“To even gaze upon it is to go mad”- Homer Simpson

Fallsview Casino played host to the 2017 Fallsview Poker Classic, an event on the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) main tour. This premier international poker tournament took place from February 22^nd -24^th and was held in the Fallsview Casino’s Grand Hall located alongside The Galleria Shops and Dining. The Grand Hall is an epic meeting area (over 28 000 square feet) that breeds the sense of excellence as soon as you step foot in the room. Thankfully, a Fallsview’s Communication Specialist, and our personal liaison was there to guide us through this amazing and exclusive event. Our liaison was extremely helpful and was ready and willing to go the extra mile as we were witness to professional gamblers who battled into the late hours of Friday evening.

During our orientation and debriefing our liaison informed us on some of the previous transformations that had occurred in The Grand Hall, that typically cater to their VIP players. She told us that this magnificent room had been transformed into ice skating arenas and even into scale representations of famous cities. We were also pleased to learn that tigers and elephants have roamed through The Grand Hall, and as I looked around I realized that SHARKS could now be added to that list.

The 2017 Fallsview Poker Classic was the largest poker tournament held at the casino and the $5 000 buy in meant that the winner would walk home with over $425 000. We arrived on the final day and there were only 22 of the original 489 players left paying a $5 000 ante with big blinds of $30 000. The very first hand we witnessed was an “all-in” and a suiting start for the excitement that was to come.

The final table was set up in plain sight, adjacent to the players, and was a physical representation of the next step to victory for the lucky few. I can only imagine the thought of reaching this table could make one go crazy with excitement.  Darren Elias was the ultimate victor taking home over $425 000, the bragging rights and his third WPT title. I would normally feel for those who were defeated after a hard-fought battle, however, in this rare situation in sports the losers were also winners. The nine players who made it to the final table were sent home with combined consolation prize of over 1 million dollars.

The Fallsview Poker Classic was an elite event and our team had the time of our lives. We were very fortunate to have be given this opportunity and would like to thank Fallsview Casino, and specifically their Communication Specialist and our liaison. If given the chance I would highly recommend attending a World Poker Tour event, and any event at Fallsview Casino’s Grand Hall.

Nick Kramer

Founder Atmosphere Medias

Photography for this event by Rob Gracie / RobGracie.com