What Other World Series Events Are There?

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When talking about the World Series of Poker,
most people refer to the yearly festival taking place in Las Vegas. With the
Main Event as an unofficial world championship of poker, the series is
definitely WSOP’s biggest asset.

However, it’s not the only one.

There are several other regular series taking
place under the World Series of Poker umbrella.

This article will explain what these are, how
they’re organized, and why you might be interested in getting involved.

Depending on where you live, there are enough
World Series events to pretty much fill up your entire schedule if you’re a
tournament grinder.

Of course, different events have different
buy-ins and prize pools, so not all of them are equally appealing to all
players.

World Series of Poker
Europe (WSOPE)

The World Series of Poker has been taking place
regularly in Las Vegas since 1970. For many players and fans of the game,
playing in the WSOP at least once is a dream.

However, the logistics of organizing a trip to
the United States and all the extra expenses for someone living in Europe often
make this dream quite distant.

With this in mind, and also looking to
strengthen the WSOP brand, organizers have come up with the idea of the World
Series of Poker Europe – or WSOPE for short.

The very first iteration of the WSOPE took
place in 2007 in London.

In addition to the £10,000 Main Event, the
first-ever WSOPE featured only two side events – one PLO tournament and one
HORSE match.

That first Main Event in Europe was won by the young poker star Annette Obrestad, just one day before her 19th birthday.

Image: YouTube

From the UK, the WSOPE moved to Cannes, France,
staying there for a few years. Then, in 2015, it took place in Berlin, Germany,
followed by a gap year in 2016.

Finally, in 2017, the WSOPE found a new home at
King Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, and they seem to be a likely partner
for the future.

The whole idea behind the WSOPE was to give
players in Europe a chance to compete in bracelet-awarding events, but the
series has never picked up as much traction as its Las Vegas counterpart.

Still, organizers have kept the ball rolling
every year since 2007, adding more and more events to the schedule.

The last WSOPE took place in 2019 in King’s
Casino in Rozvadov and featured 15 bracelet events. There was no 2020 series,
of course, as it was canceled due to Coronavirus concerns.

The WSOPE is basically an extension of the
World Series, and if you want to try your hand at winning a bracelet but don’t
feel like flying halfway across the world, this is an excellent alternative.

The Main Event costs €10,000 to enter, while
buy-ins for side events are quite similar to those found in Las Vegas, usually
in the €1,000 – €5,000 range.

It is worth mentioning that average fields are
much smaller, rarely breaking the 1,000-players mark.

For comparison purposes, the 2019 Main Event in
Las Vegas attracted 8,569 players, and the eventual winner walked away with
$10,000,000 for his efforts.

The 2019 Main Event in Europe saw 541 entries,
and the winner took home just over €1.1 million.

WSOPE tournaments attract many experienced
professionals, especially since these events count towards the Player of the
Year rankings.

It’s definitely not the softest tournament
series out there, and it’s much tougher than the original WSOP, which continues
to attract many recreational players who come for the experience.

WSOPE 2021

WSOPE will be held at King’s Resort in
Rozvadov, Czech Republic, from November 19 to December 8 this year. There will
be 15 WSOP gold bracelet events and over €11 million up for grabs in prize
pools.

So, if you feel like some year-end tournament
action, circle this date on your calendar and start making plans.

The World Series of Poker
Circuit (WSOPC)

The World Series of Poker Circuit, or WSOPC, is
a year-long tournament series taking place at different locations across the
United States and Europe.

Instead of bracelets, players compete for WSOPC
rings, and winners of individual Main Events come together in the final
tournament to compete for a big prize pool and prestige.

WSOP Circuit kicked off in January of 2005 with
a grand total of five events taking place in several casinos in the US,
including Rio and Harrah’s Atlantic City.

For the first few seasons, players had to pay
$10,000 for Circuit Main Events, but later on, the buy-in was reduced
significantly, and it’s usually $1,625 these days.

In 2015, WSOPC expanded beyond US soil, with
the launch of the International Circuit, adding events in Europe, Africa,
Canada, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.

