First stop of the 2017-2018 Circuit season is highlighted by the Global Casino Championship
July 31, 2017 (Cherokee, NC) - The first World Series of Poker Circuit stop of the new season kicks off on Wednesday morning at Harrah’s Cherokee in Cherokee, North Carolina.
It’s the first stop of the 2017-2018 season and is the first of three stops this season in Cherokee. The highlight of the stop is this year’s Global Casino Championship (GCC). The GCC is an invitation-only event which features $1,000,000 added to the prizepool. Most participants earn free seats based on success during last year's Circuit season. In addition, the top 100 in the 2016 WSOP Player of the Year race, or anyone who won a Circuit ring last season, is able to buyin directly for $10,000.
The top 50 spots points earners from last season’s Circuit season along with the Casino Champion and winner of the $1,675 no-limit hold’em main event from each stop all get a free entry. The three-day event kicks off on Tuesday, August 8 at 11 a.m. and will wrap up on Thursday, August 10 with the winner taking home a WSOP bracelet along with the massive payday.
It's the second installment of what is now called the Global Casino Championship (it was previously known as the National Championship) and the third year it's held at Harrah's Cherokee. Last year, Said El-Yousfi defeated 126 players to win $343,256 and his first bracelet. El-Yousfi qualified for the event by winning the Casino Champion title in Marrakech.
At the upcoming Circuit stop at Cherokee, there are 12 ring events scheduled over the 13-day stop, including most of the mainstays that players have come to expect at Circuit stops. The series kicks off with the first of four starting flights in their $365 no-limit hold’em multi-flight, re-entry event. There is a $500,000 guaranteed prizepool spread over four starting flights which take place over the first four days of the series and is scheduled to crown a champion on Monday, August 7.
The only non-no-limit hold’em event on the schedule starts on the second day of the series, in the form of a $365 Pot-Limit Omaha event. The two-day event carries a $25,000 guaranteed prizepool and allows unlimited re-entries during the registration period.
There are also various turbo events, a $580 no-limit hold’em, a $365 no-limit hold’em monster stack and a $365 no-limit hold’em six-max event spread out throughout the entire schedule. All have a guaranteed prizepool varying from $50,000 to $100,000.
There is a high roller event at the stop, but unlike other high rollers in the past, this event will only be a single-day event with 20-minute levels. It will run alongside the final day of the Global Casino Championship on August 10. The $2,200 buy-in event is the biggest buy-in on the ring schedule and has a $100,000 guaranteed prizepool.
The biggest guaranteed prizepool of the series comes in the $1,675 no-limit hold’em main event, which has a $1 million guarantee. There are two starting flights of the main event. The first is on Friday, August 11 at 11 a.m. and the second is on Saturday, August 12 at 11 a.m. Players are allowed one re-entry per flight, giving them up to four bullets to fire on the first Main Event of the Circuit season.
The player who accrues the most points over the nearly two weeks of poker will earn the title of Casino Champion for the stop. As always, the winner of the main event and the Casino Champion will earn a free seat into next year’s Global Casino Championship.
Here is a look at the full schedule of ring events (and the GCC) at the first stop at Harrah’s Cherokee:
- Event #1A: $365 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry (Wednesday, August 2, 11 a.m.)
- Event #1B: $365 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry (Thursday, August 3, 11 a.m.)
- Event #1C: $365 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry (Friday, August 4, 11 a.m.)
- Event #1D: $365 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry (Saturday, August 5, 11 a.m.)
- Event #2: $365 Pot-Limit Omaha – Unlimited Re-Entry (Thursday, August 3, 4 p.m.)
- Event #3: $365 No-Limit Hold’em – 20-minute levels, 1 Re-Entry (Saturday, August 5, 4 p.m.)
- Event #4: $580 No-Limit Hold’em – 1 re-entry (Sunday, August 6, 11 a.m.)
- Event #5: $365 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max – Unlimited Re-Entry (Monday, August 7, 11 a.m.)
- Event #6: $365 No-Limit Hold’em – 30-minute levels, 1 Re-Entry (Tuesday, August 8, 11 a.m.)
- Global Casino Championship - $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em (Tuesday, August 8, 11 a.m.)
- Event #7: $365 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack – 1 Re-Entry (Wenesday, August 9, 11 a.m.)
- Event #8: $365 No-Limit Hold’em – 30-minute levels, 1 Re-Entry (Thursday, August 10, 11 a.m.)
- Event #9: $2,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller – 20-minute levels, unlimited re-entry (Thursday, August 10, 4 p.m.)
- Event #10A: $1,675 No-Limit Hold’em MAIN EVENT – 1 Re-Entry (Friday, August 11, 11 a.m.)
- Event #10B: $1,675 No-Limit Hold’em MAIN EVENT – 1 Re-Entry (Saturday, August 12, 11 a.m.)
- Event #11: $365 No-Limit Hold’em – 20-minute levels, 1 Re-Entry (Saturday, August 12, 11 a.m.)
- Event #12: $365 Double Stack Turbo No-Limit Hold’em – 1 Re-Entry (Sunday, August 13, 3 p.m.)
Click here for a complete schedule.
Notable other tournaments set to take place include the $250 Seniors Events and the $135 Ladies No-Limit Hold’em. There are two Seniors events over the series. The first gets underway at 9 a.m. on Sunday, August 6 with a $50,000 guaranteed prizepool and the second gets underway at 9 a.m. on Sunday, August 13 with a $100,000 guaranteed prizepool. Players must be at least 50 years-old to participate and both tournaments have unlimited re-entry.
The Ladies event is a one-day event that starts at 2 p.m. on Friday, August 11. It carries a $10,000 prizepool.