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CPPT Returns To bestbet Jacksonville This Summer

The 11-Event Series Will Run June 17-28, Featuring A $2,500 Buy-in CPPT Main Event

by Erik Fast |  Published: Jun 02, 2021

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Live tournament poker is back in a big way at bestbet Jacksonville. The North Florida poker hotspot has already hosted two marquee tournament series so far in 2021: The Winter Open and the Spring Series. The two poker festivals were both smashing successes, with more than 4,600 entries made and $3.3 million in prize money awarded across 22 total events.

The next major series at the venue will see bestbet Jacksonville team up with the Card Player Poker Tour for an 11-event series running from June 17-28. This will mark the eighth time that the CPPT has joined forces with bestbet Jacksonville to put on a tournament series.

“We’re definitely looking forward to the Card Player Poker Tour again. This will be our first partnered series since reopening last year, and we’re very happy to welcome the CPPT back,” said bestbet Executive Director of Poker Operations Jesse Hollander. “We’re excited about another great series.”

“I expect the hype to continue,” continued Hollander, when asked if the increase in demand will continue. “We had just under a million-dollar prize pool in both main events. All the preliminary events had big fields as well, and the players are definitely very excited to get back into tournament poker. The momentum is building and I expect it to continue through this CPPT stop.”

Action kicks off for the series with a $560 buy-in no-limit hold’em event that will run from June 17-20, with three starting flights available to choose from and the final table streamed on bestbetLIVE. The Spring Series kickoff event attracted a massive field of 741 entries to create a prize pool of $363,104. Eventual champion Kenneth Brossoit walked away with $51,180 for the win.

The Card Player Poker Tour $2,500 buy-in main event will run from June 25-28. There are two starting flights offered, kicking off at noon on Friday, June 25 and Saturday, June 26. Players will start with 30,000 in chips, with 40-minute blind levels to start.

Like every tournament on the schedule for this series, the main event will feature unlimited re-entries during the registration period. Registration for the tournament will remain open until the start of level 10. The final table will also be live-streamed with cards-up coverage of the action.

The last time the CPPT was in Jacksonville was in 2019. The main event saw Dylan Drazen beat out a field of 329 entries in a $1,100 buy-in tournament to earn a top prize of $62,613. Below is a look at the full list of CPPT bestbet Jacksonville main event champions from over the years.

Date Champion Buy-In Entries Payout
May 2019 Dylan Drazen $1,100 329 $62,613
April 2018 Ben Diebold $1,100 373 $75,655
May 2017 Jared Reinstein $1,100 378 $75,714
June 2016 Zac Stites $1,100 289 $61,136
Aug. 2015 Anthony Vidmer $1,500 390 $83,838
May 2014 Sean Winter $1,500 218 $84,000
Sept. 2013 Harvey Vandeven $1,500 255 $76,985

The $2,500 buy-in is in line with the recent main events held at the venue, but higher than previous CPPT main events. “We’ve increased the buy-ins due to demand,” explained Hollander. “People want to play higher buy-in tournaments, and it has been building a bigger prize pool while drawing a similar amount of players. The demand is there. While $2,500 might be kind of a steep price for some of our local players, we will have lots of satellite opportunities and we anticipate having over a hundred people win their way into the main event at a discount.”

“We will run single table satellites throughout the series,” continued Hollander, who suggested that interested players check out the www.bestbetjax.com website for a complete listing of satellite offerings. “There will be some 10-seat guaranteed satellites, mega satellites, and we will even offer satellites into the kickoff event for the series.”

Outside of the main event, other highlights during the 2021 CPPT bestbet Jacksonville series include the $360 buy-in pot-limit Omaha event, the $1,200 six-max no-limit hold’em event, the $360 H.O.R.S.E. event, and the $360 buy-in Ladies no-limit hold’em event. A featured table and the final table of the Ladies event will be live streamed on bestbetLIVE on June 22. bestbetLIVE is the venue’s high-quality live streaming show, which broadcasts cash games and tournaments from the poker room with cards-up coverage and commentary. The popular show is available on Twitch, YouTube and Facebook LIVE.

Player and employee safety are paramount at bestbet Jacksonville. A full listing of their health and safety protocols can be found on the official website, www.bestbetjax.com.

“Masks are still required, we’re still playing eight handed, and everybody has to get a shot of hand sanitizer and a non-invasive temperature check upon entering the building,” said Hollander. “We’re still cleaning the rails and the touchpoints and chairs as well, trying to keep everybody safe and healthy so we can continue to play.”

About bestbet Jacksonville

bestbet Jacksonville got its start in 1934 under the banner of Jacksonville Greyhound Racing. Along with its sister property in Orange Park, the brand now operates two of the most successful poker rooms in the state of Florida, run by Hollander and Women in Poker Hall of Fame member Deborah Giardina.

Poker was first introduced at the new Jacksonville location in 2012. The room currently hosts 63 poker tables and 24 tables of other action-packed games, such as High Card Flush, Pai Gow, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Three Card Poker, One Card Poker, and DJ Wild.

In addition to major series like the Card Player Poker Tour and the World Poker Tour, the venue also hosts daily tournaments, with a variety of no-limit hold’em and Omaha offerings. The property is known for its exciting cash game action, which includes games like no-limit hold’em, Omaha, Big O, seven card stud, and limit hold’em. There are always plenty of exciting promotions for players, including jackpots and daily high hands. Monthly information about promotions can always be found on the official website.

Players looking for a bite between hands won’t be disappointed with what bestbet has to offer. For a quick meal, the poker room deli has everyone covered with everything from sandwiches to salads. Players can also dine at one of the best sushi bars in Northeast Florida, featuring creative daily specials that will satisfy even the most demanding palates.

The bestbet Poker Show airs live every Wednesday at 6 p.m. on 1010XL AM / 92.5 FM, with hosts ‘AllieMcDEAL’, Jesse ‘The Boss,’ and Dustin. The show dives deep into the world of poker for news and commentary and even gives listeners a chance at winning prizes. Tune in to hear special guests and legendary pros such as Tyler Patterson, Matt Glantz, and Jason Mercier, who share their stories and tips on how to become a better player. Archives of past shows can be found on the website.

Every week a tournament or cash game is live streamed by bestbetLIVE with a 15-minute delay where anyone can watch the action on bestbetLIVE’s Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook LIVE channels. The sophisticated RFID technology results in a high-quality production that makes following the game easy and enjoyable. The livestreams have become so popular that clips have been used for training videos by industry professionals like Bart Hanson from Crush Live Poker.

Make sure to check out bestbetLIVE on Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Live, or you can follow the property for news and updates on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For more information about the upcoming CPPT stop at bestbet Jacksonville, visit the tour homepage at www.CardPlayerPokerTour.com.

Check out bestbet’s complete schedule of events in Card Player’s tournament database, or in the listings below:

Event Start Date Days Buy-In
No-Limit Hold’em June 17 4 $560
Pot-Limit Omaha June 19 1 $360
No-Limit Hold’em $100 Bounty June 20 1 $460
No-Limit Hold’em June 21 1 $260
No-Limit Hold’em Ladies June 22 1 $360
No-Limit Hold’em Turbo $50 Bounty June 22 1 $260
No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack June 23 1 $360
No-Limit Hold’em Six Max June 24 1 $1,200
No-Limit Hold’em June 25 4 $2,500
H.O.R.S.E. June 26 1 $360
No-Limit Hold’em June 27 1 $500