THE CHASE IS ON!
New Orleans, LA (May 15, 2011) – Its poker’s equivalent of the two-minute warning, the bottom of the ninth inning, the final round, and the 18th green.  The countdown has begun!

Poker players from all over the country have poured into New Orleans to play poker and earn last-minute ranking points for the World Series of Poker National Championship, coming at the end of this month.  Only 100 players will qualify for the $1 million nationally-televised finale which is to be held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas.  See National Leaderboard here. Players are trying to qualify for seats, each valued at $10,000.  Many are frantically trying to cash in one of the last few gold ring events being played here in The Big Easy in order to cross the threshold of qualifying.

Harrah’s New Orleans is the fifteenth and final WSOP Circuit stop of that season, which began nearly nine months ago in Council Bluffs, IA.  And now with just three more tournaments remaining on the 2010/2011 season – which included a total of 154 events -- the final bell is about to be rung. 

Indeed, Harrah’s New Orleans has been jammed since the very start of this year’s tournament series.  It’s easy to understand why “The Big Easy” has been the official home to the final WSOP Circuit stop during each of its seven seasons.  Aside from world-class restaurants, great music, and a unique culture that can only been found in the Crescent City, the poker action in New Orleans has been spectacular.

The Main Event Championship began today.  The $1,500 (+100) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament attracted another big field totaling 382 entries.  The prize pool amounts to $550,060.  The top 45 finishers will collect prize money.  The champion will collect $121,017.  He or she will also be awarded the coveted WSOP Circuit gold ring.  The bonus for winning will be an automatic seat into the WSOP Circuit National Championship.

The three-day tournament runs through May 18th.  At the end of the first day of play, Mario Silvestri from Fort Worth, TX stands alone as the chip leader.  He currently has 371,500 in chips.  ONly one other players has more than 300,000, which is tournament veteran Allie Prescott from Memphis, TN.

There are 70 players remaining.  The top five players in the current standings when play continues on Day Two are as follows:

1.    Mario Silvestri – 371,500
2.    Allie Prescott – 304,000
3.    Todd Wood – 238,400
4.    Brian Heptinstall – 214,300
5.    Matthew Waxman – 213,400


A complete list of all players remaining in EVENT #9 can be found here.

New Orleans has already crowned eight WSOP Circuit gold ring champions this year.  The list of previous winners includes:

Event #1:  John Christian (Baton Rouge, LA) defeated 473 players and won $28,288 in $355 NLHE 
Event #2:  John Holley (Destin, FL) defeated 96 players and won $8,380 in $355 MIX POT-LIMIT 
Event #3:  Danny Doucet (Lafayette, LA) defeated 312 players and won $21,116 in $355 NLHE
Event #4:  Brian Walsingham (Atlanta, GA) defeated 423 players and won $26,801 in $355 NLHE
Event #5:  Zhen Cai (Daytona Beach, FL) defeated 293 players and won $33,753 in $355 NLHE
Event #6:  Walter B. Wright (Las Vegas, NV) defeated 101 players and won $14,544 in $565 PLO
Event #7:  Tom Franklin (Gulfport, MS) defeated 646 players and won $38,139 in $355 NLHE
Event #8:  Brian Walsingham (Atlanta, GA) defeated 356 players and won $78,604 in 1085 NLHE


At least 11 players from Harrah’s New Orleans will qualify for the nationally-televised WSOP gold bracelet event.  The Main Event winner gets a seat.  The top overall point finisher gets a seat.  And, the nine players who make it to the final table of the Southern Regional Championship will alos earn automatic bids.

The inaugural WSOP Circuit Southern Regional Championship begins following the conclusion of the Main Event.  The $10,000 buy-in tournament will be taped for broadcast on national television.  This is the first time since 2006 television cameras have filmed a poker event in New Orleans.  The final of four regional tournaments promises to be an exciting end to the great 2010-2011 WSOP Circuit season.  The regional championship will be played May 19-22 at Harrah’s New Orleans.

A FULL SCHEDULE of remaining and completed events at Harrah’s New Orleans can be found here.
  
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A Short History of the WSOP Circuit at Harrah’s New Orleans

The first major poker tournament held at Harrah’s New Orleans was called the “Cajun Poker Classic,” which took place in early 2004.  The three-day tournament attracted 536 players and inspired the casino to host more poker events in the future.  Later that  year, the first Bayou Poker Challenge was held, which consisted of six tournaments. 

Next, Harrah’s New Orleans became a charter member of the World Series of Poker Circuits, which officially started play in 2005.  Since then, New Orleans has hosted the final stop on the circuit each year, which takes place in mid-May just prior to the start of the WSOP at the Rio in Las Vegas.  The first two WSOP Circuit championships held at Harrah’s New Orleans were televised by ESPN and were among the most exciting tournaments broadcast at the time.  They still occasionally appear in re-runs to this day.

WSOP Circuit events in New Orleans proved to be so successful that a second tournament series was created, starting in 2007.  This became known as the “Bayou Poker Challenge” (a.k.a. the Winter Bayou Poker Challenge), which has since become a December attraction.  This tournament series is categorized as a World Series of Poker Satellite, since its Main Event winner earns an entry valued at $10,000 seat (plus expense money) into the WSOP championship, held the following year.