In 2024, the Russian Poker Tour (RPT) turns 15 years old. In honor of this significant date, there was a special anniversary stage in Minsk. There were traditional large-scale tournaments with TV broadcasts and a large amount of entertainment and gifts for RPT guests. Guests can also win tickets to the main tournaments of the series and tournament packages in RPTs branded poker room.
For those who don’t follow the RPT stages, we’ll briefly talk about the stage in Minsk in November of last year.
- There were over $900,000 in tournament prizes.
- The series was attended by more than 700 unique participants.
- 20 cups and medals were awarded.
- Final tables are broadcast with cards in the main tournaments of the series.
- The gaming tables got updates, making them more stable (and more comfortable for players), and added a more accessible and faster menu.
- A unique diamond ring was given to the best player in the series.
No one was left bored! What awaits the guests of the next stage?
Top 5 Reasons to Visit the Anniversary Stage of RPT Minsk
1. RPT Birthday – gifts and twice as much fun! 15 years is a serious amount of time. There are prizes and gifts for all guests, twice as much entertainment, parties, and a great mood.
In honor of the birthday, there will be a lot of satellites running.
2. Updated tournament schedule: We carefully monitor feedback from players and make changes to the schedule. Here's what will change this time:
- The prestigious X Event moved to the daytime.
- There is one more entry day to the Russian Poker Open TV Event, and an increased buy-in (+15%) and a 30% increase in the guarantee.
- Mystery Bounty was moved closer to the beginning of the series. All starting days will have the same buy-in of $260.
- Some progressive knockout tournaments have become classic knockouts, for example, the SuperKnockout Event ($250+$250)
- Omaha tournaments have been added. Now there are three of them.
- The organizers added several new tournaments, including the Night Main Event and the one-day Monster Classic Event.
3. Lots of TV broadcasts (tournaments and cash games): We used to see televised finals only from the main event, sometimes from the X Event. At the last stage, organizers significantly increased the number of broadcasts. This time the trend will continue and 6 tournaments will be broadcast on TV (marked with a red TV symbol in the schedule), with two cash games. Here's what it looks like:
Some poker rooms, like RPTbet, have restrictions on player locations. You may have to find your satellite action on a different site and a different live tournament series. Partypoker, GGPoker, and 888poker all offer satellites for their live events.
4. Great lineups and the best atmosphere: The tournament series from Pokerstyle Events always feels warm and friendly, because most of the guests come in pursuit of new experiences and emotions. When there is a fight for large prizes with small buy-ins, a lot of amateurs come to the series – and the lineups at the RPT are the best proof of this! You can feel the RPT atmosphere by going to the Russian Poker Tour Instagram account in the stories section. There is a lot of interesting material there, lots of it from behind the scenes.
All major tournaments will be held in a 9-max format. As before, it's within casino walls so that players do not have to pay the 13% tax on prize money themselves.
5. Low expenses: “ How much will a trip to the poker series cost?” is a question asked by both beginners and regulars. Often, European series either require too much accommodation costs or offer too little prize money. The RPT stages in Minsk are a favorable exception! The city still remains one of the most affordable in Russia.
Living expenses in Minsk will pleasantly surprise you. A room in a luxury five-star hotel at the venue for two starts from $80, and a four-star hotel within walking distance will cost $48. A huge number of apartments around $20 per day will be an excellent choice for large groups and the taxis in Minsk are quite inexpensive. Food prices are also quite low, and in cafes and restaurants, prices are lower than in Moscow.
The RPT Anniversary Schedule: February 8th to 18th
Let's talk about the key tournaments of the series.
RPT MAIN EVENT $135/$550. Guarantee of $155,000. TV broadcast. Starting stack 15,000/75,000, levels 15/20/25/30/40 and 45 minutes.
The famous main with two buy-in levels! In Stage A and Stage B, C, and D for $135, participants receive 15,000 chips at the start and play up until 20% remain. They advance to Day 1A or 1B with their stacks, or players can enter directly for $550 into the main Day 1A, receiving a starting stack of 75,000 chips. In this tournament, the winner receives approximately $45,000-$55,000. The best day to enter is Day 1A, where the majority of online satellite winners and stagers compete.
