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The ARIA Poker Room will host the inaugural "First Thursday" monthly industry tournament presented by Poker Royalty. The event will be held inside the ARIA Poker Room and will kick off at 1 p.m. PT with a $160 buy-in and a $4,000 prize pool guarantee.

The event was announced by Poker Royalty's Brian Balsbaugh on Twitter last week and is open to all poker industry members, including dealers, managers, directors, media, and personalities. 

“If you work in poker, you rarely actually play poker. I had this idea to get us industry folks together once a month at different card rooms around Vegas and play a tourney," Balsbaugh said. "Small picture, we get to play poker. Big picture, we network, build relationships, and down the road, work together to grow the game.”

ARIA will host the inaugural industry tournament presented by Poker Royalty, but each month following will likely see a rotation among other Las Vegas poker rooms. 

“It’s a concept that is long overdue here in town," said Ryan Kirk, Director of Poker Operations for ARIA. "We’re excited to be hosting the first event.”

The event will start at 1 p.m. PT on Thursday, March 2, and players will need an MGM Rewards card to enter. There is a prize pool guarantee of $4,000 and players will begin with 20,000 in tournament chips. Levels will be 20 minutes in duration and registration is open until the start of Level 7; approximately 3:15 p.m. PT. There are unlimited reentries allowed in the event.

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ARIA Resort & Casino, Poker Royalty, Ryan Kirk, Brian Balsbaugh