This was a very significant development, as
more players worldwide were given an opportunity to join the action and compete
for the rings.

As of the time of writing this article, WSOPC
includes numerous venues in the United States and around the globe, such as:

  • Foxwoods in Connecticut
  • Potawatomi Hotel and Casino in
    Milwaukie
  • Seminole Casino in Florida
  • Playground Poker Club in Canada
  • Horseshoe Southern Indiana
  • The Star Casino in Sydney, Australia
  • Bicycle Casino in LA
  • Hard Rock Tulsa
  • King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech
    Republic
  • … and more!

On top of these, there are also online WSOPC
events on GGPoker and WSOP.com.

The number of these has been significantly
increased in the recent period, as live poker was pretty much on pause for a
long time.

Results from all tournaments are tracked for
the purposes of qualifying for the WSOP Global Casino Championship. This is the
final yearly tournament where 100 players can get their seats by invitation.

To qualify, you need to meet one of the
following criteria:

  • Win at least one WSOPC ring that
    season
  • Have a high enough points score to
    qualify for one of the remaining seats

WSOP Circuit tournaments represent a great
addition to the WSOP brand and an excellent opportunity for those serious about
playing tournament poker but not quite bankrolled for the main stage.

Buy-ins are much more affordable, and there are
plenty of tournaments throughout the year, especially for those living in the
United States. These can help players build their bankrolls and hone their
skills for bigger challenges in the future.

You should know that the Circuit is filled with
good players.

Although there will always be some casuals in
the field, there are many very good regs who grind these events full-time, and
their results more than show it.

Currently, the player holding the most rings is
Maurice Hawkins. He has 14 of them in total and has amassed $2,000,000 in
winnings from WSOPC alone.

WSOP Asia Pacific

The successful debut of the WSOPE inspired
organizers to try and do the same thing in a different part of the world.

So in 2013, the WSOP Asia Pacific was launched.
However, unlike WSOPE, this one was short-lived.

The event took place in 2013 and 2014, both
times at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia.

The 2013 iteration of WSOP Asia Pacific had a
total of five bracelet events. The Main Event featured a buy-in of AU$10,000,
and it was won by non-other than Daniel “KidPoker” Negreanu.

The Canadian triumphed in a 405-player field,
earning just over AU$1,000,000 for his performance.

Simultaneously, there was the Caesars Cup
running as well as a special high roller tournament. These weren’t officially
part of the WSOP and didn’t award any bracelets, but they helped generate some
more action and keep the players busy.

The WSOP returned to Australia in 2014, and the
number of events on the schedule was doubled.

However, the Main Event saw a significant drop
in interest, as only 329 players registered. Scott Davies, the winner, earned
AU$850,000.

The organizers had the idea that they would
rotate between WSOPE and WSOP APAC, so one year the international leg of the
event would take place in Europe, followed by the Asia Pacific region. Because
of this, there was no WSOPE event.

However, this idea was quickly abandoned.

The WSOP never really had much to say on the
topic. In 2015, the international leg came back to Europe (as was planned), but
then it just stayed there. There were no further attempts at organizing WSOP in
Asia.

Of course, this isn’t to say that the WSOP
won’t revisit the idea moving forward. There are many factors at play, but
there may be some new attempts at running bracelet-awarding tournaments in the
Asia Pacific region.

Plenty Of WSOP-Powered
Poker Action To Go Around

WSOPE
Image: WSOP

As you can see from this article, there’s much
more tournament action powered by one of poker’s most renowned brands than just
the Las Vegas Series.

To avoid any confusion, all of these
tournaments are completely open, so as long as you can pay the buy-in, you’re
welcome to join the action.

Just like the original WSOP, these tournaments
offer opportunities for anyone who thinks they have what it takes.

As a final note, with the WSOP now significantly expanding its presence in the online world through WSOP.com and via a partnership with GGPoker, you should be able to qualify for many of these events online as well, which is a rather appealing and cost-effective proposition.

Lead image: King’s Casino



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