Anyone looking for some high-octane poker action should look at the upcoming 2023 Tampa Poker Classic. Held at the famous Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, Florida, the 2023 Tampa Poker Classic builds on a hugely successful 2022 edition, which saw guarantees blown out of the water.
The 2023 Tampa Poker Classic takes place between March 8-20, precisely a year after the 2022 version. Events have buy-ins ranging from $400 to $1,700, and guaranteed prize pools weighing in from $10,000 up to a whopping $500,000, the latter reserved for the eagerly anticipated $1,700 Championship Event.
A $400 buy-in $250,000 guaranteed Deep Stack event kicks off the 2023 Tampa Poker Classic in style. This re-entry tournament features six Day 1s between March 8-11, with the final day running on March 12. Last year, a similarly-sized event got the festival underway. Some 1,463 players turned out in force and created a $490,105 prize pool, more than double the size of the advertised guarantee. George Allen emerged victoriously that day, taking home $63,071 after a four-way deal.
The popular $1,100 buy-in One Day Challenge returns with a $50,000 guarantee on its prize pool. Like the opening event of 2022, last year's $1,100 One Day Challenge smashed its $50,000 guarantee thanks to 177 players buying in and creating a $171,690 pot. The United Kingdom's Stuart Taylor and Pasquale Hudson of New York, USA, chopped when heads-up, and both collected $38,395.
$500,000 Guaranteed Championship Event
$500,000 is guaranteed to be won in the 2023 Tampa Poker Classic Championship Event, which runs from March 16-20. The Championship Event costs $1,700 to enter, has a trio of starting flights, and will almost certainly obliterate the guarantee.
Championship Event players sit down with a generous helping of 40,000 chips and play eight-handed (nine-handed on the final table) to a 40-minute clock on each Day 1, with levels extending to 60 minutes on Day 2 and 3. Unlimited re-entries are permitted until the start of Level 10 on each flight, and the tournament operates a "Best Stack Forward" policy if you progress from more than one of the start days.
Last year's Championship Event commanded a larger $2,500 buy-in, but the $500,000 guarantee remained the same. Some 440 players bought in, and 55 of those starters bagged a slice of the $990,000 prize pool. Paul Snead of New York is the reigning champion after he received the $198,150 top prize, resigning runner-up Bryce McVay of Tampa, Florida, to the $132,095 consolation prize. Expect similar payouts in 2023 thanks to the more affordable buy-in and the many satellites feeding into the Championship Event.
2023 Tampa Poker Classic Schedule
Feast your eyes on the full 2023 Tampa Poker Classic schedule, and use it to plan your action if you are heading to Tampa for the series.
| Date | Time | Event | Buy-in | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 8 Mar | 10:00 a.m. | #1 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) Day 1A | $400 | $250,000 |
| 12:00 p.m. | #2 Omaha 8 or Better (Re-Entry) | $400 | $10,000 | |
| 6:00 p.m. | #1 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) Day 1B | $400 | $250,000 | |
| Thu 9 Mar | 10:00 a.m. | #1 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) Day 1C | $400 | $250,000 |
| 12:00 p.m. | #3 Mixed PLO (Re-Entry) | $400 | $10,000 | |
| 6:00 p.m. | #1 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) Day 1D | $400 | $250,000 | |
| Fri 10 Mar | 10:00 a.m. | #1 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) Day 1E | $400 | $250,000 |
| 6:00 p.m. | 1 in 10 Package Satellite into $1,100 and $2,700 | $320 | Two packages | |
| Sat 11 Mar | 10:00 a.m. | #1 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) Day 1F | $400 | $250,000 |
| 5:00 p.m. | 1 in 10 Package Satellite into $1,100 and $1,700 | $320 | Two packages | |
| Sun 12 Mar | 12:00 p.m. | #1 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) Day 2 | $250,000 | |
| 2:00 p.m. | #4 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry | $400 | $20,000 | |
| 6:00 p.m. | #5 No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) Day 1A | $200 | $50,000 | |
| Mon 13 Mar | 10:00 a.m. | #5 No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) Day 1B | $200 | $50,000 |
| 12:00 p.m. | #6 Deep Stack Pot-Limit Omaha (Re-Entry) | $400 | $10,000 | |
| 3:00 p.m. | Satellite into $1,100 | $140 | Two seats | |
| 6:00 p.m. | #5 No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) Day 1C | $200 | $50,000 | |
| Tue 14 Mar | 10:00 a.m. | #5 No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) Day 1D | $200 | $50,000 |
| 12:00 p.m. | #7 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) | $600 | $30,000 | |
| 3:00 p.m. | Satellite into $1,100 Event 8 | $140 | Two seats | |
| 6:00 p.m. | #5 No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) Day 1E | $200 | $50,000 | |
| Wed 15 Mar | 11:00 a.m. | Satellite into $1,700 Championship | $200 | Five seats |
| 12:00 p.m. | #8 One Day Challenge No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) | $1,100 | $50,000 | |
| 2:00 p.m. | #5 No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) Day 2 | $50,000 | ||
| 6:00 p.m. | Satellite into $1,700 Championship | $200 | Five seats | |
| Thu 16 Mar | 11:00 a.m. | #9 Championship Event (Re-Entry) Day 1A | $1,700 | $500,000 |
| 3:00 p.m. | Satellite into Championship | $200 | Five seats | |
| 6:00 p.m. | Satellite into Championship | $200 | Five seats | |
| Fri 17 Mar | 11:00 a.m. | #9 Championship Event (Re-Entry) Day 1B | $1,700 | $500,000 |
| 1:00 p.m. | Satellite into Championship | $200 | Five seats | |
| 6:00 p.m. | Satellite into Championship | $200 | Five seats | |
| Sat 18 Mar | 9:00 a.m. | Last Chance Satellite into Championship | $200 | Two seats |
| 11:00 a.m. | #9 Championship Event (Re-Entry) Day 1C | $1,700 | $500,000 | |
| Sun 19 Mar | 10:00 a.m. | Satellite into $1,100 Event 10 | $140 | Two seats |
| 12:00 p.m. | #9 Championship Event (Re-Entry) Day 2 | $500,000 | ||
| 12:00 p.m. | Last Chance Satellite for $1,100 Event 10 | $140 | Two seats | |
| 2:00 p.m. | #10 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) Two-Day Event | $1,100 | $50,000 | |
| Mon 20 Mar | 11:00 a.m. | #11 One Day 50K No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) | $200 | $50,000 |
| 12:00 p.m. | #9 Championship Event (Re-Entry) Day 3 | $500,000 | ||
| 2:00 p.m. | #10 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) Two-Day Event Day 2 | $50,000 | ||
| 6:00 p.m. | #12 Triple Stack No-Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) | $180 | $20,000 |
