2024 WPT Voyage

The WPT Voyage kicked off earlier this week with a pajama-themed meet-up game and some tournament action in the form of a $2,200 buy-in Turbo No-Limit Hold'em event. That event drew 86 entries, including resident crusher Jesse Lonis and content creator Ben Ludlow, for a prize pool of $197,800.

Ludlow was among the 11 players who cashed the event, finishing in tenth place for $5,576 after the elimination of Michael Wang, who received the same payout. But it was Taylor von Kriegenbergh who came out on top to win the trophy and $58,319 after a heads-up battle with Daniel Neilson, who earned $38,878 for his runner-up finish.

Others at the final table included Americans David Moses (8th - $6,740), Matthew Wantman (4th - $18,537) and Corel Theuma (3rd - $26,358), as well as Brazil's Ueberton De Aquino (6th - $10,293) and Germany's Niko Koop (7th - $8,152).

WPT Voyage $2,200 Turbo NLH Final Table Results

_{*Photos courtesy WPT}

Tags: Aram OganyanCorel TheumaDaniel NeilsonDavid MosesEduardo GilJesse LonisMatthew WantmanMichael WangNiko KoopWPT Voyage

Dozens of poker players on board the WPT Voyage got a special experience on Tuesday, April 2 when the Valiant Lady set up shop on the shore of Grand Cayman in the Caribbean. Those poker players became pickleball grinders as they received lessons from WPT commentator Vince Van Patten, a former tennis pro who made the transition to professional pickleball.

Van Patten, whose pickleball prowess was highlighted by Sports Illustrated last month, was joined by pickleball champion Mattias Johannson for two separate sessions of the popular sport on the balmy Cayman Islands with plenty of palm trees bordering the courts.

Read More About the WPT Voyage Pickleball Action!

Tags: Mattias JohannsonVince Van PattenWPT Voyage

It hasn't been all fun and games on the currently underway World Poker Tour (WPT) Voyage, or maybe it has been. Much of the fun on the weeklong venture through the Caribbean took place on the first night, which featured a pajama-themed WPT Voyage Meet-Up Game followed by the WPT Voyage PJ Party.

Both events took poker players out of their comfort zones and put them in comfortable clothes. From fleece onesies to branded PokerNews two pieces, there were no shortage of entertaining, intriguing and outright hilarious outfits.

Here's a look at some of the best outfits from the Day 1 activities, which brought out the likes of Vince Van Patten, Lynn Gilmartin, Alexandra Grey, Andrew Neeme, Ethan "Rampage" Yau, Caitlin Comeskey, Nikki Limo, Tyler Patterson, Julie Cornelius and ClubWPT Qualifier Monika Heppner, who PokerNews wrote about ahead of the Voyage.

Click Here to See the Best WPT Voyage Outfits

The World Poker Tour (WPT) Voyage on Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady set sail from Miami, Florida on Sunday, and for a solid 36 hours, it was all about the poker action with both the $5,000 Main Event and $1,100 WPT Prime tournaments kicking off, not to mention a slew of side events and cash games.

On Tuesday, poker took a back seat for a bit as the luxurious cruise ship docked at George Town in the Cayman Islands. Whenever a cruise ship is at port, most onboard activities pause so that guests can go ashore to partake in excursions or whatever activities tickle their fancy.

While players like WPT champs Dan Sepiol and Tyler Patterson were busy at Matt Savage’s golf event, and others such as Matt Berkey and my colleague Connor Richards at Vince Van Patten’s pickleball tournament, I took the opportunity to hang out with some friends from the Midwest.

I met up with MSPT Hall of Famer Josh Reichard and his wife Ashely, as well as Minnesota’s Ben Valder and his wife Amber – who actually won their way aboard the WPT Voyage via an Andrew Neeme social media giveaway – and took a shuttle to 7-Mile Beach, which won “The Caribbean’s Best Beach” in 2015 from Caribbean Travel and Life Magazine.

Both Reichard and Valder are well-known in Midwest poker circles. The former spent several years working for the MSPT and is no stranger to the poker table having amassed more than $240,000 in tournament winnings according to the Hendon Mob. That includes a career-high $40,866 for finishing third in the 2015 Poker Night in America $1,650 Main Event.

As for Reichard, he has nearly $3.2 million in lifetime earnings including a career-best $339,646 for finishing second in last year’s WSOP Event #74: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em. Reichard is tied for second place on the WSOP Circuit’s all-time ring list with 15, and he is also an MSPT Hall of Famer. When it comes to Midwest crushers, Reichard is near the top of most everybody’s list.

While actually only 6.3 miles long, the beach featured beautiful white sand and crystal-clear blue water. There were a lot of people taking advantage of the hot-but-not-so-stifling weather, but with plenty of beachfront property, it didn’t feel crowded.

By happenstance, while walking down the beach, I wandered by LearnWPT Team Member Adrian Naggy, who the day before helped lead a special ClubWPT training session alongside poker pro Brian Altman. He had just eaten at the seaside Coccoloba, a part Mexican street taco joint, and part beach hut. He spoke highly of the establishment, which was “mango-throwing distance from the water,” and recommended the fish tacos.

