Bodog Beat

Canadian Gavin Smith and poutine are just two of the many reasons to check Canada’s Coast to Coast Poker Championship.(Bodog Beat Images)

The first stop in the WPT Canada will be the Coast to Coast Poker Championships in Richmond, B.C. at the River Rock Casino.

This inaugural tournament is being put on by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation who have been organizing bigger and better poker tournaments each year. Richmond isn’t Vegas yet, but they are working on it.

The Coast to Coast Poker Championship is pitting East against West in a poker showdown starting on May 5 and running to May 13. The BCLC is expecting around 2,650 players and a combined prize pool for all seven events of around $2.4 million. And now that their crazy Monopoly money is worth more than the greenback you’ll actually be able to buy more than a plate of poutine with your winnings.

The Main Event is scheduled to run on May 9-10 with a player cap of 550 and a $2,800 +$200 buy-in. It offers a top prize of $377,300 based on a sell-out.

Preliminary tournament events include NL Texas Holdem, Pot-Limit Texas Holdem and Omaha High Mix, a Mother's Day Team Tournament, as well as a "bounty" event where players who knock out a celebrity win extra cash.

In a press release by the BCLC Gavin Smith was quoted as saying he’d be attending:

"I'm thrilled to be part of the Coast to Coast Poker Championships. I look forward to lots of good poker action, and knocking out some of my Western opponents."

Head over to the BCLC home page for more information on all the events and to find out how to register for the crazy Canuck’s Coast to Coast Poker Championships.

To qualify online for any major live poker tournament check out Bodog’s Player’s Choice qualifiers.