Summary:
- The fourth annual WPT World Championship Festival will run December 2–22 at Wynn Las Vegas.
- The $10,400 Main Event begins December 13, with the final table streamed live on December 21.
- 2024 champions Scott Stewart and Zak VanKeuren will return to defend their titles.
Poker fans, mark your calendars, as Las Vegas is set to welcome back one of the biggest poker events of the year as the World Poker Tour returns for its fourth annual WPT World Championship Festival at Wynn Las Vegas.
Running from December 2 through December 22, the winter poker series once again promises high-stakes action and a shot at poker glory, just in time for the holidays.
While the full schedule hasn’t yet been revealed, the WPT has confirmed dates for two of its headline events, both hosted on the Encore side of the luxurious Wynn Resort.
The highlight, of course, is the $10,400 WPT World Championship. Kicking off December 13, this no-limit hold’em tournament will play down to a six-handed final table by December 19.
Those final six will then return on December 21 for a livestreamed finale, where millions in prize money and a coveted spot in the WPT Champions Club await.
Defending champion Scott Stewart will be looking to repeat his incredible run from last year. The California native and self-described Budweiser fan outlasted a massive 2,392-player field to claim a career-best $2,563,900.
Stewart’s victory was one of the tour’s most memorable. Chris Moorman, meanwhile, settled for a fourth-place finish, again, matching his result from the previous year.
Unlike the 2023 edition, the WPT will not be offering a guaranteed prize pool. However, expectations remain sky-high, as last year’s prize pool, also despite featuring no guarantee, went over the $23 million mark, which turned it into one of the richest live poker events outside of the World Series of Poker.
In 2022, it was Canadian Eliot Hudon’s turn to take down the record-setting WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas, scooping up $4.1 million and living the dream of so many Sit & Go grinders or cash game aficionados climbing TigerGaming’s online leaderboards while waiting for their big shot.
Eventful December
The WPT will once again overlap with the WSOP Paradise series in the Bahamas, which runs December 14–18. That battle for player attendance is becoming something of a December tradition.
Also confirmed for the schedule is the $1,100 WPT Prime Championship, which starts on December 7. The tournament will pause once the final six are set on December 12, and play will resume for the televised finale on December 20. Zak VanKeuren, who took home $1,162,350 in 2024, is the reigning champ.
Details on additional events, such as the WPT Ladies Championship, are still to come, but one thing’s clear: December in Vegas is once again the place to be for world-class poker.
