Are You Feeling Lucky? South Point Holds its $300k Summer Series

^{The Lucky $300k’s top three players from May 28. (Photo: courtesy of South Point)} 

LAS VEGAS — One thing I love about poker summer camp is that it’s located all over the city. From the Venetian to the Wynn, Aria to the Orleans, Golden Nugget to the Horseshoe and Paris, tournament poker is happening across the valley around the clock in the summer. 

And about eight miles down Las Vegas Boulevard from the World Series is the South Point, which holds a much different vibe from the crowded hallways and parking lots along the Strip. 

At the end of May, South Point kicked off “The Lucky $300k” – a fantastic event that provides either a nice escape from or a good warmup for the WSOP.  

The Lucky $300k has already been lucky with a kick-off of over 1200 players in its first week. (Photo: courtesy of South Point)

The Lucky is a $300 no-limit hold ‘em poker tournament, running weekly until July 9. It’s a deepstack event with a $300,000 guarantee. 

It’s a relatively low buy-in to a multiday event with a sizable field (between 1,200 and 1,800 players so far) and paying out nearly $50,000 to the winner.

With each player receiving 30,000 in starting chips, the structure gives you a lot of play for your money while only costing a fraction of most of the WSOP’s events. 

Worth the Trip?

I love visiting the South Point Hotel and Casino, even though I live about a half an hour away. I don’t mind driving there as I’m able to park in valet for free, a disappearing option at casinos in Vegas. 

I usually order a coffee from a cocktail waitress and can even purchase a $1.50 hot dog (which, in my completely biased opinion, is fantastic). And the atmosphere in the hotel is relaxed, cheerful and treats locals and tourists equally. 

The South Point poker room is run by Manager Jason Sanborn, an extremely affable guy who says that it can feel as if you’re “playing with family, old friends and friends you haven’t met yet,” a sense that has helped make South Point one of the biggest and busiest rooms in town.

In the first week of The Lucky tournament, the final three players ended up “chopping,” a common end-game decision in poker tournaments in which the remaining players split the prize pool rather than continue playing. First place ended up taking $45,000. 

Numbers ballooned the second week with over 1,800 players and a top-two-player chop. Winner Chiori Gannon went home with $53,084. 

There are six Day 1 flights for The Lucky $300k, Monday through Wednesday, at 10:10 am and 6:10 pm. Day 2 will be held on Thursdays at 2:30 pm.

Drawing More Tourists 

Sanborn told Casinos.com that they’ve “had a great local response to this event” since they began running it about a year-and-a-half ago. However, he notes that the field sizes seem to be growing this summer, suggesting the event is appealing to more than just the locals.

 “With over 1,800 players, it has to mean word is getting out to all the people in town [for the World Series and other events]," Sanborn said.

The Lucky $300k continues weekly through July 9, making it one of the longer-running guaranteed series available in Las Vegas this summer outside of the WSOP. 

When asked how the South Point creates a relaxing environment when a tournament can be anything but calm, he answered that they "never take ourselves too seriously. We know who we are and never add any pretentiousness to our daily routines.” 

I wish I could remember that when I suck out with Aces…