Sofia is the site of the Autumn Poker Masters (APM) from Merit Poker, and players who head to the Bulgarian capital will be playing for at least €200k guaranteed across the series. In addition to the big guarantees, players in Sofia have another treat — the opening game of the festival is a satellite shot for the WSOP Super Circuit event in Cyprus starting Oct 9.
Hosted by Zenith Casino in the heart of Sofia, the APM runs from Sep 20 – 28, with €100k guaranteed in the Main Event alone. Add in a High Roller and the Autumn Quad Crusher game that opens the festival, and you get a relatively small festival with big prizes on each event.
APM Main Event — Sep 23 – 28
- Buy-In: €275
- Guarantee: €100,000
- Dates: Sep 23 – 28
- Day 1a-d: Sep 23 – 26, 6 PM
- Day 1a-c: Blinds – 35 Minutes
- Day 1d: Blinds – 25 Minutes
- Day 1e: Sep 27, 10 AM – Blinds – 10 Minutes
- Day 2: Sep 27, 4 PM
- Day 3: Sep 28, 4 PM
- Day 1a-d: Sep 23 – 26, 6 PM
- Starting Stack: 40k
- Day 2/3 Blinds: 40 Minutes
- Late Entry: 12 Levels on all Day 1 Flights
Main Event hopefuls at the APM will have 5 opening shots to make it into the business end of the game, with at least €100k guaranteed for total prizes. Qualifiers from the Day 1 flights will convene for Day 2 on Sep 27, with the final action playing out to close the series on Sep 28.
Both final days start at 4 PM, while the first four Day 1 flights start at 6 PM with the hyper-turbo Day 1e kicking off at 10 AM on the morning of Day 2. The €275 event needs 400 runners to hit the guarantee, but with five opening flights, that shouldn’t be an issue.
There is a super-satellite to the Main Event running on Sep 22 at 6 PM with 30 tickets guaranteed for €55. Players sit down with 20k in chips for the satellite, and play 15-minute blind levels throughout the night.
APM High Roller Guarantees €40k
- Byu-In: €440
- Guarantee: €40,000
- Dates:
- Day 1, Sep 27, 6 PM
- Day 2: Sep 28, 4 PM
- Starting Stack: 50k
- Blinds: 40 Minutes
- Late Entry: 12 Levels
Running alongside Days 2 & 3 of the Main Event is the High Roller. For €440, players will get a shot at part of €40k guaranteed.
Players who make Day 3 of the Main Event won’t be able to play this one, but with 12 levels of late entry on Day 1, Main Event players who bust during Day 2 will likely still have plenty of time to jump into the High Roller late.
The Road to Cyprus
- Buy-In: €220
- Guarantee: 10 Seats to WSOP Super Circuit Cyrus Main Event
- Date: Sep 20, 4 PM
- Starting Stack: 20k
- Blinds: 30/20
- Late Entry: 10 Levels
The regular poker action would make this a fun little series on its own, but Merit Poker’s APM has another ace up its sleeve. Kicking the festivities off is a huge satellite game with tickets to the upcoming WSOP Super Circuit in Cyrus, which runs from Oct 9 – 21.
There are 10 tickets, worth €5,300 each, guaranteed, but there could be even more if they get more than 265 entries for the game. The ticket is good for entry to the Cyprus Main Event, which runs from Oct 16 – 21 to close out the first-ever WSOP-branded event in Cyprus.
Merit Poker Autumn Poker Masters Full Schedule
| Date | Time | Event | Buy-In | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, September 20 | 16:00 | Road to Cyprus WSOP Super Circuit ME | €220 | $53,000 (10 TCK) |
| Saturday, September 21 | 17:00 | Autumn Quad Crusher (€50 K.O.) | €110 | €20,000 |
| Sunday, September 22 | 18:00 | Super Sat to APM ME Day 1A | €55 | €8,250 (30 TCK) |
| Monday, September 23 | 18:00 | APM Main Event Day 1A | €275 | €100,000 |
| Tuesday, September 24 | 18:00 | APM Main Event Day 1B | €275 | €100,000 |
| Wednesday, September 25 | 18:00 | APM Main Event Day 1C | €275 | €100,000 |
| Thursday, September 26 | 18:00 | APM Main Event Day 1D Turbo | €275 | €100,000 |
| Friday, September 27 | 10:00 | APM Main Event Day 1E Hyper-Turbo | €275 | €100,000 |
| 16:00 | APM Main Event Day 2 | Closed | €100,000 | |
| 18:00 | High Roller Day 1 | €440 | €40,000 | |
| Saturday, September 28 | 16:00 | APM Main Event Final Day | Closed | €100,000 |
| 16:00 | High Roller Final Day | €440 | €40,000 |
