WSOP CIRCUIT TO HOST FIRST EVER EVENT ON CANADIAN SOIL OCTOBER 27
Richmond, BC, CA (October 24, 2012) — For the first time in its nine-year history the World Series of Poker Circuit will host an event in Canada beginning October 27 and concluding November 7.

The series will take place at River Rock Casino Resort located in Richmond, British Columbia, a short distance from downtown Vancouver and Vancouver International Airport.

In addition to ten ring events, two online events will take place November 18 and 25 in partnership with PlayNow.com. The online tournaments, officially listed as ring events 11 and 12, will feature $320 and $530 buy-ins and are open to residents of British Columbia and Quebec.  Players should be advised that they will need two forms of ID in order to play in the events on the River Rock property.

As with all WSOP Circuit stops, the player who accumulates the most ranking points in addition to the River Rock Main Event champion will be awarded pre-paid seats into the season-ending WSOP National Championship. All in-the-money-finishers in each of River Rock’s ten ring events, as well as the two events to take place on PlayNow.com, will receive official WSOP ranking points.

River Rock’s Main Event begins November 2 and will feature three Day 1s (Friday-Sunday, November 2-4), each beginning at 12 p.m. local time. This unique format gives Main Event players at River Rock the opportunity to re-enter two times, allowing one entry per starting day. That is, players eliminated on Day 1A can re-enter on Day 1B and/or Day 1C and players eliminated on Day 1B can re-enter on Day 1C.

The $1,675 tournament will play out over the course of six days and a champion will be crowned Wednesday, November 7.  The final table will be streamed live online. This stream is a momentous one for the WSOP Circuit, as it will be the first of several stops this season to feature hole card information.  The stream will air on a 30-minute delay with commentary from Bernard Lee and Matt Affleck.

A full schedule of events can be found on WSOP.com.
 
Roberto Luongo, goaltender for the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, is among those confirmed to participate in the Main Event is. A member of Canada’s Olympic team in 2010, Luongo is a gold medalist and avid poker player. He placed 634th in the WSOP Main Event this summer, winning $19,227.

"Having Roberto Luongo take part in the World Series of Poker Circuit event here at River Rock Casino Resort is a true milestone,” said Howard Blank, Vice President of the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation. “Luongo is a talented poker player and I know many players are ready to sit at the table with such an amazing athlete. River Rock Casino Resort is a well-established premium poker destination for local and international players."

In addition to hosting some of the best poker games Canada has to offer, River Rock Casino Resort is a four-diamond resort with a vast selection of table games, over 1,000 slot machines and a world-class 21,000 square foot show theater that has hosted some of the biggest names in the music and entertainment industries.

The series will mark the fifth stop of the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit Presented by Southern Comfort 100 Proof.

With four WSOP Circuit stops in the books, eight players have already punched their ticket to the $1 Million WSOP National Championship to take place in New Orleans May 2013:

Kyle Cartwright (IP Biloxi Main Event Champion)
Cory Wood (IP Biloxi Casino Champion)
Jeff Gibralter (Bossier City Main Event Champion)
Quan Nguyen (Bossier City Casino Champion)
Dan Heimiller (Horseshoe Southern Indiana Main Event Champion)
Jonathan Taylor (Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino Champion)
Josh Williams (Horseshoe Hammond Main Event Champion)
Mike Leah (Horseshoe Hammond Casino Champion)

Information on room reservations, registration and Richmond and its surrounding areas can be found on the events page.