The World Poker Tour has announced plans to host their first-ever event in Japan. WPT Japan will take place in Tokyo, with Adam Pliska calling the event a ‘momentous occasion’ for the industry. 

Here are the things that I know about Japan.

They have the second coolest national flag behind Wales.

The country sits on the Ring of Fire, and that sounds both painful, and worrisome.

Japan’s GDP is just under 5 trillion making it the third largest economy in the world.

North Korea likes to shoot shit into their waters.

Most forms of gambling are illegal, although regulators and politicians are trying their hardest to pass legislation in time for the 2020 Olympic Games.

The World Poker Tour (WPT) is going to host a Main Event in November.

The WPT’s presence in the Asia-Pacific region is becoming more significant, after WPT Japan joined the WPT Beijing, and WPT India trifecta this week. Adam Pliska and the team will partner with the Japan Poker Union Corporation to hold the four-day Main Event at a yet to be disclosed venue in Tokyo.

The event takes place November 23-26, and qualifying will be held at local clubs in the lead to the first flight. Japan finally agreed to introduce casinos when legislation was given the green light in December, but licenses aren’t likely to be issued for some time as lawmakers continue to worry about gambling addiction.

With this in mind, there won’t be any cash prizes on offer for WPT Japan. Instead, the winner of the event will earn a package to both the Season XVII WPT Main Tour event in Beijing, and another event of their choice in the Asia-Pacific region.

President Pliska understands that the move into Japanese territory is not only a golden moment for the WPT but the entire industry.

“Japan is a truly spectacular place, and the Japanese poker market is a flourishing one that deserves to be showcased on a global stage such as the World Poker Tour,” said Pliska. 

WPT Japan will join Beijing, and India as the three events that accumulate points for the WPT Asia-Pacific Player of the Year Leaderboard.

Here are the prizes up for grabs:

• First Place – $15,000 package for any WPT Main Tour, WPTDeepStacks or WPT500 in Asia-Pacific.
• Second Place – $3,500 buy-in to the Beijing Main Event, third receives a WPTDeepStacks Main Event buy-in and one WPT500 buy-in.

If you want a virtual tour of the Land of the Rising Sun before booking your tickets, then I suggest you check out this outstanding trip report from Tim Urban over at WaitButWhy.

From: calvinayre