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The Moneymaker Tour returns to Palm Beach Kennel Club in 2025, with multiple visits to the club. The venue hosted the tour in February 2025 with over $1 million in guarantees across over 20 events. Nesly Jean-Baptiste won the $1500 Main Event, beating 278 entries to take home $82,306. Palm Beach Kennel Club is also welcoming the tour back in late April to early May 2025 after the tour’s first visit to MGM National Harbor. The Moneymaker Tour’s stops in West Palm Beach and other poker rooms in Florida have become popular locations for players looking to experience an exciting environment and various events. Aside from the Main Event No-Limit Hold ’em, mixed Pot-Limit Omaha, and H.O.R.S.E. events, the tour also has a Ladies Event and a unique Older Than Moneymaker event that accepts entrants older than the tour’s namesake and poker legend, Chris Moneymaker. Thanks to Florida’s vibrant live poker landscape and online opportunities, Floridans and beyond can easily participate in the fun.
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The Moneymaker Tour and Palm Beach Kennel Club
The Moneymaker Tour has been held every year since its start in 2023, and Palm Beach Kennel Club has been a regular stop. It was even where the tour’s inaugural event kicked off, making it a significant venue in its history. Palm Beach Kennel Club, and Florida in general, has become a popular spot for players looking to join Chris Moneymaker’s namesake tour. Aside from West Palm Beach, the tour also holds tournaments in Daytona Beach, and Dania Beach was recently added to the roster of destinations. It helps that Florida has a thriving live poker scene, drawing in players from all over the state and the country to explore the wide array of sophisticated casinos and poker rooms hosting regular tournaments and cash games. Poker’s history in the state can even be linked to Al Capone, who enjoyed and hosted poker games during his time in Florida. Though he never had a Miami hideaway, as we previously debunked, poker continued to flourish and grow. The Moneymaker Tour visits to many stops in Florida is a testament to that lasting impact and poker’s popularity in the state.
Chris Moneymaker and online poker
Chris Moneymaker, the tour’s founder, got his start in poker by playing online. He entered an $86 satellite competition through an online site, qualifying him for the World Series of Poker in 2003. The then-accountant beat professionals and experienced players to win the Main Event, drumming up massive interest in the game, known as the “Moneymaker effect.” Today, he’s an Americas Cardroom Team Pro, which has continued to help him inspire poker players all over the US and internationally. The Moneymaker Tour is inspired by his journey in online poker, with some events being priced at $86, like his historic satellite victory. Sunshine State players can also head to tournament locations by playing online poker in Florida. Though there are no state-licensed online poker rooms, the trusted platform Americas Cardroom is available to Floridians. Players can also join a tournament to get a chance to play at the Moneymaker Tour in the Sunshine State. Top players in the Beast Tournament Mega Satellite were able to win a seat at the Palm Beach Kennel Club when it was held there in 2024.
Thanks to growing success, the Moneymaker Tour has continuously expanded over the past few years. It has added more destinations in Florida aside from the Palm Beach Kennel Club, showcasing the demand in the state. It has even added international spots, including Aruba and Canada. Regardless of how big the tour may get in the future, it’s likely to keep coming back to West Palm Beach for Sunshine State action.
Check out The Jitney for more on Florida and beyond.
