Finding a good poker tournament is a pretty easy thing to do these days. The hottest spots in the States are Vegas, Atlantic City and Southern California. These places have constant live action and they also hold most major professional events. The popularity of the game has also created some good events in Canada, Australia, and numerous countries in Europe.
WSOP, WPT, and PPT events can be consistently found in Vegas throughout the year. For daily action you can count on the Bellagio to deliver the goods. They run daily $500 + $40 No Limit Holdem and satellites at $130, starting at 9 am, Sunday to Thursday. Friday and Saturday they run a $1000 + $80 with satellites of $240. The big events at the Bellagio are the annual Five Star World Poker Classic, the annual Five Diamond Poker Classic, and the annual Festa Al Lago.
The World Poker Finals at the Foxwoods in Connecticut is one of the best tourneys of the year. The WPT event is always a televised affair attracting the best in the game. The poker room at the Foxwoods has 70 tables and action is never limited. If you’re in Atlantic City, The Trump Taj Mahal poker room runs daily events and has recently been selected to host a CEO Poker Tour event. The big tournament of the year for the Taj is the United States Poker Championship.
The other hotbed for good tournaments is Southern California. San Jose has the Shooting Star at the Bay 101 Casino. It is a televised WPT event that attracts lots of top players. The California State Championships in Los Angeles has grown in popularity, as well as the Legends of Poker Tournament and the L.A. Poker Classic. Players flock to see poker stars and Hollywood celebrities battle it out for a championship.
There are enough poker tours in existence now that a player can find a good-sized tournament every weekend, in numerous places in the States. Live action tourneys are growing in size and frequency elsewhere on the planet, but they are still special events that are held on occasion. America is still the leader in live tournament action, and will be for some time to come.
