Resorts World Steals Some Spotlight With Successful Summer Series

The 2024 Summer Poker Series at Resorts World Las Vegas has concluded, with 91 poker tournaments hosted at the venue from June 6 through July 22. In that span, more than 10,700 entries were made, resulting in $2.2 million in total prize money.

Buy-ins ranged from $120 up to $400, with 87 of the 91 tournaments sporting guaranteed prize pools. The guarantee was surpassed in about 98 percent of the events held, with the average prize pool clocking in at roughly 2.5 times the guarantee. Two events ended up more than quintupling the guarantee, with another three more than quadrupling the promised prize pool. In fact, more than a quarter of the guarantees were at least tripled.

The two largest events of the festival were the pair of $100,000 guaranteed $400 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournaments. The first ran from June 20-23, drawing a field of 777 entries across its two starting flights to build a final prize pool of $271,950.

While 78 players walked away with a cash, only one could leave as the champion. That player was Robyn Alvis. She earned $47,228 and a seat to the 2024 PokerStars North American Poker Tour $5,300 buy-in main event that is slated for Nov. 5-10 at Resorts World Las Vegas. Alvis was also awarded 365 Card Player Player of the Year points as the champion.

This was her second live tournament title, having taken down a $200 ladies team event at the Nevada State Ladies Poker Championship this spring. Just a week after her win in this event, she also made a deep run in the World Series of Poker ladies event, finishing 27th from a field of 1,245 entries.

The second $100,000 guaranteed tournament on the schedule ran from June 27-30. A total of 467 entries were made in the $400 buy-in affair across three starting flights, besting the guarantee by $63,450.

Konstantinos Nanos was crowned the champion in the end, earning $23,531 for the win. The German player now has $1,164,000 in career earnings after this victory, which was the sixth recorded win of his career.

His largest score was a $369,755 payday for finishing third in the 2010 EPT Vienna main event. He also earned $158,970 as the champion of the 2015 WPT National Vienna main event.

Pard Gonzalez earned $15,995 as the runner-up, while James Burrell cashed for $15,313 as the third-place finisher following a deal. WSOP Circuit ring winner Brandon Zuidema finished sixth for $6,215.

The next-largest guarantee of the series belonged to the $360 buy-in no-limit hold’em ladies event. It attracted a field of 259, nearly doubling the $40,000 guarantee to create a final prize pool of $79,254.

The top 27 finishers made the money, with notables like Caitlin Comeskey (26th), Louise Francoeur (19th), Denise Allen (18th), 2023 WPT Ladies Championship winner Lisa Costello (10th), two-time bracelet winner Loni Hui (4th), and poker photographer Hayley Hochstetler (3rd) all running deep.

In the end, Amy Mynderse emerged victorious with the title and the top prize of $19,023. This was the largest live score yet for the Pearland, Texas resident.
Ada Lang, who finished sixth in the previously mentioned ladies tournament won by Costello last winter, secured $11,888 as the runner-up. She now has nearly $141,000 in career scores to her name.

Resorts World Las Vegas

When Resorts World Las Vegas opened in 2021, it marked the first new resort on the legendary Las Vegas Strip in over a decade. The elegant casino was developed on the site of the old Stardust, which was demolished back in 2007.

The property features a 117,000 square foot gaming space, and a 59-story hotel with three distinct brands. Las Vegas Hilton, Conrad Las Vegas, and Crockfords Las Vegas combine for nearly 3,500 total rooms. The casino floor features 1,400 slot machines, 117 table games, and of course, the player-favorite poker room.

In addition to gaming, the resort offers plenty of other world-class entertainment options, including the 5,000-person Resorts World Theater, the Zouk Nightclub, and the Ayu Beach House. There are also more than 50 dining and drinking establishments on site.

For more information on Resorts World Las Vegas, check out the official website at www.rwlasvegas.com. ♠