World Tavern Poker is the largest bar poker league in the United States
Free to play poker tournaments
Earn points and rankings
Qualify for Tavern, Regional, and National events
This page will cover everything about World Tavern Poker, including how to play, the points, rankings, prizes, being the Best Customers You Can Be, and much more.
Please remember that hosting venues pay to provide World Tavern Poker for their customers. It is your support of the bar, the TD, and the overall atmosphere that will keep the promotion going.
All players should register for tournaments by logging on to the WorldTavernPoker.com website. If you do not yet have a player account, click here to get signed up!
World Tavern Poker is all about playing a game we love with great people at our amazing host bars. Above all else, we encourage everyone involved to have FUN!
Tournament Structures
Tournament Overview
Each tournament is a No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em event where you are playing until the last person is left standing. The Top 20 players in each tournament receive points towards their rankings (see Points & Rankings for more info).
We ask that players arrive 30 minutes early so tournaments can start on time. This is the perfect time to grab a drink and enjoy a meal! Please support your bar and don't forget to take care of your wait staff.
Starting Chip Count
All standard regular season World Tavern Poker games start with 10,000 in chips (some venues start with more). Check out our official Bonus Chip Program below to see how you can earn extra chips for each game.
Blind Times & Structure
The World Tavern Poker structure allows for 2 games each night. Blind times are generally determined by the amount of time available to run each tournament, as well as the number of players in attendance.
Tournament Directors run the blinds according to the guides below (all times are generally in minutes per level).
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UPDATED NOTE: We've added the 400/800 level back into the blind structure below. This should end the practice of TDs running lower blind times later in the game. Games should have the same blind times throughout - the only exception is at the final table with a permanent dealer & shuffler (blind times can run quicker there).
2-Hour Games
10-20 players: 10-12 mins
21-30 players: 8-12 mins
31-50 players: 8-10 minutes
50 + players: <8 mins
2.5-Hour Games
10-20 players: 10-15 mins
21-30 players: 10-15 mins
31-50 players: 10-12 mins
50 + players: <10 mins
**Some venues may run 3-hour games (rare). TD's will adjust blind times accordingly.
BLINDS
Level 1: 100/200
Level 2: 200/400
Level 3: 300/600
Level 4: 400/800
Level 5: 500/1000
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BREAK: Color up Red & Green chips
BLINDS (continued)
Level 6: 1000/2000
Level 7: 2000/4000
Level 8: 3000/6000
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BREAK: Color Up Black chips
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Level 9: 5000/10000
Level 10: 10000/20000
Level 11: 15000/30000
Level 12: 25000/50000
**Some bars may not take a 2nd break to color up black chips. This depends on the amount of time available to run a tournament. Blinds continue to double for Levels 12+.
Championships & Prizes
World Tavern Poker awards more than $100,000 a year in cash and prizes, including over 40 seats into Major Poker events. Check out the helpful links below for more info.
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The OPEN
The World Tavern Poker OPEN is the poker event you can't miss! Players from around the country compete for huge prizes and enjoy tons of Great Poker, Great Parties, and Great PEOPLE! If you take only one vacation this year, there is no better choice than to take it at an OPEN!
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some of the most common questions and answers regarding World Tavern Poker.
Are there any fees to play? What's the buy-in?
World Tavern Poker is completely free to play at all of our locations. There is never a buy-in at our bars! We do strongly encourage all players to patronize their location to ensure the promotion continues.
Many bars have 'no loitering' policies, which means that seating and bar events are for venue customers only.
When will scores be updated at my bar?
We ask all tournament directors to get scores entered within 48 hours. There will be occasions when it takes longer. Please be patient!
Do I get extra chips for food or drink purchases?
Absolutely not! This is considered a buy-in to the game and is illegal in almost every state.
What prizes can I win playing World Tavern Poker?
Click here for info on how you can win your share of $100,000 in awesome prizes by playing World Tavern Poker! Our prizes range from gift certificates to the bar up to a $10,000 Main Event buy-in. Ask your TD about prizes awarded at your bar.
How do I become a Tournament Director?
