Since launching in 2008 the Amateur Poker Association & Tour (APAT) has aimed to offer a WSOP-style experience in the UK for a fraction of the cost. Every APAT event is always well-attended, expertly run and, despite relatively low buy-ins, the standard of play is excellent. Top UK professionals such as Irish Open winner James Mitchell, Liv Boeree and Chris Brammer all started their careers with success in APAT events before moving on to higher buy-in tours.
The highlight of the year for APAT is always their World Championship of Amateur Poker (WCOAP). The WCOAP has travelled around the UK in previous years, being held at the Grosvenor Victoria and Dusk Till Dawn before making its debut in Stratford’s super-casino Aspers this April. There are a huge 16 bracelet events this year in all variety of game formats. NLHE and PLO are obviously represented but so are HORSE, Razz, Heads-Up, Six-max and more. The great thing for low stakes players is that these buy-ins all range from just £55 to £220. There’s nowhere else in Europe where you could play such a well-structured mixed game tournament without breaking the bank at an EPT festival or similar.
Here are our top picks for the 2014 APAT WCOAP:
[table id=36 /]
If you don’t have plans over the Easter weekend and you love live poker then the APAT WCOAP really is a fantastic tournament series. PokerPlayer.co.uk will be there – we have our eyes on the High Roller! – and, if you want to play a professionally run, affordable and prestigious poker event, you should be too.
For more poker news and great content, get the latest issue of PokerPlayer magazine on iTunes here.
