Daytona Beach Racing & Card Club is playing host to the Moneymaker Poker Tour again, and this time it's going to be the biggest event in its history.
The 2003 WSOP Main Event champ is coming to town April 17-29, with a guaranteed $600,000 in prize money across 12 tournaments. That's up from $500,000 the last time Moneymaker was at Daytona, in August last year.
Daytona Beach Racing & Card Club set up its Great American Poker Tournaments (GAPT) series just last year, ostensibly to give local and regional Florida players a branded series with bigger payouts.
Hosting Chris and his Moneymaker Poker Tour again is a real feather in their cap, as Fred Guzman, president and general manager of Daytona Beach Racing & Card Club, explained this week.
“As a highly regarded professional in the poker world, Chris Moneymaker brings considerable prestige to this event. His track record of exceeding guarantees and ensuring the highest quality of play adds an extra layer of excitement to our Great American Poker Tournaments series.”
Moneymaker effect
Moneymaker has been a staple in the poker world ever since he turned a $86 satellite ticket into a $2.5 million scoop of the biggest prize in poker, defeating Sammy Farha heads-up.
The 'Moneymaker effect' is likely to pull in the crowds to the Daytona Beach stop, with the $600,000 another big draw – the largest prize fund yet in the GAPT series.
“We are excited to be hosting another stop this year with Chris Moneymaker and Tony Burns,” said GAPT Tournament Director Byron Rodriguez.
“They have been exceptional partners, and we expect a great environment of good action and non-stop poker play. This year we are happy to announce that there will be over $600,000 in guaranteed prizes for the event.”
The fun and games kick off on April 17 with the $200k GTD Moneymaker Mystery Bounty and you’ll find plenty of $86 satellites to play as well – a nod to how Chris’ epic 2003 run began.
The $1,500 buy-in, $300k GTD, Moneymaker Main Event has three starting days from April 25-27, with a livestreamed final table on April 29 to crown the champion.
For those who have never been there, Daytona Beach lies 1,150k south of Jacksonville on Florida’s eastern coastline, about 70k from Orlando. The Daytona Beach Racing & Card Club boasts a 55-table card room. You can find a full schedule here.
