Multiple large- and small-scale world card games and tournaments take place every year around the world. These tournaments have been going on for years and will likely get bigger in the future, especially with how fast technology is progressing.
While gamblers were previously limited to physically showing up for these competitions, with the advent of technology, they can now play poker online, as well as other games. These online tournaments are usually smaller than physical events that sometimes boast prize pools of millions.
Here are some of the biggest card game tournaments in the world, along with their competitive prize pools.
Poker – World Series of Poker Competition
Poker goes back to the 1800s in New Orleans and is quite possibly one of the most popular card games around. It’s a high-stakes game where players need wits, skill, and, most importantly, luck when playing. It’s even inspired some card designers to craft highly desirable card collections for aficionados who aim to own the most expensive decks in the world.
While there are several in-person and online poker tournaments, the World Series of Blackjack is one of the best-known and boasts an impressive prize pool. The event started as far back as 1970 and has a $10,000 buy-in requirement, increasing the prize pool year after year.
In addition to the massive cash prize, winners of the tournament are usually given the widely coveted WSOP bracelet. The WSOP 2006 main event, which Jamie Gold won, is regarded as the biggest poker tournament ever held. Gold represented the USA in the event and won a whopping $12,000,000 out of the record-breaking $82,512,162 prize pool.
Contract Bridge – The Bermuda Bowl
Contract Bridge is another popular card game played by millions of gamblers. The card game is harder to learn than poker games and is mainly favored by older players. In Contract Bridge, four players are split into two teams and tasked with winning tricks and contracts from their opponents using wits, skill and strategy.
The Bermuda Bowl is one of Contract Bridge’s biggest card game tournaments. The event, also known as the Bridge World Championship, is organized by the World Bridge Federation (WBF) and takes place bi-annually in a different venue each time.
The most recent Bermuda Bowl was held in August 2017 in Lyon. The winner of the event was awarded a $270,000 cash prize in addition to the customary Bermuda Bowl trophy.
Blackjack – World Series of Blackjack
Blackjack is another popular card game that some might consider easier to learn than poker. In the game, each player individually competes against the banker. The aim of the card game is to get a higher score than the banker without exceeding the total of 21.
While it might not be as popular as the WSOP, blackjack also has card game tournaments for interested players. The World Series of Blackjack was one of the more popular competitions in the card game and ran for four seasons after it started in 2004.
The players were either invited by the WSOB or secured a spot after competing in smaller tournaments. At the start of the event, players were given around $100,000 in chips to bet with. The prize pool increased with each season and eventually amounted to $500.000. Sadly, it was never extended beyond its fourth season.
Yu-Gi-Oh! – Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship
Despite not being a traditional card game, Yu-Gi-Oh! is currently one of the highest-grossing card games in circulation. It is a Japanese Manga trading card game based on a series by Kazuki Takahashi. The game has a fantastical plotline where players are expected to use monster attacks, spells, and traps to reduce the life points of their opponents to 0.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship is a card game competition where several thousand duelists compete for the chance to be called the next world champion. The winners are usually given a one-of-kind rare trading card. The card’s value is dependent on the market at the time; however, it is usually a large amount of money.
The biggest Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship was held in 2013 in Long Beach, California. The event saw over 4,000 players compete for first place.
Magic The Gathering – Magic The Gathering World Championship
Magic The Gathering is a trading and digital collectible card game released by Wizards of the Coast in 1993. In the game, players are referred to as wizards or planewalkers and use magic cards to compete and outsmart their opponents.
Magic The Gathering players usually troop to the World Championship series every year to fight for the lion’s share of the $300,000 prize pool and the Duels of the Planewalkers trophy. The biggest iteration of the event took place in Las Vegas in 2015 and featured over 7,500 contestants. The tournament also has on-site vending machines with rare cards in them.
Get More Action With BetMGM
The listed card games and global tournaments are just a few of the events that occur on a yearly basis. They provide gamblers the chance to meet with and learn from world-class players with more experience. Aside from these big in-person tournaments, gamblers can also register for online events to compete in.
BetMGM remains one of the best online poker sites available, with a wide spread of other card games for gamblers to play on their various mobile devices. Register now to get access to these games and begin your gambling journey.
