Bellagio Las Vegas Hosts Grand Poker Festival
The Bellagio Las Vegas is set to host the 2023 Bellagio Kickoff Classic from August 31st to September 10th. This grand event boasts 12 scheduled tournaments with over $800,000 in guaranteed prize money, spanning everything from a dedicated Seniors event to satellites, mystery bounty tournaments, and the $3,500 buy-in main event itself.
Main Event Highlights
The highlight of the series is the $3,500 buy-in Bellagio Classic no-limit hold’em main event, guaranteeing $500,000. This main event will take place from September 7th to 10th. Participants can expect two starting flights at noon on September 7th and September 8th. Each player will begin with a chip count of 50,000 and play hour-long levels. Registration or re-entry is available until the tenth level on the starting days. Players who secure their chips on either the first or second day will merge into one group for the second day, which starts at noon on September 9th. The event’s climax, the final table, is scheduled for September 10th.
Satellite Tournaments
For those looking to secure a spot in the main event, three $400 buy-in satellites are available. These are set for 5:00 PM on September 5th, noon on September 6th, and again at 5:00 PM on September 6th. Each satellite offers a five-seat guarantee, starting chips 25,000, and 25-minute levels.
Additional Tournaments
Beyond the main event, several other no-limit hold’em tournaments with varying buy-ins are available, giving players plenty of ways to build a bankroll or get a feel for the room before the main event begins. These include three $30,000 guaranteed $600 buy-in tournaments on September 1st, 2nd, and 4th, a $20,000 guaranteed $400 buy-in turbo event on September 3rd, and a $25,000 guaranteed $600 buy-in tournament on September 10th. Two $50,000 guaranteed mystery bounty events are also on the schedule: an $800 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha event on September 3rd, and a $600 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament on September 5th.
Special Event for Seniors
For poker enthusiasts aged 50 and above, a special $600 buy-in Seniors event with a $50,000 guarantee is planned for 10:00 AM on August 31st, giving veteran players their own dedicated field for the week.
Bellagio’s Legacy in Poker
Since its inception in 1998, Bellagio has built one of the most storied poker legacies on the Strip. Its flagship WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic alone had paid out a combined $105.7 million across its history by the end of 2019, making it one of the most lucrative recurring tournament series anywhere in the world. That reputation is part of why the room continues to draw a steady stream of players from across the country for events like this one. As the fall season approaches, poker enthusiasts have another chance to add to that history at this iconic Las Vegas venue.
| Date | Event | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|
| August 31 | Event 1 – $600 Seniors No-Limit Hold’em | $50,000 |
| September 1 | Event 2 – $600 No-Limit Hold’em | $30,000 |
| September 2 | Event 3 – $600 No-Limit Hold’em | $30,000 |
| September 3 | Event 4 – $800 Pot-Limit Omaha Mystery Bounty | $30,000 |
| September 3 | Event 5 – $400 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo | $20,000 |
| September 4 | Event 6 – $600 No-Limit Hold’em | $30,000 |
| September 5 | Event 7 – $600 No-Limit Hold’em Mystery Bounty | $50,000 |
| September 5 | Event 8 – $400 Bellagio Classic Milestone Satellite | 5 Bellagio Classic Seats |
| September 6 | Event 9 – $400 Bellagio Classic Milestone Satellite | 5 Bellagio Classic Seats |
| September 6 | Event 10 – $400 Bellagio Classic Milestone Satellite | 5 Bellagio Classic Seats |
| September 7 | Event 11 – $3,500 Bellagio Classic Main Event Day 1A | $500,000 |
| September 8 | Event 11 – $3,500 Bellagio Classic Main Event Day 1B | $500,000 |
| September 9 | Event 11 – $3,500 Bellagio Classic Main Event Day 2 | $500,000 |
| September 10 | Event 12 – $600 No-Limit Hold’em | $25,000 |
| September 10 | Event 11 – $3,500 Bellagio Classic Main Event Final Table | $500,000 |
The Bellagio: Las Vegas’ Epitome of Luxury
Situated prominently on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, the Bellagio stands as a beacon of elegance and luxury. Conceived by the visionary Steve Wynn and inaugurated in 1998, this resort, with its staggering $1.6 billion construction cost, was inspired by the charm of the Lake Como town of Bellagio in Italy. The hotel’s architecture spans 3,933 rooms across its main and spa towers, while its expansive 156,000 square-foot casino offers a lavish gaming experience.
Inside the resort, visitors are immediately drawn to the “Fiori di Como,” a glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly that spans the lobby ceiling. Measuring roughly 65 by 29 feet and weighing more than 40,000 pounds across over 2,100 individual pieces of colored glass, it’s often cited as one of the largest glass installations in the world. The Bellagio’s culinary landscape is diverse, offering everything from fine dining to the vast array of choices at The Buffet, with options spanning nearly every cuisine and price point on the Strip. The resort’s bars and lounges further ensure that the nightlife is as vibrant as the day.
Its iconic dancing water fountains set the Bellagio apart. Designed by WET Design, the show is choreographed to music and lights across an 8.5-acre lake, with more than 1,000 water nozzles sending jets as high as 460 feet. The show has been running continuously since the resort opened, and the rotation now includes dozens of different musical numbers spanning opera, classic Vegas standards, and pop, making it one of the most-photographed free attractions on the entire Strip. Coupled with attractions like “O” by Cirque du Soleil and the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, the resort offers a genuine blend of opulence, art, and entertainment that keeps visitors coming back long after the tournament clock has stopped.
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About the Author: Maury Orton is a poker writer and editor contributing to GGPoker. He focuses on clear, reliable explanations of the game, drawing on years of experience in online poker media and digital publishing.
