Texas Holdem Tournament Tuesdays at Great Blue Heron Casino

In Ontario, slot machines and bingo are generally the most popular forms of gambling. But for those who enjoy a good Texas Holdem tournament, the Great Blue Heron Casino in Port Perry is the place the be. The OLG charity gaming facility hosts two Texas Holdem tournaments every Tuesday.

The self-proclaimed home of “the best action in the province”, the poker room at Great Blue Heron boasts 10 live tables with a variety of popular cash games held throughout the week. Poker is on the menu 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But No Limit Texas Holdem tournaments are reserved for Tuesdays only.

Universal Tournament Structure Info

The following information applies to both multi table turbo tourneys, which start at 1:00pm and 7:00pm each Tuesday. Registration for both opens that morning at 8:30am, and closes 20 minutes prior to the start of the corresponding tournament. There’s a maximum of 40 players per tourney, so the earlier the better.

Players may only register in person on the day of the event. Phone-in reservations and credit card payments are not accepted. All participants must be 19 years of age or older, and must present a valid, government issued ID to register. Seating is randomly assigned, and anyone who arrives late will be assigned a dead stack.

The prize pools will be awarded to the top 5 finishers in each tournament, regardless of how many entries there are. The prize structure will pay out as follows:

• 1^st Place – 40%
• 2^nd Place – 25%
• 3^rd Place – 15%
• 4^th Place – 12%
• 5^th Place – 8%

1:00pm $60 Texas Holdem Tournament

The first Texas Holdem tournament of the day costs $60 to enter, with $50 going to the prize pool, plus a $10 fee for administration. 16.7% is a rather ridiculous rake rate, compared to the industry standard of 10%, but when you’re the nearest poker room to Toronto hosting Texas Holdem tournaments, I guess that’s a luxury Great Blue Heron feels it’s worthy of.

Each player starts with a chip stack of 5,000. Blinds start at 25/50 with levels increasing every 15 minutes until a winner emerges. 10 minutes breaks are held each hour. With a max field of 40 players, the highest possible 1^st place prize is $800.

7:00pm $80 Texas Holdem Tournament

At 7:00pm, the second of the day’s NL Texas Holdem tournaments kicks off with $80 entries ($70 + $10). In this rendition, each player is given a stack of 8,000 to start. Again, blinds start at 25/50 and increase in 15 minute intervals.

With $70 per player going to the prize, if all seats are filled, the 1^st place purse will deliver $1,120 to the winner.

Special $220 Freezeout Tourney Dec. 7

Tomorrow, December 7, Great Blue Heron is hosting one of their special Freezeout Texas Holdem tournaments. The stakes are a bit higher for these events, and will run you $200 + $20 to claim a seat. The tourney starts at 10:30am, and registration is open now. Interested players can sign up in person or buy a ticket online.