Card Player Poker Tour Season II Begins at bestbet Jacksonville

Cards were officially in the air at 12 pm Eastern Standard Time at bestbet Jacksonville, in Jacksonille, Florida, kicking off Season II of the Card Player Poker Tour.

“The players get very excited here when we have a major event,” said Jesse Hollander, Associate Director of Poker Operations at bestbet Jacksonville. “It creates a lot of buzz and we run tons of satellites. Our players want to be a part of the global poker market and they like the feeling that the town of Jacksonville in north Florida is now among the global poker market by having the Card Player Poker Tour and other major events.”

The 14-tournament series in the northern Florida card room began with event no. 1: $350 no-limit hold’em $100,000 guarantee, a tournament which will feature three starting days. The highlight of the series will be the $1,500 no-limit hold’em main event with a $300,000 guarantee. The main event will begin at 12 pm Sep. 6 and satellites will run daily, giving players a chance to win their seat at a lower price. The main event will feature two starting days and players will begin with 20,000 in chips and one hour levels.

Main event satellites for $185 will run at 12:30 pm and 7 pm EST through Sep. 6 and a $350 satellite will be held each day Sept. 4-6 for entry into the main event as well. In addition to the satellites for the main event, bestbet will also be offering satellites into event no. 1. Players have the option of playing $50+$20 rebuy satellites at 3 pm Aug. 29-30.

Other tournaments on the schedule include Omaha eight or better, H.O.R.S.E. and no-limit hold’em turbo and bounty tournaments. Two tournaments will also take place post-main event, the unique $240 no-limit hold’em all in or fold with $50 bounties at 3 pm Sep. 7 and a $240 no-limit hold’em with $50 bounties, beginning at 3 pm Sep. 8.

“We have event number one with a $100,000 guarantee and we hope to double it,” Hollander said. “We also hope to double the main event guarantee and get about 500 plus players in total. That would make it more than a $500,000 prize pool.”

Additional perks are offered for players who choose to enter day 1a of the main event. All day 1a participants will be entered into a raffle drum and when registration comes to a close. 10 percent of the field will be chosen to spin the bestbet Prize Wheel. Prizes from the wheel include bestbet swag, cash and seats into CPPT satellites and main event entries.

Players who played day 1a of event no. 1 also had a chance to spin the wheel. Twelve players were drawn from event no. 1 and among them three satellite seats, $200 in cash and bestbet gear was awarded. Moses Clipper received the most sought-after prize for his spin, a seat in the main event.

“Day 1a of any multi-day event is always the least attended,” said Jesse Hollander, Associate Director of Poker at bestbet Jacksonville. “People always go for the last day so we have a promotion to encourage people to play day 1a. We will have a drawing for one of every ten people in the field.”

Here is a complete look at the tournament schedule.

Players will also be able to purchase photos on site and online from Aaron Mervin owner of Head Shots Studio, a Jacksonville-based photography company.

bestbet Jacksonville’s poker room features 70 tables, an expansive simulcast wagering facility with numerous 120” wide screens to watch and wager on greyhound and thoroughbred races or jai alai. The room also features full food and beverage service and is conveniently located near Jacksonville International Airport. The card room is also close enough to the Jacksonville metro area to afford easy access to the diverse attractions that make the city a popular tourist destination.

The CPPT is a series of live poker tournaments started by Card Player Media and just wrapped up its first season at the Choctaw Resort Casino in Durant, Oklahoma. Season I featured seven stops including the Venetian in Las Vegas, the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles and a poker cruise in the Caribbean. Two players from Season I cashed out for more than $200,000 – Ray Dehkharghani who won the Wynn Classic main event and Mo Abedi-Arani who won the Choctaw main event. Allyn Jaffrey Shulman brought home over $300,000 from Season I after she won the Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza main event and locked up a deep run in the Choctaw main event.

After bestbet Jacksonville, Season II will head to Palm Beach Kennel Club in West Palm Beach, Florida December 6-15, Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut February 8-17 and the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno, Nevada March 14-23. More stops are expected to be added to the tour in the upcoming months.

“We are very excited for our association with the Card Player Poker Tour,” Giardina said. “We look forward to providing players with Vegas style wagering and Jacksonville style hospitality.”

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