We are always looking for eager people who are fun, fair, and organized to become TD's. If you are interested in becoming a tournament director at a World Tavern Poker location, check out our Training Page here.
I love my local bar, but they don't have World Tavern Poker. How can I get them to join?
Click here for more info. We offer a Bar Referral Program that rewards those who introduce their favorite bars, restaurants, and taverns to the league. Rewards include cash, seats to awesome events, and more!
Seasonal Format
Our 26-week seasonal structure allows for our tournaments to run every week, all year long!
REGULAR SEASON
Our regular seasons are 24 weeks and typically run from February to August, and then August to February. Players earn points during the regular season to qualify for Championship events at their bar, held each season during Week 25 & Week 26.
CHAMPIONSHIPS (Click here for How To Qualify)
Championships take place at the mid-way point of the season (Week 13's Mid-Season TOC Night) and at end of the regular season.
Tavern Championships are held during Week 25, while the Tavern TOC's are held on Week 26. These events do not count in any Rankings, with top players earning seats to our Regional and National Championships.
Points & Rankings
The Points Structure
The Top 20 players in each tournament receive points, which count towards seasonal Rankings at your Tavern, in your Region & State, and Nationally.
Points are earned based on where you finish in the Top 20, how many players competed, and a bonus for winning a tournament or finishing at the Final Table (Top 8).
Explaining The Points
Each Top 20 finish earns a player a baseline of points as illustrated above.
Finish between 9th and 20th, and you'll add 50 times the number of players for that tournament to your score.
Example: 30 players are in a tournament; anyone finishing between 9th and 20th earns 1,500 points added to their baseline (30x50=1500).
However, earn MORE POINTS for a Win or a Final Table (Top 8) finish!
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TOP 8 = 75 X number of players
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WIN = 100 X number of players
Example: You win a 30-player tournament. You would earn 10,000 points (baseline) plus 3,000 (in bonus) for a total score of 13,000 points.
Scores are automatically generated on the World Tavern Poker website once the TD enters the results from a tournament.
The Rankings
You are ranked at four different levels based on the average of your top scores during the regular season.
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Tavern Ranking: Average of Top 15 scores at that Tavern.(1 score to earn ranking)
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Regional Ranking: Average of Top 20 scores at any Tavern in a Region. (minimum 20 scores)
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State Ranking: Average of Top 25 scores from any Tavern in a State. (minimum 25 scores)
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National Ranking: Average of Top 30 scores from any Tavern in the Country. (minimum 30 scores)
For other games played and minimum requirements to qualify for our Tavern, Regional, and National Championship events, check out our "How To Qualify" page here.
Special Events & Tournaments
Throughout the year, World Tavern Poker hosts a number of Special Events including Monthly Promotions, Special Event Week and giving back to our communities through charitable programs.
Please visit our Special Events page for all the details.
Cancellations & Inclement Weather
TD's and Bar Owners: All requests for schedule changes must be made to TDs@WorldTavernPoker.com. Please do not adjust your schedule on your own!
Bars and TD's are encouraged to make up missed games when possible. However, they must contact the WTP Home Office or their WTP Franchise owner (or applicable rep) to reschedule. Bars cannot schedule Double Points games!
Bars have 2 options when scheduling make up games:
OPTION 1: Reschedule games on a different night
OPTION 2: Run 3 turbo games in 2 weeks
Either way, please contact us before making schedule changes!
If choosing Option #2, WTP Staff will add a 3rd game to 2 of your Poker Nights. The 3rd game will show up listed in the AM. Contact us to discuss how long your turbo games will be.
If a game needs to be rescheduled, it cannot be pushed into Championship weeks. This means if a bar cancels games on Week 20, they must make it up before the end of Week 24 (end of the regular season).
If a Championship Week game is canceled, Tavern & TOC Championships cannot run into Week 1 of the new season. It is possible to run Tavern & TOC Championships on the same night, if needed. But please, contact us first before making changes on your own!
Championship Medallions
World Tavern Poker awards its end-of-season Champions with medallions to commemorate their achievements.
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At rare times, a WTP venue will abruptly discontinue our promotion during the season. Please note that a bar must run WTP through the end of the regular season in order to receive medallions (including Season Pts Champ and Best Customer).
