For some time now, the Argentine Poker Circuit has been much more than poker. It’s about community. And along those lines, last year the CAP Royale was born, the excuse to play the best poker in special settings.
In January 2025, the first CAP Royale in history was held in Bariloche and now they have just announced the CAP Royale Mendoza, which will be played from June 11 to 16 at the Casino Arena in Maipú. So at CodigoPoker we called Claudio Rodríguez
-What is it about and how did this idea come about?
-The CAP Royale is an ambitious proposal: a date on the Argentine Poker Circuit that goes beyond the tournament itself. The idea was born from wanting to merge the best of the CAP, which is the community, the level of play, the competition, with the best that Argentina has as a destination. Mendoza was a must-stop. It has such a strong cultural and tourist identity that it would be a waste to just arrive, play, and leave. The Royale proposes exactly that: come to experience Mendoza, and in the process, play high-level poker at the Casino Arena in Maipú.
-What do you expect from this stage?
-We expect it to be a stop that moves the player from an experiential perspective. We believe the Argentine poker community is in need of experiences like this, and the CAP Royale comes to fulfill exactly that. We want to call both the regular circuit players and the people from Mendoza and the Cuyo region who have not yet joined the CAP. It’s an opportunity to expand the community and, at the same time, offer our loyal player base something different, something they will remember far beyond the results at the tables.
Alejandro Romero Won The Main Event Of The Cap Royale Bariloche In January 2025.
-You already had the Royale experience in Bariloche, is the idea to continue along that line?
-Bariloche was the proof of concept and exceeded our expectations. It showed us that when the player is in an extraordinary environment, the energy of the entire event changes. A different camaraderie is generated, people relax, enjoy more, and perhaps, we could say they play better. With that confirmed, yes, the idea is to consolidate the Royale as a line within the CAP that travels the great destinations of the country. Mendoza is the second stop and we are already thinking about the next ones.
-What will differentiate this date from a regular CAP circuit event?
-A regular CAP date is a first-class experience inside a casino. The Royale is that, plus a destination. The difference is in everything that happens outside the tables: the accommodation proposal, the activities, the environment. We are talking about Mendoza, the most important wine region in the country, and that permeates the entire event. Also, the Casino Arena Maipú is a complex with excellent infrastructure, and we bet that the experiences inside and outside of it will become something players want to repeat.
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-Will it count towards the annual ranking?
-The CAP Royale is a special stop within the circuit, with its own identity that distinguishes it from regular dates. It does not add points to the annual ranking, and that is actually part of its philosophy: we want players to come without the pressure of the traditional circuit, to loosen up, to enjoy. The competition is there, but the focus is on the complete experience.
-What can you tell us about the agenda? What will players find?
-The agenda combines a complete tournament proposal with everything Mendoza has to offer. It’s 6 days with 14 events in total: the Main Event, Mystery Bounty tournaments, regular Bounty, High Roller, and a variety of side events for all player profiles. Additionally, we will have Landmark qualifiers, which give an extra dimension to the date for those thinking about stepping up to international tournaments.
Claudio Rodríguez Spoke Exclusively With Codigopoker.
But the CAP Royale doesn’t end at the tables. We will have a tourism agency integrated into the event so that each player can create their own experience in Mendoza before or after the sessions: wineries, top-level gastronomy, the mountains, and no one leaves feeling like they only came to play poker. Stay tuned!
-Will there be anything special or any surprise you want or can reveal?
-The surprise goes beyond Mendoza. We continue working on finding exceptional destinations for our community and I hope to be able to confirm very soon news that will surprise you.
-Why should no player miss this trip to Mendoza?
-Because there are few cities in Argentina that combine so well the quality of life, culture, gastronomy, and landscape like Mendoza. And because the CAP Royale is the perfect excuse to go. It’s not just another date on the circuit, it’s an experience designed so you take away much more than the results at the tables. You come to compete in a first-class tournament, in a casino with excellent infrastructure, surrounded by the Argentine poker community, but you take the whole trip: the wineries, the mountains, the gastronomy, everything that makes Mendoza Mendoza.
Sometimes poker is the excuse to live something you would otherwise indefinitely postpone. This is that date. If you know it, you know you can’t miss it. And if you don’t know Mendoza yet, the CAP Royale is the best way to get to know it.
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