The dates for the biggest and most prestigious amateur poker series, the World Championship of Amateur Poker (WCOAP), are confirmed with the Amateur Poker Association & Tour (APAT) heading to Dusk Till Dawn from August 18-26. Known in the APAT community as “the Worlds,” the WCOAP is the must-play series for amateur poker players from the United Kingdom and further afield.
The WCOAP is the most prestigious amateur poker festival on the planet, and many poker players compare it to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) due to the various variants and formats designed to test players to their limits.
APAT traditionally awards bronze, silver, and gold medals to the top three finishers in its “normal” events but breaks out some rather snazzy-looking bracelets for the WCOAP.
Amateur players from far and wide will descend on Dusk Till Dawn, the home of British poker, and battle with their fellow poker aficionados across H.O.R.S.E., Triple Stud, 8-Game, No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha mix, Crazy Pineapple, PLO8, and more.
Chris Ralston Crowned 2023 APAT WCOAP Main Event Champion
The £210 Main Event, known as the World Amateur Poker Championship, is the WCOAP tournament everyone wants to win. It has the largest prize pool and the most prestige.
Four flights, including a turbo-structured Day 1d, are available. Each Day 1 is a freezeout and plays down to the last 15% of the field, with those top 15% progressing to Day 2 with a min-cash in tow. However, should you progress to Day 2 but opt to take a shot at another Day 2, your original stack is forfeited, as is the min-cash.
The £70 WCOAP Mini Main Championship, another event sure to attract a substantial crowd, follows a similar schedule. Its four starting flights are also freezeouts. Play continues until only 12.5% of the field remains, with those surviving players heading into Day 2. Should you take a shot at another Day 1, only their largest stack goes forward to Day 2 if they qualify multiple times; a min-cash is paid for each Day 2 qualification.
2024 WCOAP Schedule
2023 WCOAP Results
The 2023 WCOAP Main Event commanded a smaller £180 buy-in, which 696 APAT players paid. Those entrants created a £104,400 prize pool shared by the top 103 finishers. Plenty of APAT regulars saw a return on their investment, including Simon Brooke, Paul Haycock, Thomas Bacon, JP Round, and Tristan Chaplin.
Each of the nine finalists saw at least £2,000 land in their accounts, with the top two finishers walking away with five-figure prizes. Christopher Ralston came out on top, defeating James Martin heads-up for the title and £15,000, resigning Martin to a £10,000 consolation prize.
| Event | Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Amateur Poker Championship | £180 | 696 | £104,400 | Christopher Ralston | £15,000 |
| WCOAP NLHE High Roller Championship | £340 | 104 | £31,200 | Javid Aktar | £9,360 |
| WCOAP NLHE 6-Max Championship | £120 | 112 | £11,200 | Sean Iliffe | £3,250 |
| WCOAP PLO8 Championship | £120 | 98 | £9,800 | Grzegorz Staniszweski | £2,945 |
| WCOAP 8-Game Championship | £120 | 81 | £8,100 | Michael Perry | £2,750 |
| WCOAP NLHE Win The Button Championship | £120 | 83 | £8,300 | Grace Smith | £2,695 |
| WCOAP PLO 4/5/6 Card Championship | £120 | 72 | £7,200 | Daniel Williams | £2,450 |
| WCOAP NLHE Bounty Championship | £120 | 173 | £8,650 | Andy Ciesielski | £2,335 |
| WCOAP H.O.R.S.E.Championship | £120 | 68 | £6,800 | Chrostopher Cooper | £2,315 |
| WCOAP PLO/PLO8 Championship | £60 | 99 | £4,950 | Danny Strange | £1,600 |
| WCOAP NLHE/PLO Championship | £60 | 107 | £5,350 | Anonymous | £1,600 |
| WCOAP Crazy Pineapple Championship | £60 | 104 | £5,200 | Nicholas Crossfield | £1,555 |
| WCOAP PLO Championship | £60 | 87 | £4,350 | Scott Genever | £1,410 |
| WCOAP NLHE Turbo Championship | £60 | 86 | £4,300 | Daniel Turner | £1,395 |
| WCOAP NLHE Mix Max Championship | £60 | 74 | £3,700 | Tariq Mahmood | £1,260 |
| WCOAP NLHE Ante Only Championship | £60 | 65 | £3,250 | Anonymous | £1,165 |
| WCOAP 4-Card NLHE Championship | £60 | 63 | £3,150 | Neil Gilchrist | £1,100 |
| WCOAP Razz Championship | £60 | 61 | £3,050 | Stefan Order | £1,100 |