We understand this can be frustrating. However, any Regional or National qualifications earned at a bar that doesn't finish the season will still count.
BONUS CHIP PROGRAM
The overall concept of the Bonus Chip Program is to reward poker customers for registering online, supporting their bar by arriving early, and to promote the game to new players. This also helps the TD and makes their job of being Fun, Fair, and Organized easier to manage.
Keep in mind: With the exception of the New Player Bonus, any bonus chips awarded cannot exceed 5,000 chips or 50% of your starting chip stack. This means if your base starting stack is 10,000 chips, your bonuses cannot push the starting stack past 15,000 chips. If your base stack is 15,000, your bonuses cannot push the starting stack past 22,500 chips. The ONLY exceptions are for the New Player Bonus and WTP-lead promotions (see Bonus Chip Structure below or to your right).
Bonus Chips, including the New Player Bonus, can only be awarded in Regular Season games. There are NO bonus chips awarded during Mid-Season TOC's, Tavern Championships, and Tavern TOC's.
For Tournament Directors:
You must follow the guidelines of the Bonus Chip Program even if you have not selected to participate in your WTP bar profile. To join, log in as your bar, go to your bar's profile, and click the box next to the Bonus Chip Program. An icon will appear on your bar when poker customers register for your games!
Bonus Chip Structure
Please note: Special league-wide promotions (Cans For Chips, Breast Cancer Awareness, etc.) do not count against the 5,000 Bonus Chip maximum.
Register Online (1,000 chips)
This makes life much easier for TD's! By registering for games on our website, everyone is happy and this can even help to grow your game.
Arrive 30 Minutes Early (1,000 chips)
Relax, grab a nice meal, and top it off with a tasty beverage. Arriving early gives you time to patronize the bar AND helps your TD begin the tournament on time. Be the Best Poker Customer You Can Be!
New Customer Bonus (5,000 chips)
Bring a new poker customer to the bar and get 5,000 extra chips for both games that night! To be eligible, the new customer must have never played at that bar. A person can only earn one 5,000 chip bonus per game that night for bringing new customers to the game (meaning you cannot get 10,000 extra for bringing 2 new players, 20,000 for bringing 4 new players, etc.).
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A poker customer who 'recruits' someone to play who is already at the bar does not get the New Player Bonus - but the new player does!
Additional Bonus Chips
Some venues may run special promotions for extra bonus chips. This is only acceptable as long as it does not exceed the 5,000-chip Bonus maximum and the promotion is available to ALL players.
Promotions such as “wear your favorite Denver Broncos gear” is too specific as not everyone has Broncos gear (wear your favorite sports gear would be better – but not everyone likes sports!). If you wish to run an extra promotion, make it relevant, inclusive, and exciting!
How To Play Texas Hold'Em
Texas Hold'Em is a seven card poker game that is very easy to learn, but very difficult to master.
Each player is trying to make their best five-card hand out of their two pocket cards and the five community cards dealt in the middle of the table.
Prior to the deal, the player to the left of the dealer places a bet called the Little Blind, and a player to the left of the little blind places a bet called the Big Blind. These are called “blinds” because the players are required to place bets before seeing any cards. This is done to keep play moving along.
Each player is then dealt two cards down. Play starts to the left of the blind and continues clockwise around the table.
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Each player may bet, raise, or fold in turn. This round of betting ends when the player in the Big Blind position makes a play (checks, calls, or raises) - OR, in the case of a raise, when the last player to act makes a play.
The dealer then burns (puts out a card face down), and deals three cards face up in the center of the table (The Flop).
Another round of betting takes place, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. After betting is complete, the dealer burns another card, and places a card face up in the center of the table (The Turn).
After another round of betting, the dealer then burns a final card, and deals the fifth and final card up in the center of the table (The River). A final round of betting takes place.
Players remaining in the hand will then show their cards, and the player with the winning poker hand will be awarded the pot. Any combination of hole cards and community cards may be used to make the best five-card poker hand.
World Tavern Poker plays the "No Limit" style of Texas Hold‘Em. Therefore, any player can risk all of their chips at any time. Once a player is out of chips, they are out of the tournament.
