Poker Bowl Kicks Off In October

The inaugural Poker Bowl, which was created by the U.S. Poker League, kicks off October 20 at Bally’s in Las Vegas.  Unlike other team-base poker tournaments, this one actually puts team members on the felt at the same time.

Poker Bowl I will feature 25 teams (five teams in five conferences) playing in a series of tournaments.  Each conference will send its champion to the Poker Bowl Finale, to be held on October 23.  This Finale starts as three ten-handed single-table shootout tournaments, in which each team will have two players represented at each table (each team has a total of six players).  When each table is down to three players, they will be combined into one nine-handed final table. 

The last team to have at least two players remaining (the “team winner”) will advance its top three finishers to the playoff table.  The winner of the final table will also advance, along with his team’s other top finisher.  These five players will then battle it out, trying to eliminate the other team.  The team that survives will be declared champion of Poker Bowl I.

If the winner of the final table (before the playoff table) is also a member of the “team winner,” there will be no playoff.  That team wins by default.

The buy-in for the event is $8,000 per person, $40,000 per team.  The total prize pool will be $1,000,000.