Tournament Coverage Non-WSOP Summer Tournament Schedules Set: Plenty of Las Vegas Action Not at the Rio

By Jon Sofen 4 Min read

Tournament poker players don’t just come to Las Vegas over the summer to compete for gold bracelets. Many casinos, on and off the Strip, offer some of the juiciest tournaments, some with guarantees in the six-figure ranger and higher, beginning in late May.

Aria, Golden Nugget, and Venetian, are among the numerous poker rooms that will host a summer poker series. There are hundreds of tournaments in Sin City throughout June and July, right up through the WSOP Main Event, perfect for low to mid-stakes grinders and recreational players who don’t want to spend their entire bankroll on a few events and their too-common bad beats.

Strip Poker

With 15 card rooms across a four-mile radius, the Las Vegas Strip is the poker capital of the United States, if not the world. And virtually all of them have plans to host a significant summer poker series.

Starting with the Venetian, a north-central Strip property owned by Sheldon Adelson’s Sands Corporation, which will host its annual summer DeepStack Extravaganza series beginning May 14 and running through July.

Venetian DeepStack Extravaganza Key Events

May 31: $600 No-Limit Hold’em SuperStack ($500,000 Guarantee)

June 1: $1,600 Pot-Limit Omaha MonsterStack ($250,000 Guarantee)

June 18: $1,600 Mid-States Poker Tour Event ($3 Million Guarantee)

July 24: $400 Closer ($400,000 Guarantee)

North one block rests the Wynn, which is no longer owned by casino mogul Steve Wynn who recently resigned as CEO amid sexual assault allegations, home to the popular annual Wynn Summer Classic, a series that begins on June 1 and features daily tournaments with massive prize pools until July 16.

Wynn Summer Classic Key Events

June 2: $550 No-Limit Hold’em ($100,000 Guarantee)

June 14: $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em ($1 Million Guarantee)

June 26: $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em ($1 Million Guarantee)

July 9: $1,600 Wynn Championship ($1.5 Million Guarantee)

Across Las Vegas Boulevard and south about a mile is the Aria Resort and Casino, home to many of the top high roller poker events in the world, where you’ll find the ARIA Poker Classic which kicks off on May 26 and concludes on July 8.

The series includes daily tournaments at 11 am ($400) and 7 pm ($240) with a $470 non-hold’em tournament replacing the morning event on certain days.

ARIA Poker Classic Key Events

June 6: $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em (Two Days)

June 25: $570 WPT500 ($1 Million Guarantee)*

July 3: $300 Ladies No-Limit Hold’em

July 6: $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em (Two Days)

*Nine Day One starting flights from June 25-30.

If you bust out of an Aria tournament, walk across the street to Planet Hollywood, a Caesars Entertainment-owned hotel, for the Goliath Poker Series May 24-July 15. Tournament buy-ins for this annual series range from $75 to $2,200.

Planet Hollywood Goliath Poker Series Key Events

June 4: $250 “The Big Low Roller” No-Limit Hold’em ($300,000 Guarantee)

June 6: $600 Goliath Milly No-Limit Hold’em ($1 Million Guarantee)

June 11: $600 Ultimate Goliath No-Limit Hold’em ($500,000 Guarantee)

June 30: $2,200 Main Event ($2 Million Guarantee)

Off-Strip Alt-WSOP

The Fremont Street Experience, dubbed “old Vegas,” is home to a popular low stakes poker series, “The Grand,” at the Golden Nugget casino. This annual series runs from May 29-July 3 features many juicy events for under $600.

The Grand Poker Series Key Events

June 7: $200 No-Limit Hold’em ($200,000 Guarantee)

June 11: $200 Tag Team Event

June 20: $570 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship

June 28: $570 Main Event ($500,000 Guarantee)

The Rio, a mile west of the Strip, offers inexpensive daily non-bracelet events. You won’t earn WSOP Player of the Year points for cashing in these tournaments, but you could make some big bucks.

Rio Daily Deep Stacks (May 29-July 15)

1 pm: $250 No-Limit Hold’em

4 pm: $200 No-Limit Hold’em (Big Blind Ante)

7 pm: $365 No-Limit Hold’em (Turbo)

10 pm: $150 No-Limit Hold’em (Turbo and Big Blind Ante)

Written by Jon Sofen Semi-pro poker player with 17 years experience on the felt and more than five years working as professional poker media.

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