RUSSIAN POKER OPEN TV EVENT $330. $40,000 guarantee. TV broadcast. Starting stack 25,000, levels 25/30 and 40 minutes.
The return of the Russian Poker Open tournament in an updated format. A classic two-day tournament, with a television broadcast and big prize money. The buy-in is $290 and this event is recommended for anyone tired of knockout tournaments.
BELARUS KNOCKOUT CHAMPIONSHIP $120+$50. Guarantee of $60,000. TV broadcast.
A two-day opening progressive knockout tournament with an excellent structure and a modest $170 buy-in is a great warm-up for the start of the series. Please note that there are a total of 5 flights into this event, and stacks do not accumulate! This is also the largest tournament on the RPT schedule, with the final stretch shown on the TV table.
The winner of this event typically receives around $15,000 in prize money, and the large selection of online satellites allows a huge number of amateurs to participate.
OPERA HIGHROLLERS CUP $210/$880. $50,000 guarantee. TV broadcast. Starting stack 75,000, levels 30 and 40 minutes.
High-roller tournaments are an integral part of the tournament bracket. The Opera Cup, the most expensive and prestigious tournament, will be broadcast on TV for the first time. As in the case of the main, you can get into the high roller through the stage with a buy-in of $210. Players on the stage receive 15,000 chips and play up to 20% of the total number of entries, after which they move on to Day 1 with the collected stacks. High rollers take place during the day. Based on your feedback, we have increased the length of the levels and reduced the number of levels on the main day.
In the high roller, the winner always receives five-figure prize money. For example, Gwan Ir De earned $20,000 in prize money in a similar tournament in June.
X EVENT CLASSIC KNOCKOUT $190/$500+$300. Guarantee $35,000. TV broadcast. Stack 50,000, levels 30 minutes each.
Participation in the X Event will cost $800, but there is an opportunity to go through the stage with a reasonable buy-in of $190. All stage participants receive 10,000 chips at the start and play up to 20% of the total number of entries, after which they proceed to Day 1 of the tournament with the collected stacks. On the final day, the first two levels will be available for late registration..
The main feature of the tournament is that this time it will be held in the format of classic knockouts. For each eliminated participant you immediately receive $300. The final table of the tournament will be broadcast on TV.
SUPERKNOCKOUT EVENT $250+$250. $40,000 guarantee. Stack 30,000, levels 30 and 25 minutes.
One of the most popular sides is now in the format of a classic knockout tournament. For each eliminated player, you immediately receive $250.
UNDERPRESSURE EVENT $200+$100. $20,000 guarantee. TV broadcast. Stack 25,000, levels 30 and 25 minutes.
The most unusual and striking event in the RPT schedule will be broadcast on TV. The final table will take place under "a lot of pressure and cameras." Thousands of spectators will watch the unusual poker. The tournament, as usual, goes on without interruption.
Accommodation
There are three nearby hotels for participants.
The luxurious Beijing Hotel is the venue for the series, the 4-star Willing Hotel is a 10-minute walk away, and there's the budget hotel Belarus, which you will need to travel to by car. Details will appear later in on the Russian forum.
In Minsk, there are a huge number of offers for renting apartments by the day. Prices start at $15 and you can look at many sites:
– https://realt.by/rent/flat-for-day/
How to Get There
From Russia. Recently, the number of flights from Russian cities to Minsk has increased, many direct flights have opened, and the cost of air tickets has decreased. Tickets Moscow-Minsk-Moscow cost about $100 and from St. Petersburg, it's $110. The fast train will cost about $25. The earlier you book your flight tickets, the cheaper the trip will be.
From Europe. From April 15, 2022, visa-free entry into Belarus was introduced for citizens of Latvia and Lithuania, and from July 1, 2022, for citizens of Poland. Citizens of these countries have the right to visa-free entry into the territory of the Republic of Belarus an unlimited number of times. The number of days of stay in Belarus should not exceed 90 days in a calendar year.
Contacts
INSTAGRAM (Seet stories from the last stage)
Official website – russianpokert.ru
Phone number for reservations +7-985-970-90-99 (calls only in messengers)
Come celebrate the 15th anniversary of RPT from February 8 to 18 in Minsk!