The Punta Cana Poker Classic is one of the most exciting events on the world poker scene. Based at the Hard Rock Hotel in Punta Cana each November, in the glorious year-round sunshine of the Dominican Republic, the cream of the world’s poker players will descend to take part in 16 top quality tournaments, including the $500,000 Guaranteed Main Event.
In the past, World Poker Tour Champion Carter Phillips, Jonathon Roy and emerging American ace Anthony Zinno have all played in the event, which was won last year by Mexican Guillermo Olivero, who defeated Leo Otazo heads up to take home $171,000.
A few weeks back we published an article about Sky Poker Satellites and how it is sometimes possible to win top prizes for a relatively small buy in, well this fantastic promotion on Sky Poker is a perfect example of this.
Currently, Sky Poker are running two separate promotions, each offering their customers a chance to win one of several Punta Cana packages that the site are offering to lucky winners of each different promotion.
So if you’ve just joined and received your Sky Poker no deposit bonus, or have some spare cash in your account and fancy trying to win yourself a dream poker trip of a lifetime, including the chance to play in the $500,000 Main Event, then here’s how you can win yourself this outstanding prize.
Sky Poker Promotion 1: The Road to Punta Cana
If you are a tournament player then you’ll be delighted to know that Sky Poker are running an extensive schedule of Punta Cana satellites, quarters and semi’s throughout the weeks. The culmination of which is the chance for one in five players to win a full Punta Cana package (as outlined below) in the Punta Cana Final, held at 9.15pm on the 19th October 2014. (£770 buy in).
Each day will see a series of satellites, including a daily freeroll at 7.30pm each night. There are several tickets into that night’s Punta Cana quarter up for grabs and each quarter will see 3 seats on offer for the Punta Cana semi final held each Sunday in the weeks leading up to the final.
That schedule changes slightly on a Sunday when there are additional satellites and two Punta Cana quarters, one held at 3.15pm, one at 7.15pm with 5 seats guaranteed across both tournaments into the weekly Semi Final, taking place later that evening.
Of course, you can opt to try and satellite through to the final at any point, but the further you sign up in the process, the more expensive the buy in fee to the tournament is.
- Satellites (several daily) – Starting from Free up to £8.10
- Quarter (daily) – £37 Buy In
- Semi (weekly) – £170 Buy In
- Final (19th October) – £770 Buy In
Sky Poker Promotion 2: Punta Cana Cash Kings
There are five Punta Cana Packages (worth £3,500 apiece) plus cash prizes totalling £15,000 in the Punta Cana Cash Kings promotion on Sky Poker.
This package allows Cash Table players the chance to enter the tournament, without having to play through in the MTT format outlined in the Road to Punta Cana promotion outlined above.
To participate, you need to visit your Sky Poker account and type in the promotional code KINGS. Once you have done this, you will be entered into the competition, which starts on the 30th September and runs through until the 19th October.
Of course, cash table players can play at a number of different buy-in levels, so to facilitate this across as wide-a-range of players as possible, Sky Poker has split the promotion into five different tiers.
High Stakes – Which covers tables of blinds £2.50/£5 to £10/£20 (Priority players included)
Medium Stakes – Covering tables £0.50/£0.50 up to £2/£4 (Priority players included)
Low Stakes – Tables priced at £0.10/£0.10 up to £0.25/£0.50 (Priority players not included)
Micro Stakes – Tables Placed £0.02/£0.04 up to £0.05/£0.10 (Priority players not included)
Prio – Micro/Low – Tables priced from £0.02/£0.04 up to £0.25/£0.50 (Priority players only)
From the 30th September onwards, players who play games in each of these tiers will have their play tracked by Sky Poker software. For each time the player is involved in a raked hand and contributes to the rake this is tracked. The more you contribute to the rake and the more rakes you contribute then the higher you will rank on the leaderboard.
Continue this process throughout the month to climb the leaderboard and if you are the player who finishes atop of one of the five leaderboards, then you will win the top prize of a Punta Cana package worth £3,500.
There are also cash prizes from £750 down to £75 for the players ranked 2nd to 21st on the leaderboard on the High and Medium stakes. Low and Micro stakes players ranked in the same positions will win prizes amounting to half the corresponding amount (so a 2nd placed player in the Low or Micro stakes tournament will win half of £750, £375 and so on down to 21st).
Priority players playing in the Micro/Low stakes tournament have one £3,500 package available to win, but no cash prizes awarded beyond this top prize.
Therefore, it makes sense for Sky Poker players contemplating attempting to win a package, for them to focus their play on one particular leaderboard, as opposed to several.
The Punta Cana Cash Prize Package
So what is up for grabs in both of these promotions? Well the top prize is a Punta Cana package that is worth an estimated £3,500 for the lucky winner. Each package is identical and contains the following:
- 7 nights accommodation at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana for 2 people from the 4th to the 11th
- All meals and drinks included
- £800 worth of travel expenses
- An exclusive players gift bag
- Tickets to the Punta Cana welcome party
- Airport transfers (though only from the nearest airport in Punta Cana, competitors flying into the second airport may need to make their own arrangements and pay their own costs)
- A $1,650 buy in to the $500,000 Guaranteed Punta Cana Poker Classic Main Event.
- $1,500 worth of credits at the Punta Cana Hotel and Casino.
Both of these Sky Poker promotions offer lucky players the chance of a lifetime to play poker on the grandest stage with a chance to win a life changing amount of money and you could earn your package for as little as £1.80, or even via a Punta Cana Freeroll.
Will you be playing tournament poker against the world’s best in Punta Cana this November? Why not try your luck at Sky Poker and find out.
Image courtesy of Magnus Brath on Flickr.com
