High roller action is officially back at Aria! A trio of $10,000 no-limit hold’em high roller tournaments will take place at the Las Vegas venue in December, another sign that the city’s live poker scene is slowly recovering after having been closed since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $10,000 NLH tournaments will run daily at Aria from December 3-5. Each tournament will be played six-handed, with blind levels of 40 minutes. After every two levels, players will be given a 10-minute break.
Aria is also bringing back the usual $200 rake incentive for players who register on time.
Those coming in late, as well as those who re-enter, will need to pay $500. Players can late register until the end of Level 6.
There will be a 30-second shot clock, and players may take advantage of six 30-second time extensions. The final six contenders will be given six more time extensions as they play down to a winner. The upcoming $10,000 NLH tournaments begin at 2pm (PST).
The return of the high roller tournaments at Aria are aimed at attracting local players, though anyone can take part, provided they abide by the rules and health protocols.
ARIA’s poker room has been back in operation since July, initially offering cash games. The venue eventually opened its tournament tables on September 18. Everyone entering the room, including players, employees, and organizers, will be required to comply with enhanced safety measures, such as the mandatory wearing of a face mask.
ARIA is well known for its high roller tournaments, which have become a staple in the Vegas poker calendar, attracting the top pros. In 2020, the venue has hosted just two high roller tournaments thus far (both took place in February), after mandated lockdowns were implemented as a result of the coronavirus crisis. That’s a massive drop from last year’s figures, when Aria organized a total of 33 high roller tournaments, two of them were won by Hollywood producer Randall Emmett for $210,600 in combined winnings.
The latest tournaments that Aria hosted in 2020 were taken down by American poker pro Jacob Daniels ($117,000), and PokerGO founder Cary Katz ($110,000).
A Busy December for Vegas Poker
Just this week, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) released the schedule of the 51st WSOP Main Event, which will also take place in December at the Rio Las Vegas. Along with Aria’s high roller series, December is set to be a busy month for the live poker scene in Las Vegas.
