Playing in a poker tournament gives you the chance to compete against the best players from around the world. There are tournaments at land-based casinos, at online casinos - like our very own, Grande Vegas Casino - that involve almost every type of poker from high stakes games of traditional Stud Poker and Draw Poker to games of Texas Hold 'Em Poker, Omaha Poker, Seven Card Stud Poker, Triple Draw Poker and more.
It's not hard to find games in which you're thrust into competition with amateur players but if you want to find the best games running this summer, check out some of the world's top poker tournament action.
There are endless poker tournaments worldwide. You can find $20 buy-ins but lower-stakes games as well as games in which the buy-ins go up to $340 and more. There are games with or without bounties and guarantees plus games with variable field sizes. Best of all, regardless of the hour of the day or night, you can find a tournament that meets your individual interests and expectations.
Some poker rooms offer daily Omaha 8 or Better or Pot Limit Omaha while in others there are mixed game tournaments. There are also Poker Classic tournaments such as the Wynn Poker Classic and the World Series of Poker.
Summer 2018 Poker Tournaments in Las Vegas – On Strip Venues
"The Strip" is known for many of the world's biggest and highest-guaranteed poker tournaments. Some of the top alternatives:
- Aria offers daily poker tournaments starting at 11:00 a.m. There are additional star-times at 1:00 p.m. and at 7:00 p.m. Buy-ins start at $140 and stretch to $240.
- Caesars Palace has 4 daily tournaments at 10:00 a.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m., and 9 p.m. Buy-Ins start at $125 and go up to $150. The games are all No-limit Hold'em poker and the guarantees include both $2,000 and $3,000.
- At Harrah’s poker aficionados can join any of the Friday or Saturday 7:00 p.m. games with a $100 buy-in. There are $100 guarantees and $25 bounties.
- The Planet Hollywood offers a $1,500 guaranteed Prize Pool in their daily poker tournaments that take place at 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. You can buy-in for $80, $130, or $100 and every tournament includes additional guarantees (above the $1500 guarantee) of $3000 and $7500. Planet Hollywood also hosts the Phamous Poker Series and the World Series of Poker Circuit Events plus a $2,200 buy in Goliath Main Event and a Goliath Main Event Freeroll.
Summer 2018 Poker Tournaments in Las Vegas – Off Strip Venues
If you want to move off-strip you can find big poker attractions at many of the off-strip Vegas casinos. Some of the best include
- The Golden Nugget runs a 24/7 poker room with under-the-radar Sunday tournaments that take place at 11:00 a.m. with a $125 buy-in for a $5000 guaranteed purse. The Golden Nugget is known for its Grand Poker Series that runs every summer throughout the month of June. There's a $570 Main Event with a $500K guarantee and draws upwards of 2000 players. The last 2 years has seen prizes of $100,000 awarded to the winners with five players taking home over $60,000. Games include Omaha Hi-Low poker, No Limit Hold 'Em Poker and Horse Poker.
- At the Orleans Casino players can find a wide variety of tournaments including No Limit Hold’ Em, Pot Limit Omaha Poker, Omaha Eight or Better Poker, Limit H.O.R.S.E (Hold 'Em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Stud and Eight or Better) and Limit/No Limit Eight-Game Mixed Game Poker. The games run daily at 12:05 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. You can buy-in for $80 , $105 or $130.
- Red Rock Casino, located on West Charleston Boulevard, has daily poker tournaments that start at 12:35 p.m. and 6:35 p.m. There are $25 bounties with $1,000, $2,000, $2,500, and $4,500 guarantees. You can buy-in for $60, $100, $125, or $150
Summer 2018 Poker Tournaments Around the World
If you're traveling this summer you have some unique poker tournaments in many locations worldwide. Some of the best include
- New Orleans – the World Series of Poker Circuit event already took place (in May) but it's worth noting so that you don't forget it for next year. The tournament is a WSOP Circuit event and is held at a Caesars property. Game options include a $365 No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em $200K game, a $250 No Limit Hold 'Em game for ladies, and a variety of other options such as Six Man Poker, Monster Stack Poker, Double Stack Poker. There are also poker tournaments for seniors. The tournament brings top-notch staff and a vibrant atmosphere with lucrative prizes.
- The Aruba Poker Classic is held at the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino. This 11 event series features over 200 players and a $2,400 buy-in with a $500,000 main event. This event is not exactly in the summer – November, to be exact. But since the weather in Aruba is summer-like throughout the year, it's a great opportunity to enjoy great poker in a summer-like atmosphere.
- Aussie Millions, held at the Crowne Casino Resort in Melbourne, takes place every July. That means that you have the benefit of traveling when it's summertime in the northern hemisphere and enjoying the cool weather of Australia's winter in the southern hemisphere. The tournament is quickly becoming a must-go on the poker circuit with a reasonable buy-in of $130 for most events and a special free-to-enter Triple Qualifier. The buy in tournaments have a Shot Clock with a 1 in 5 Win.
2018 Poker Tournaments Online
In addition to the brick-and-mortar casino tournaments you can join one of the online tournaments and play online. Some of the best poker tournaments for online gamers include:
- 888 Poker is the world's second largest online poker site that's dedicated to recreational players and high stakes gamers alike. The game traffic means that there's significant prizes and an expansive schedule for all type of play. You can deposit your bets via Skrill, VISA, MasterCard, Neteller, Wire Transfer or FirePay and join one of the WebCam poker tournaments or just play a cash game.
- Poker Stars Tournaments offer a 100% deposit bonus of up to $600 with deposit options that include Click2Pay, Skrill, Neteller, FirePay, VISA and MasterCard. The site hosts the popular Sunday Million which is the biggest weekly tournament offered online.
- William Hill is one of the biggest names in gambling worldwide. Their tournaments are a poker player's dream. First time players are limited to £10 for their first deposit/transfer. The site offers Speed Poker and Twister Poker tournaments and draws thousands of players from around the world to every game. The large gaming population means that the prize pools for the tournaments are larger than those at other online sites.
