WPT Makes First-Ever Stop in Texas with WPT Prime Lodge Championship

The Lodge to Host Full WPT Prime Festival

You’ve probably heard about the Lodge Poker Club one way or another. The venue, which is best known through co-owners Doug Polk, Brad Owen, and Andrew Neeme, will play host for the two-week-long festival. While the venue regularly draws in large tournament crowds, the WPT Prime Lodge Championship is the first formal step into the international waters.

The festival will kick off with a player-focused Meet-Up Game featuring Polk and Owen on September 27, just ahead of the tournament schedule.

Then come the actual tournaments, which will run daily through mid-October, concluding with the $1,000 + $100 buy-in WPT Prime Lodge Championship from October 9–13.

Full Schedule Mixes Accessibility and Variety

The $1M Main Event is designed to be the stand out. However, it’s not the only thing on the WPT Prime Lodge schedule, which actually includes a wide range of buy-ins, with most events priced between $300 and $600.

This means players can enter anything from Pot-Limit Omaha to Big O formats. On October 7, a freeroll tournament will even award at least 10 seats to the WPT Prime Championship.

For the full schedule, check out the World Poker Tour website.

WPT Prime Lodge Championship: The Technical Details

Now to get a bit technical. The actual WPT Prime Championship will follow a multi-flight format, with unlimited re-entry until the start of Level 10 on each starting day.

Day 1 levels run 40 minutes (20 minutes for turbos), while Day 2 and the final table will shift to 60-minute levels (dropping to 30 minutes heads-up).

An Action Clock will be introduced at Level 16, with players getting additional time chips at various stages, including Day 2, final 24, and final table play. The tournament will move from 9-handed to 8-handed tables once in the money.

A Step Into New Territory

For WPT (and everyone else in poker), this Texas debut is an expansion into a long-untapped market. The Lodge has helped grow a robust local scene until now but this is be the first time a tour of WPT’s stature is bringing a full-scale series to the state.

As far as we’re concerned, PokerListings can’t wait to see what this new chapter holds.