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DENVER (Gambling911.com) - Bally's Black Hawk: Fall Colorado Poker Championship begins Oct. 28 and runs through Nov. 21.
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Bally's Black Hawk: Fall Colorado Poker Championship
Bally's is advertising two particularly significant guaranteed events: a $400 Kick Off with a $100,000 guarantee and a $1,200 Main Event with a $200,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Bally's says the schedule includes Seniors, Ladies and Tag Team events, along with Stud, PLO, Big O and Triple Draw, making this a fairly broad mixed-game festival.
The centerpiece is the $1,200 CPC Main Event, which will actually take place next month (Nov. 12–15). It carries the $200,000 guarantee, has three starting flights Thursday through Saturday and concludes with the Day 2 final on Sunday.
For the Fall Colorado Poker Championship at Bally’s Black Hawk, the two headline buy-ins are:
- $400 — Kick Off event, with a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool.
- $1,200 — Main Event, with a $200,000 guaranteed prize pool, scheduled for Nov. 12–15.
The casino is approximately 45 minutes to an hour drive from Denver.
Top Ranked Poker Rooms in Colorado for the Month of October
1. Monarch Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk — Black Hawk. Probably the strongest overall cash-game room in Colorado that features 16 tables. The casino is open 24/7, with $1/$3 NLHE running consistently, $2/$5 during busier periods and occasional $5/$10 plus PLO/Big O.
2. Bally's Black Hawk West — Bally's currently advertises 17 tables plus five tournament-overflow tables, daily tournaments and major series such as the Colorado Poker Championship.
3. Ameristar Black Hawk — Black Hawk. Excellent choice for cash games and mixed-game players. Ameristar itself lists an 11-table, 24/7 room, with $1/$3, $2/$5 and $5/$10 NL games plus various pot-limit and limit games. It also runs a Bad Beat Jackpot and recurring high-hand promotions.
Gambling911.com's Top Ranked Tournament Players From the State
1. Antonio Vargas is a Colorado native who won the 2026 WSOP $1,700 U.S. Circuit Championship, defeating a massive 2,148-entry field for $439,605 and his first WSOP bracelet. Card Player noted that his four largest career scores had all been victories since August 2025. He's now above $1.2 million in career tournament earnings.
2. Will Givens of Denver is having a particularly strong year. His 2026 results include third in the WSOP $1,500 PLO for $214,960, a victory in a $3,300 PGT Texas Poker Open high roller for $31,050, second in a WSOP Circuit Texas $3,250 event for $68,510, and fifth in a WSOP Super Circuit Canada mystery bounty in September. His live poker career earnings amount to $4.6 million.
3. Chance Kornuth of Denver remains the biggest internationally recognizable Colorado-based name. He has more than $22.6 million in recorded tournament earnings. His 2026 highlights include sixth in the WSOP $25,000 NLH 6-Max for $218,091 and, more recently, fourth in the WSOP Super Circuit Canada C$5,000 event for C$432,000 in September.
4. Andrew “Hunter” Willis is another excellent 2026 Colorado story. In August he beat 757 entries to win the MSPT Colorado Poker State Championship at Bally's Black Hawk. He collected a career-best $134,066, his first MSPT championship and a seat into the MSPT Championship at Seminole Hard Rock later this year.
Poker in Colorado
Colorado's constitution specifically includes poker as an authorized form of “limited gaming.” Commercial casino poker is permitted in the state's three historic gaming communities: Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek.
- Ace King, Gambling911.com
