News
World Series of Poker Europe Presented by Betfair.com To Be Held Exclusively at Casino at the Empire in Leicester Square
WORLDWIDE TV DISTRIBUTION OF EVENT TO REACH 280 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS INCLUDING ESPN IN THE UNITED STATES FOR FIRST TIME
announced it will be hosting its event under one roof at the Casino at the Empire, LCI's newest club in the heart of London at Leicester Square.
The event, to be held from September 19 to October 2, 2008, will feature four bracelet events, and start with a new £1,500 No-Limit event. Cash games, satellites and non-bracelet tournaments, in addition to other casino games, will be available at the casino and other London Clubs International (LCI) locations.
September 19th , 2008 - Event #1 - £1,500 – No-Limit Hold'em Day 1A (3-day event/2 opening days)
September 22nd , 2008 - Event #2 - £2,500 – H.O.R.S.E. (3-day event)
September 24th , 2008 - Event #3 - £5,000 – Pot Limit Omaha (3-day event)
September 27th , 2008 - Event #4 - £10,000 – World Championship No-Limit Hold'em (5-day event)
For full details of the schedule please visit http://www.wsope2008.com/
"We are eagerly anticipating World Series of Poker Europe this year," said Ty Stewart, World Series of Poker Director of Marketing. "We have enhanced the schedule to provide more variety and game play, greatly broadened the worldwide television exposure and have brought the event under one roof to better the player experience for this prestigious and premiere event."
Professional poker players have already started to buy in directly including the final table participants from the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas held earlier this month. November Ninesm participants, whose fate will be decided a month after WSOP Europe, are scheduled to participate, including Ivan Demidov, Peter Eastgate and David Rheem. These three and any others from the November Nine participants who play, will be seeking the ultimate double of two Main Event Bracelets in one year.
Other notable players appearing in 2007 and expected to attend this year include Chris Ferguson, Erick Lindgren, Jennifer Harmon, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth.
"Harrah's has obviously put effort into making a lot of improvements to the event," said 11-time gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth. "I would like to make history by being the first American to win a bracelet in Europe."
Players can pre-register for the WSOPE at any LCI venue in the UK and all Harrah's venues in Las Vegas. Alternatively they can try and qualify online exclusively at Betfair Poker. http://www.betfairpoker.com/
"Empire is excited to be hosting poker's greatest players," said Michael Silberling, COO, London Clubs, International. "Our Leicester Square property provides a fitting backdrop to conduct such a prestigious event like the World Series of Poker Europe."
WSOPE in London complements the WSOP held annually in Las Vegas. The inaugural 2007 event featured 623 entrants competing for £1,305,215 over three tournaments including the Main Event that saw Norway's Annette Obrestad outlast a field that included Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth and Johnny Chan to win the largest amount ever for a female, £1 million – or U.S. $2,013,102.
For the first time, and subject to the execution of a definitive agreement, ESPN, the exclusive World Series of Poker telecaster, is scheduled to air eight original hours of coverage of the World Series of Poker Europe in the United States and distribute the tournament globally.
This will mark the first time a European poker tournament has received television coverage in the United States.
ESPN360.com, ESPN's signature broadband sports network, is scheduled to provide live coverage in the U.S., Europe, Mexico and Brazil.
Harrah's Entertainment will distribute the WSOPE programming in non-ESPN markets, which in 2007 totaled over 100 million households including U.K. host broadcaster Sky Sports.
ABOUT WSOPE
London Clubs International is a market leader in the UK casino industry, having owned and operated casinos for over 40 years. LCI currently owns 10 casino across the UK, catering for all tastes and every level of play. LCI casinos in the UK include The Casino at The Empire (London), Fifty (London), The Rendezvous (London, Brighton and Southend), The Sportsman (London), Golden Nugget (London), Manchester235 and Alea (Nottingham and Glasgow, Leeds opening soon). For more information, please visit www.lciclubs.com
ABOUT BETFAIR.COM
Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. is the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, more than 70 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions, and now owns or manages casinos on four continents. The Company's properties operate primarily under the Harrah's®, Caesars® and Horseshoe® brand names; Harrah's also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos and the World Series of Poker®. Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. For more information, please visit http://www.harrahs.com/.
