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[toc]Beginning May 24, poker players from around New York and surrounding states will make their way to the newly opened Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady for the Capital Region Classic. The Capital Region Classic is a standalone poker tournament with a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000.
The casino bills the upcoming event as the largest and richest poker tournament ever held in the area.
Rivers Casino & Resort General Manager Mary Cheeks spoke about the tournament:
“Our poker room has seen nonstop action since we opened the doors, and our players know there’s nothing quite like the excitement of a big poker tournament. There are a lot of reasons to make a trip to Rivers, and for poker players, we just added at least 100,000 more.”
Choose your own adventure to the final table
The tournament takes place May 24-28. However, registration opens May 17. The tournament will use a somewhat uncommon format, as there are two different ways to register.
From Wednesday, May 24 through Saturday May 27, players can take part in one of the Day One flights at a cost of $260 for 25,000 tournament chips. The tournament is offering unlimited entries until Level 15. This means players can participate in one or more of the Day One flights and reenter to their heart’s content. Players who finish the day with chips will take that stack to Day Two.
The other option is to skip all the Day Ones and enter on Day Two, which takes place on Sunday, May 28. This route will cost entrants $1,100 for 100,000 tournament chips. These players will avoid the minefield of playing Day One. Additionally, they are guaranteed to start Day Two with a decent-sized stack.
These two options should bring out recreational players and pros.
Rivers Casino & Resort Poker Manager David Grubb explained the rationale behind the format:
“We wanted our first big poker tournament to be player-friendly and accessible to players at all levels of skill and experience. This tournament format is fast and fun, and affordable buy-ins with unlimited re-entries make it perfect for players looking for tournament experience. Add in the chance to walk away with big winnings, and it’s a winning formula.”
Putting a stamp on poker in the region
Rivers Schenectady hopes the tournament is the first of many hosted at the property.
As such, it’s really ramping up promotion. In addition to the guaranteed prize pool, Rivers also enlisted poker personality Tim Kelliher to live-blog the event, which will hopefully draw even more eyeballs and put Rivers’ new Schenectady casino on the poker map.
We are so excited for the biggest #Poker tourney in the Capital Region. It will be the first of MANY at #RiversCasino! ♣️👍🤑 pic.twitter.com/5pN3zlK8Ke
— Rivers Poker Room – Schenectady, NY (@RiversPokerNY) May 11, 2017
A quick look at Rivers Casino Schenectady
Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady opened in February. The property features a 50,000-square-foot gaming floor with 1,150 slot machine titles, 67 table games, and a 16-table poker room.
The casino boasts five dining options, ranging from grab & go to fine dining. The property also hosts live entertainment at Van Slyck’s Lounge.
A 165-room hotel is slated to open this summer.
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