Naturally, we decided to check it out for ourselves and let me tell you Naggy wasn’t wrong. The food was fire, which was fitting given it was a part of the Seafire Resort & Spa, and the margaritas weren’t bad either.

By the time the check arrived – Reichard gave us a freeroll of him picking up the check by playing a game of Crocodile Roulette, but yours truly lost and blew a chance for the Valder’s and I to have a free meal – it was time to head back to the dock and catch the shuttle boat back to the main ship.

For Reichard, Valder, and myself, poker awaited in the form of the $1,100 WPT Prime Day 1b Turbo Flight. The WPT Voyage might not be all about poker, but there’s always poker to look forward to at the end of the day.

Reigning World Poker Tour (WPT) world champion Dan Sepiol is well on his way to becoming the inaugural WPT Voyage Main Event champion, and that's no April Fool's joke. The first day of the $5,000 buy-in WPT Voyage Championship kicked off on Monday, April 1 and saw Sepiol bagging third in chips to closely trail chip leader Landen Lucas and fellow WPT champion Matthew Wantman, who bagged second in chips.

There were plenty of other familiar faces among the 37 players who bagged Day 1 of the WPT Voyage Main Event, which drew 293 runners for a prize pool of $1,347,800. Among those who bagged are WPT champions Tony Dunst, Matthew Wantman, Ryan Riess, Masato Yokosawa, Tyler Patterson and Eliot Hudon, WPT Global Ambassador Andrew Neeme and notables Greg Himmelbrand, Jerry Wong and Kasey Mills.

WPT Voyage Main Event Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts

William Tweed Falls to Three-Nine Offsuit on the Bubble

There was high energy inside the Red Room on board the Valient Lady as the ship filled with poker players sailed through the Atlantic Ocean.

The field of a few hundred players dwindled slowly throughout the day, with Xuan Liu, Olga Iermolcheva, Aaron Massey, Steven "Cuz" Buckner, Stephen Song and Martin Zamani among those to bust.

Action slowed toward the bubble with a half dozen tables remaining and slowed further at the stone bubble with 38 players remaining. During the second hand of hand-for-hand play, William Tweed moved all in for less than three big blinds with Big Slick only for Toby Boas to hunt him down the big blind with nine-three offsuit, according to WPT updates.

A flop featuring a three was bad news for Tweed and a brick runout confirmed his elimination on the stone bubble.

There's still plenty of action to come with Day 2 slated to get underway on Tuesday, April 2 at 8 p.m. local time, giving players ample of time to enjoy a day on the shores of Grand Cayman. Day 2 will play down to a final table of players that will return for Day 3

Each returning player is guaranteed a payday of at leat $9,600 and $285,800 waits up top for the eventual champion. Head to worldpokertour.com for further updates on the Main Event action.

WPT Voyage Main Event Payouts

_{*Photos courtesy WPT}

Tags: Aaron MasseyAdam WeinraubAndrew NeemeAram OganyanJerry WongKasey MillsMartin ZamaniMasato YokosawaMatthew WantmanOlga IermolchevaRed RoomRyan RiessStephen SongToby BoasTony DunstWilliam Tweed

Hundreds of poker players from all over the world gathered in Miami on Easter Sunday as they prepared to set sail southbound into the Atlantic Ocean. The occasion? The long-awaited World Poker Tour (WPT) Voyage.

The WPT Voyage — which guarantees over $1.5 million in prize pools — will set sail on Virgin’s Valiant Lady, a 1,400-cabin cruise ship that will host the entirety of the six-day festival. A full set of WPT festivities is on offer, from the $1,100 WPT Prime event with a $500,000 guarantee and the $5,000 WPT Voyage Championship with a $1,000,000 guarantee.

With everyone on board and the sun setting behind the Miami skyline, WPT's Adam Pliska, Matt Savage and Vince Van Patten all made remarks from the top deck before the Valiant Lady Set Sail.

Pajama MUG Will Kick Things Off

Now that the Valiant Lady is in open sea, it's time for the poker fun to kick off with a pajama meet-up game.

Players can hop into the MUG with the likes of Princess Love, Ashley Frank, Jesse Sylvia, Ashley Sleeth, and Nikki Limo. Also joining the game will be WPT Ambassadors and stars like Andrew Neeme, Ethan “Rampage” Yau, Tony Dunst, Vince Van Patten, and Lynn Gilmartin.

“A Meet-Up Game is the perfect fit for the WPT Voyage,” said WPT CEO Adam Pliska in a press release. “Just as the Premier MUG does for the WPT World Championship festival, we aim to kick off the Voyage festivities with everyone coming together in a fun-loving environment.”

There's are plenty of other events to look forward to, so take a look at the week's schedule below.

Tags: Adam PliskaAndrew NeemeAshley FrankAshley SleethJesse SylviaLynn GilmartinMatt SavageNikki LimoPrincess LoveTony DunstTurbo NLHVince Van Patten