The World Poker Tour's WPT Prime events have proven popular since their launch in 2022. WPT Prime is designed to give players from around the world the chance to experience the thrill and exhilaration of competing in a WPT Main Event but for a fraction of the cost.
WPT Prime headed to Vietnam, Australia's Gold Coast, Cambodia, Madrid, Taiwan, and Las Vegas last year and is currently in Paris, France, where the €1,100 buy-in Main Event shuffles up and deals on January 31.
Last time out, WPT Prime found itself in the middle of the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. The World Poker Tour slapped a $2 million guarantee on the $1,100 buy-in tournament, but a 5,430-strong field created a $5,267,100 prize pool, resulting in a $712,650 payday for champion Stephen Song. While WPT Prime Paris has no chance of matching those ridiculous numbers, you can see from the table below that the tour puts up impressive figures in its European, Asian, and Australasian stops.
Past WPT Prime Results
| Event | Entrants | Prize Pool (USD) | Champion | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPT Prime Vietnam | 777 | $738,020 | Zarvan Tumboli | $131,394 |
| WPT Prime Gold Coast | 896 | $824,756 | Yang Lei | $141,413 |
| WPT Prime Cambodia | 1,050 | $1,008,100 | David Erquiaga | $137,008 |
| WPT Prime Madrid | 621 | $589,166 | Oleksii Koiev | $87,246 |
| WPT Prime Taiwan | 877 | $809,133 | Marc Inizan | $138,939 |
| WPT Prime Wynn Las Vegas | 5,430 | $5,267,100 | Stephen Song | $712,650 |
The WPT Prime Paris Main Event features five Day 1s, with the fifth and final flight playing with a turbo structure. Day 1a kicks off at 12:00 p.m. CET on January 31, with subsequent starting days commencing at the same time on February 1-3. February 3 is also when the turbo Day 1e takes place, doing so at 7:00 p.m. CET. The WPT Prime Paris Main Event champion will be crowned on February 5.
Players in the Main Event are in for a treat if it follows in the footsteps of the recent WPT Prime High Roller. The €2,200 buy-in event drew in 246 entrants who fought it out for a €102,500 top prize.
It was Frenchman Idir Haiche that was the last player standing. He defeated Portugal's Hipolito Carapeta heads-up to capture a €102,500 payout, leaving the runner-up to scoop €71,020.
Argentina's Andres Korn, a player with almost $2.5 million in live poker tournament earnings, finished fourth for €37,000, with the 2022 EPT Barcelona ESPT High Roller champion Miroslav Alilovic fifth for €27,400.
WPT Prime Paris High Roller Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idir Haiche | €102,500 |
| 2 | Hipolito Carapeta | €71,020 |
| 3 | Abderrahim Ineflas | €50,700 |
| 4 | Andres Korn | €37,000 |
| 5 | Miroslav Alilovic | €27,400 |
| 5 | Illia Korobkin | €20,800 |
| 6 | Thierry Morel | €16,300 |
| 8 | Michel Cohen | €13,200 |
| 9 | Adrien Garrigues | €11,000 |
WPT Prime Paris Results
Six of the WPT Prime Paris events, including the aforementioned High Roller, are done and dusted, but there's plenty more to come at the Club Circus Paris. The €715 Omaha crowns its champion on January 30, while a €3,300 Super High Roller runs February 4-5.
| Event | Buy-in | Entrants | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPT Opener | €500 | 472 | Benjamin Dahan | €35,000 |
| WPT Turbo | €400 | 77 | Jean Francois Gaye | €7,561 |
| WPT Superstack | €750 | 147 | David Sacksick | €21,200 |
| WPT PKO Mystery | €500 | 276 | Mohammed Kaidi | €10,600 |
| WPT Turbo | €400 | 68 | Chien Weng | €7,000 |
| WPT Prime High Roller | €2,200 | 246 | Idir Haiche | €102,500 |
Don't worry if you missed the chance to become a WPT Prime champion in Paris because two more stops are right around the world. WPT Prime Gold Coast sees the tour set sail for Australia again before jetting off to Cambodia for the third leg of the 2023 tour. WPT Prime Gold Coast runs February 23-March 6, with Cambodia running March 9-21. Perhaps you may be able to win a seat online at WPT Global?
Did You Know the World Poker Tour is Online?
The launch of WPT Global means that poker players around the world now have the chance to win their way to WPT events, win prizes and enjoy exciting games such as Poker Flips. As one of the world's largest cash game poker networks, WPT Global is available in over 50 countries and territories around the world.
WPT Global offers a large deposit match bonus: 100% on deposits up to $1,200 (using any payment method). New players depositing a minimum of $20 automatically receive this match bonus which is unlocked in $5 increments (credited straight to the cashier) for every $20 of rake contribution.
Both tournaments and cash games count towards bonus unlocking; new players have 90 days from the date of the first deposit to unlock and claim their full bonus amount.
