Deputy Editor
The World Poker Tour has announced the postponement of WPT Prime Cyprus, an $1,100 tournament that was part of a larger festival at Chamada Prestige Hotel & Spa. In posts on social media and on its website, the WPT cited international travel concerns. Although the announcement doesn’t mention this weekend’s attack on Iran by name, that conflict is clearly the disrupting factor.
The World Poker Tour is closely following the evolving situation in the Eastern Mediterranean region and surrounding areas. Due to ongoing flight cancellations and travel uncertainties, WPT team members are unable to attend the event. As a result, the $1,100 WPT Prime Cyprus Championship event will be postponed and rescheduled at a later date.
WPT Prime Cyprus had a $1 million guarantee. It was set to begin on Thursday with the first of five starting flights. The guarantee was by far the largest of any in the series, as the WPT Prime event served as the festival’s main draw.
This was supposed to be the third running of WPT Prime Cyprus. Last year’s event drew 1,391 entries, while the first one, in 2024, drew 1,202 entries.
PokerScout has been unable to find a revised schedule for the series. PokerAtlas still lists the original schedule on its app. Though the WPT’s post promised a replacement $1,100 no-limit hold’em event, it will likely run without a guarantee. Players who won online satellites were left wondering when and how their tickets would be honored, but the WPT had yet to respond.
‘Worst Travel Chaos Since COVID’ Forces WPT Postponement
Thousands of flights in and around the Middle East have been canceled as part of what The Guardian called the “worst travel chaos since COVID crisis.”
Cyprus is a small island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey and west of Syria. Armed conflict has broken out in the Middle East as the U.S. and Israel have attacked Iran.
That alone has caused travel disruption, with The Guardian reporting that almost 8,000 flights have been cancelled.
Cyprus has experienced even further chaos. It has two international airports, Paphos and Larnaca, both on the Greek side of the island (Turkey controls the Northern portion). A suspected Iranian drone struck a British base on the island. Stationed British forces then intercepted two further drones.
Authorities ordered an evacuation of Paphos in the wake of the drone strike. At least 60 flights to Cyprus have been cancelled, affecting about 5,000 passengers.
Under the circumstances, it’s little surprise the WPT has chosen to postpone its event.
Image credit: pixellaphoto/Flickr (license)
