Major Events | ||||
| Date | Time | Event | Buy-In | Guarantee |
| Oct. 6 | 12 pm | NLH Day 1A | $600 | $250K |
| Oct. 7 | 12 pm | NLH Day 1B | $600 | $250K |
| Oct. 8 | 12 pm | NLH Day 1C | $600 | $250K |
| Oct. 13 | 12 pm | NLH Day 1A | $1,600 | $1M |
| Oct. 14 | 12 pm | NLH Day 1B | $1,600 | $1M |
| Oct. 15 | 12 pm | NLH Day 1C | $1,600 | $1M |
| Oct. 21 | 12 pm | NLH Championship Day 1A | $3,000 | $1.5M |
| Oct. 22 | 12 pm | NLH Championship Day 1B | $3,000 | $1.5M |
| Oct. 27 | 12 pm | Mystery Bounty Day 1A | $1,600 | $1M |
| Oct. 28 | 12 pm | Mystery Bounty Day 1B | $1,600 | $1M |
| Oct. 29 | 12 pm | Mystery Bounty Day 1C | $1,600 | $1M |
Buy-ins range from $400 to $5,200, and most events start at noon or 1 pm. The end of the series includes a satellite to the $10K WPT event in December with an incredible $15 million guarantee that will bring in players from all over the world.
WPT Five Diamond returns to the Bellagio
The Bellagio Five Diamond is back, bigger than ever, with a full schedule and some big buy-ins. Fourteen events with a buy-in of $10K or higher will give the high-stakes players some tough decisions about where to play when the events overlap with the Aria and PokerGo High Roller Series. There are a similar number of events with smaller buy-ins ranging from $500 to $2,600, which should fill the room with mid-tier pros and circuit grinders looking to play a little higher.
Two PLO events and two eight-game events, as well as a seniors’ event, round out a nicely balanced schedule. The $5 million guaranteed No-Limit event toward the end of the month will be a nice practice run for the $15 million guarantee that the WPT will host in December at The Wynn.
We’ll be back next month with another preview of the Vegas tournament scene, which should be going strong until at least the end of the year.
