WPT Global brings World Poker Tour OnLive to Mexico City
Pairing the world leader in live major [poker] tournaments with the ability to win major titles both online and live, the World Poker Tour (WPT) and WPT Global produced a successful and entertaining event in Mexico City.
“When WPT Global launched, we knew it would become the best place for players to participate in WPT events online,” said Adam Pliska, CEO of the World Poker Tour. “The WPT Global Spring Festival gives players around the world the opportunity to win a WPT500 and WPT Prime title without having to leave their home.”
A Great WPT500 OnLive
The first-ever OnLive event – with a WPT500 starting online at WPT Global and concluding live in Mexico City – ended with Ian Shaw winning the title. Creating another first, a WPT Prime online champion was crowned as the Spring Festival wrapped up.
WPT Global generated 514 entries from 10 online Day 1 flights, and 59 of those entries advanced to Day 2. A final Day 12 flight took place in Mexico City. In total, WPT500 Mexico City attracted a field of 763 and generated a prize pool of $500,000 that paid out the top 91 finishers.
Shaw earned $88,690 as the newest WPT500 Champion, marking Shaw’s largest live [poker] score and his first WPT real moeny.
“We’ve had a large and vibrant community for a long time,” Shaw told WPT’s reporting team after his win. “We’ve never really had a big stop here, definitely not in Mexico City, so there’s this hope that there’s going to be more WPT’s here. I think there’s a big untapped market here.”
Jaun Jose Cepeda Dirzo ($59,000) finished as the runner-up. He was preceded by Santiago Gonzalez (3rd , $44,000), Jonathan Miguel Aburto Solis (4th, $33,000), Angel Guillen (5th, $25,000), and Cesar David Reynoso Arredondo (6th, $18,700).
You can find the entire WPT500 OnLive results here.
“The OnLive event was cool, to have the online part of the WPT500 tournament join the live part in Mexico City,” said Matt Savage, WPT Executive Tour Director. “As WPT Global grows bigger, those types of OnLive tournaments are going to be more common.”
Weekend of Poker Fun
The WPT Mexico City festival also featured a live WPT Mystery Bounty tournament taking place alongside WPT500 Mexico City at Fronton Mexico. The $5,000 buy-in event drew a field of 69 entrants and boasted a top bounty prize of $75,000. The field included WPT Ambassadors Phil Ivey and Brad Owen, and WPT Anchor Lynn Gilmartin, among others.
Ivey fell just short of victory with a fourth-place finish and a $19,000 cash plus the bounties he won. Luis Gonzalez defeated Tomas Szwarcberg in a heads-up battle to secure the top prize of $62,100 to go along with his additional mystery bounty winnings.
Sports journalist and television personality Ines Sainz was on hand, bringing players and fans into the action at Fronton Mexico. Here’s a look at her view of all the fun.
“The response from players was great, anybody who was in the building had a good time,” said Savage while waiting for his flight to the next live WPT Prime event in San Remo, Italy. “We stopped early for a player party, that party was awesome, it was more like a party than a poker tournament, and I really enjoyed that.”
In conclusion, the WPT Global Spring Festival in Mexico City was a successful event that showcased the potential of online and live [gambling] tournaments. The OnLive format provided an opportunity for players worldwide to compete in a prestigious tournament without leaving their homes. The festival also featured a live WPT Mystery Bounty tournament that added to the excitement of the event. The positive response from players and the hope for more WPT events in Mexico City shows the potential for further growth in the [casino] industry.