Summer camp for poker players is on the horizon. They’re securing accommodations, analyzing their bankrolls, and highlighting poker tournaments on numerous schedules. From the end of May through most of July, poker in Las Vegas will be full of action and excitement.
Most players have some must-play events on their lists, like the BetMGM Poker Championship, which will be a part of the 2024 ARIA Poker Classic.
Poker players will be able to buy into the tournament on site, play satellites at Aria, or qualify for prize packages online. For those in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ontario, the online satellites are running now at BetMGM Poker. By “now” we mean right now – today – and every day through the end of May, so register at BetMGM Poker ASAP.
The BetMGM Poker Championship at the 2024 ARIA Poker Classic
As poker takes over Las Vegas this summer, one of the highlights will be the 2024 ARIA Poker Classic on the Strip. The full schedule consists of 45 tournaments, several of which are BetMGM Poker events:
- June 6: $1,100 BetMGM Poker NLHE Mystery Bounty ($500,000 guaranteed)
- June 7-11: $3,500 BetMGM Poker NLHE Championship ($3,000,000 guaranteed)
- June 11: $1,100 BetMGM Poker NLHE Mystery Bounty ($250,000 guaranteed)
- June 30: $1,100 BetMGM Poker NLHE Mystery Bounty ($250,000 guaranteed)
- July 1-2: $1,600 BetMGM Poker NLHE Championship ($500,000 guaranteed)
The full schedule for the ARIA Poker Classic will run from May 29 to July 13. Buy-ins will range from $500 to $3,500, though the vast majority of the events will require buy-ins of $600 and $800, with a few $1,100 and $1,600 offerings sprinkled throughout. Check out the full schedule:
The 2024 ARIA Poker Classic will feature 45 events with guaranteed prize pools totaling over $12,000,000 from May 29th – July 13th!
We are excited to continue our partnership with presenting sponsor @BetMGM hosting our $3M GTD @BetMGMPoker Championship June 6th-11th! pic.twitter.com/lDEUtRUep7
— ARIA Poker (@ARIAPoker) April 19, 2024
A Historic Guarantee
The $3,500 buy-in at the BetMGM Poker Championship is the “main event” of sorts, the highlight of the series. Not only will it welcome dozens of online poker qualifiers, the tournament will feature its largest guarantee ever.
The inaugural BetMGM Poker Championship at ARIA was in 2022 and boasted of a $1,000,000 guarantee on the prize pool. With 343 entries, the actual prize pool surpassed the guarantee and landed just short of $1.1M. Joey Weissman won it for the title and $224,236.
Last year, the BetMGM Poker Championship offered a $2,000,000 guarantee, but that prize pool soared to $3,283,200 with its 1,026 entries. Leo Taffe won the 2023 BetMGM Poker Championship for $560,442.
This year’s event will guarantee at least $3,000,000. The two starting days of June 7 & 8 will give players two starting flight options. And for poker fans, PokerGO will livestream Day 3 on June 10 and the final table on June 11.
BetMGM Director of Poker Luke Staudenmaier discussed the tournament in the press release for the BetMGM Poker Championship, which will bring in more than 100 qualifiers from online satellites in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ontario. “Through online qualifiers where BetMGM is live, we are offering players more ways to win their way to Vegas and the opportunity to earn larger prize packages and guarantees,” he said. “Our partnership with ARIA continues to get stronger, allowing us to build on the omnichannel poker experience.”
The prize packages available online at BetMGM Poker will be worth $7,000 each and include the following:
- $3,500 seat to BetMGM Poker Championship
- $1,100 seat to BetMGM Mystery Bounty
- Accommodations for 5 nights at ARIA (June 5-10)
- Travel credit
- BetMGM swag bag of gifts
How To Qualify and Play in the 2024 BetMGM Poker Championship
The obvious way to play in the 2024 BetMGM Poker Championship is to buy in at ARIA for $3,500. But for the thousands upon thousands of players who do not have $3,500 in their back pockets, there are many opportunities to qualify at a lower cost.
Live Satellites at ARIA
Two major satellites are on the schedule for the ARIA Poker Classic. Each are $400 live satellites with 10 seats guaranteed, and one of every 10 players will win a $3,500 seat. They will run at 6 p.m. on June 6 and June 7, each one playing 20-minute levels with 25K starting stacks.
There may be more satellite opportunities at ARIA. If so, they will be announced in the coming weeks.
Online Step Satellites
BetMGM Poker sites in New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ontario are currenting running step satellites several times per day. This began on May 5 and continues through May 30.
Step satellites start at just $2, less than the price of most coffees, and offer several qualifier price points per day. The days and times vary, but they start at 5:05 p.m. each evening and offer several of the following:
- $2 Step 1 satellites (10 Step 2 satellite tickets guaranteed)
- $10 Step 2 satellites (10 Step 3 satellite tickets guaranteed)
- $100 Step 3 satellites (guarantees vary for Step 4 satellite tickets)
- $600 Step 4 satellites (3 prize packages guaranteed)
Note that players can buy in at any level or work the steps from the beginning. The Step 4 satellites will run at the following dates and times:
- Tuesdays (May 7/14/21/28) at 9:15 p.m.
- Thursdays (May 9/16/23/30) at 9:15 p.m.
- Sundays (May 12/19/26) at 9:15 p.m.
All qualifier tickets must be used by May 30.
ARIA Depositor Satellites
Yet another way to get involved in the BetMGM Poker Championship qualifier action is to simply make a deposit. That’s it. Deposit at least $10 to receive a ticket to the Depositor Satellite. Those freeroll tournaments run daily at 5:05 p.m., each one with a $2,000 guarantee.
This promotion is not reserved for new players, so any players are welcome to deposit $10 every day, if they wish, to play the daily freeroll.
ARIA Spin the Wheel Promotion
Players on BetMGM Poker have more chances to win satellite tickets. The BetMGM Poker Championship Spin the Wheel promotion is running through May 29.
For daily play in cash games online, players always earn BetMGM Rewards Points, better known as BRPs. They automatically earn points based on rake paid in real-money cash games. Simply earn five BRPs in any given 24-hour period, and BetMGM will credit that account with a Spin the Wheel access pass. Every spin will contain the following prizes:
- $600 ARIA BetMGM Poker Championship qualifier ticket
- $100 ARIA BetMGM Poker Championship qualifier ticket
- $10 ARIA BetMGM Poker Championship qualifier ticket
- $2 ARIA BetMGM Poker Championship qualifier ticket
- $1 BetMGM Poker SPINS Ticket
Players can earn these points daily and play Spin the Wheel every day during the promo period.
