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Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale will host the 20th annual Arizona State Poker Championship starting Aug. 13, marking the biggest poker event on the state’s calendar this year. The $1,100 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament carries a $3,000,000 guaranteed prize pool, celebrating two decades of the series at Arizona’s top card room.
PokerNews will provide live coverage from the venue throughout the event, tracking major hands, eliminations, and other highlights until a champion is crowned. Multiple starting flights will run once daily beginning Aug. 13, with Day 1a kicking off at 10:15 a.m. local time.
The tournament structure includes Day 2 on Aug. 17, Day 3 on Aug. 18, and the final table set for Aug. 19. Entrants will start with 20,000 in chips, with the option to add on another 20,000 for $30, benefiting tournament staff.
Ahead of the main event, Talking Stick is already running $140 Milestone Satellites, with additional qualifying opportunities expected throughout August.
Defending champion Brandon Mitchell, a local professional, will look to repeat after winning last year’s title for $525,700 out of a field of 3,546 players—the largest cash of his career. Mitchell defeated David Levy heads-up, sealing the win with middle pair against king-high, and celebrated with his family before FaceTiming his wife, who was traveling in Oregon at the time.
Carl Carodenuto, the 2024 champion, earned $313,078 for his title run, also the biggest score of his career to date.
