3-Bet: Team India Confirmed For PPPoker World Championship, WSOPE Festival Dates Announced & WPT Enters Partnership With BT Sport

After the Global Team’s Event in World Poker Tour (WPT) Korea, Team India is getting another chance to prove it’s mettle, this time at the 2019 PPPoker World Championship (PPWC) Teams Event. Representing the nation will be Team Captain and well-known poker operator Pulkit Totla, along with top pros Rishab Jain and Kalyan Chakravarthy.

Just as the complete schedule for the 50^th World Series of Poker was confirmed; the brand also released the dates for its marquee European circuit stop. This year’s WSOPE will once again play out at King’s Casino in Rozvadov from October 15 to November 4.

Meanwhile, the WPT has established a partnership with BT Sport, following which the sports television channels provider will broadcast Season XV of the WPT on BT Sport channels BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2 and BT Sport 3 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Team India Confirmed For PPPoker World Championship Teams Event

The 2019 PPPoker World Championship (PPWC) is slated to run from February 15 to 21 at Resorts World Manila in the Philippines and the series recently announced the five international teams that are schedule to participate in the Teams Event.

The poker series boasts of P30,000,000 (~US$573,000) in guaranteed prizes across 11 events. One of the major highlights at the series will be the Teams Event which has a P10,000,000 (~US$191,000) guarantee. The five international teams that have confirmed their participation include Teams from India, Malaysia, Thailand, Brazil, and the latest to confirm its participation, Team Norway. The complete list of teams is yet to be finalized and it is likely that teams from Australia, USA and Philippines will also enter.

Team India will be represented by Team Captain Pulkit Totla, Rishab Jain, and Kalyan Chakravarthy. Totla is primarily a cash game player who is better known in the domestic circuit as a poker operator. He runs one of India`s most popular PP clubs and is also an active agent for domestic poker sites.

Jain on the other hand is an online phenom and rising star in Indian poker. Jain has performed well in both cash games and tournaments online.

Chakravarthy is an accomplished pro with a solid track record both live and online. He recently took down the ₹100K NLHE Highroller at the 2018 WPT India for ₹3.75 Lakhs.

Darian Tan, Ying Lin Chua, Alex Foo, Alvin Mak, Paul Teoh, and Xiu Meng will be a part of Team Malaysia.

Team Thailand will comprise of Kannapong Thanarattrakul (captain), Thanisorn Saelor, Kajornnut Prirungrueng, and Wanchana Valaikanok.

The first confirmed team outside of the Asian region is Team Brazil. They are bringing in a strong roster of 6 players including Gabriela Belisario, Rafael Oliveira, Natanael Silva, Caio Hey, Eder Murata, and Marcelo Lanza.

Team Norway is the first team from Europe to confirm their attendance in the Team`s event. Four players make up this powerhouse team, namely Borge Dypvik (captain), Markus Garberg, Henrik Tollefsen, and Thomas Floan.

As per the format of the event, all teams will compete in three varying NLH formats: 6 Max SNG, Double Heads Up, and Heads Up. Teams with the highest points will advance to Day 2 where they will once again compete in these three formats. Only two teams will advance to the final day where they will compete in these formats one last time to determine the ultimate PPWC World Teams Event champion.

WSOP Europe All Set to Return to King’s Casino Rozvadov From October 15 to November 4

Since it first started in 2007, the WSOP Europe (WSOPE) has grown to become the second most prestigious tournament series for the brand, behind the annual WSOP poker festival hosted in Las Vegas.

The dates for the 2019 WSOPE have now been announced and the series is scheduled to run from October 15 to November 4. While the complete schedule of the series is yet to be unveiled, WSOP has confirmed that the stop will give away 10 bracelets across 21 days at the King’s Casino in Rozvadov.

In a press release dated February 7, WSOP director Gregory Chochon stated, “The past two WSOP Europe’s have been our best yet in terms of entries and prize pools in the dozen years we’ve held WSOPE.” He added, “King’s Resort is perfectly situated and convenient for Europeans to get to and we expect the 2019 edition to continue to deliver big prize pools and participation.”

The €10,000 WSOPE Main Event remains the star attraction at the series and will be the perfect finale to the action-packed series with the event playing out from October 25-30, 2019.

The individual event schedule is currently being worked out by the King’s Casino and WSOP and is expected to be disclosed soon.

The King’s Resort in Rozvadov, Czech Republic will be hosting the WSOPE for a third consecutive year. Known for top-notch amenities and plenty of action in both tournaments and 24/7 cash games, the venue is the perfect choice for the series.

Speaking about the series King’s Resort owner Leon Tsoukernik said, “We love hosting WSOP Europe and treating the game’s best players with our one-of-a-kind hospitality. We hope players who have participated in WSOPE come back this year, and for those yet to make it out to King’s, we strongly encourage you to make plans to join us for Europe’s richest annual live poker festival.”

WPT Enters Partnership With BT Sport in UK & Ireland

On February 7, the World Poker Tour (WPT) announced that it had entered a new distribution deal with BT Sport. According to the deal, BT Sport will broadcast Season XV of the WPT on BT Sport channels BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2 and BT Sport 3, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The WPT show is expected to reach millions of households across the BT Sport network.

The announcement comes on the heels of the recent WPT partnership agreement with FansUnite, who will be featured during WPT Season XV broadcasts on BT Sport.

BT Sport Manager of Content Distribution in UK Rich Sarris was the mastermind behind the deal. He stated that, “The World Poker Tour is thrilled to be partnering with one of the largest sports television networks in the UK in BT Sport. As the World Poker Tour continues to expand on a global scale, BT Sport will play a significant role in putting the World Poker Tour in front of a new audience.”

Vice President of WPT Studios Johnny McMahon said, “WPT looks forward to its partnership with BT Sport and a new audience being able to experience one of the most exciting seasons in the history of the World Poker Tour.”