Welcome to the inaugural PocketFives Tournament Preview presented by TourneyTracks.com. Every month, we’ll be previewing live events and discussing the upcoming month in tournament poker. We’ll cover the best values, most unique events, and options for the traveling tournament pro. If there is any event you would like to see included in future months, let us know at tourneytracks@gmail.com.

April is rich with live tournament series across North America, including excellent values in every region. If every month were this packed with regional events, traveling pros could make a good living without ever seeing the inside of an airplane.

As always, there are several worthwhile tournaments in Las Vegas. The MGM Grand Challenge, run by new MGM tournament director Matt Savage, has events in the $200 to $500 range, with a final $1,600 event that should draw a sizable field. The Venetian Big Bounty series will be running at the end of the month as well, and the HPTwill be at the Palms early in the month.

The West Coast has a multitude of smaller series this month, including the Bicycle’s annual Winnin’ O’ the Green and the Wild Horse Poker Roundup, both with smaller buy-ins and soft fields. Tulalip Resort and Casino should top $400,000 for the prize pool of its $1,100 buy-in Pro Poker Challenge, and the Chad Brown Poker Challenge in Durant, Oklahoma looks like an eye-catching series as well.

The World Series of Poker Circuit is in the Midwest this month with a series in Council Bluffs, Iowa followed by another series in St. Louis. If you haven’t been to a WSOPC event in a few years, you will be impressed with how well run these events are. They have great structures, good organization, and massive fields. The $1,600 Main Events are often drawing over 1,000 players and a recent event in Hammond, Indiana had 1,650 players and boasted a top prize of almost $400,000.

If you are in the Midwest, or headed to Council Bluffs for the WSOPC, join us in Tama, Iowa for the Bluff MSPT event at the Meskwaki Bingo Casino. The MSPT has a great structure and final tables are broadcasted live, but the biggest draw for this $1,100 event is the $300,000 guarantee. We expect this event to go well beyond the guarantee, as fields for MSPT events have been growing with every tour stop. The MSPT is one of our favorite tours, but few players outside of the Midwest have heard of them. Tourney Tracks will be providing commentary on the final table broadcast as well.

On the East Coast, two major series will dominate the landscape in April. The Borgata Spring Poker Open features 16 days of tournaments with buy-ins from $300 to $500 most days, a $200 event with a $100,000 guarantee, and a $2,700 Main Event with reentries that should yield a massive prize pool. The WSOPC will be at Harrah’s in Chester, Pennsylvania at the end of the month as well, providing exposure to the fast growing poker scene in the Philadelphia area.

Let’s not forget the poker scene up North, with the Grey Eagle Spring Classic in Ontario and the Deerfoot Chrome Classic in Calgary, both part of the points system for our pals at the Canadian Poker Tour.

If spring is a little dreary where you are, the GSOP Live series finale in Punta Cana can pretty much guarantee beautiful scenery and perfect weather on the beaches of the Dominican Republic.

Spring is beautiful up here in Minnesota, and our favorite poker room, Running Aces Harness Park, will hold its Spring Poker Classic this month. Let us know if you are coming into town, as the first drink is on Tourney Tracks.

For more information on any of the tournaments listed, as well as a listing of every major tournament in North America, visit Tourney Tracks. We feature complete schedules, structure sheets, an interactive map with all of our tournaments, directions to events, descriptions, and more.