The World Championship of Amateur Poker (WCOAP), a massive poker festival designed exclusively for amateur players, is returning for its 12th year, and this time the action will take place online at the world’s second-largest online poker site, partypoker. The event was moved to the virtual felts due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It will run from January 23 to February 8, 2021.
WCOAP is part of a series of events organized by the Amateur Poker Association & Tour (APAT), the biggest organization for recreational players in Europe. The organization was founded in 2006, providing non-professional players the opportunity and platform to showcase and improve their skills as well as boost their bankroll by participating in high-quality tournaments with modest entry fees.
The partnership between APAT and partypoker has resulted in a jam-packed schedule of 16 primary events, each awarding a bracelet. Players can take part in these bracelet events for as low as $55, all the way up to $530, with $750,000 in combined guarantees up for grabs!
This year’s WCOAP also includes a miniseries comprised of 15 events, with buy-ins starting at $5.50 – a first in the festival’s history. As the WCOAP is exclusively aimed at non-professional players, every event on the schedule adopts a freezeout format with limited late registration. This is to make sure that all players are treated fairly and are given equal chances of winning.
WCOAP 2021 Schedule
The festival gets underway on January 24, with the $55 buy-in, $75K GTD 6-Max Championship. The rest of the schedule features a variety of formats, including Mix Max, PLO, PLO8, 7 Card Stud, Heads-Up, Turbo, and Turbo Knockout.
High-stakes fans have two events to choose from – the $265 buy-in, $75K GTD High Roller Championship, and the $530 buy-in, $100K GTD Super High Roller Championship (the highest buy-in event on the schedule).
The festival culminates in the WCOAP Main Event which takes place on February 7. It features $150,000 in guarantees for an entry fee of $109. Majority of the events will run for two days.
All of the bracelet events, including the Main Event, come with mini versions and they will run simultaneously through to February 7.
Ever fancy earning a free seat into the MILLIONS Main Event? You can turn that dream into reality by playing as many bracelet events as you can during this year’s WCOAP. The WCOAP Player of the Series Leaderboard will award a MILLIONS Main Event ticket worth $5,000 to the player who finishes with the highest number of accumulated points throughout the festival. This promotion is exclusive to APAT members only.
