WPT Adds Two Cambodian Stops on WPT National Tour

The World Poker Tour (WPT) announced last week that it has added to Asian stops to its WPT National Events tour. Partnering with An Education Investment LTD, the WPT is introducing both events in Cambodia.

Both stops will be inserted into the schedule for the current season. The first will be held at the Holiday Palace Casino & Resort in Poipet, Cambodia from December 22nd through December 29th of this year. Interestingly, it will be called WPT National Thailand, even though it is in Cambodia.

Poipet (Paôy Paêt) is right on the border of Cambodia and Thailand and has grown into a gambling hub of the region. Gambling is actually illegal in Thailand, so Thais cross the border to gamble in Poipet. The Holiday Palace Casino is one of a number of casinos and hotels situated in between the immigration checkpoints of the two countries, so people from Thailand can go play without having to go through Cambodia immigration. The more you know!

WPT National Thailand’s THB 37,400 ($1,100) Main Event will be broken up by the Christmas holiday. The first two starting flights will be December 22nd and 23rd, then there will be a break December 24th and 25th, and the third starting flight will take place on December 26th.

WPT National Cambodia will be at the Queenco Hotel & Casino in Sihanoukville, Cambodia in the southwestern corner of the country. It will run January 2nd through January 13th with the $1,485 Main Event also having three starting flights – January 3rd, 4th, and 6th.

In a press release, Adam Pliska, CEO of the World Poker Tour, said:

This new partnership bringing two WPT National events to the Cambodian region allows the World Poker Tour to continue its global expansion and showcases Asia’s growing demand for major poker events across a burgeoning region. With WPT National Thailand and WPT National Cambodia being held in close proximity to one another just days apart, players will have an easy opportunity to play in two world-class poker tournaments at beautiful resorts. The WPT looks forward to these events being the first of many in the region.

Both Main Events will be re-entry tournaments. Players will be permitted two entries (one original and one re-entry) on each starting day, so it is possible that players could enter the tournament as many as six times.

While the events on the main World Poker Tour are held at the world’s largest casinos and have Main Events that cost several thousands of dollars, the WPT National series was designed to be a bit more affordable (though four-figures in U.S. dollars isn’t exactly cheap) and feature non-mainstream gambling venues around the world. Partypoker WPT National Ireland is currently underway at INEC Killarney.