News
LAST CALL! IT'S ALWAYS HAPPY HOUR IN NEW ORLEANS!
May 17 2012 06:58 PM EST
Last Chance to Qualify for Million-Dollar National Championship
New Orleans, LA (May 16, 2012) -- The 17th and final World Series of Poker Circuit stop of the 2011-2012 season is coming down to a thrilling conclusion in New Orleans.
Over the past week, thousands of poker players have filled the casino – packing the poker room and tournament arena nearly to full capacity. In fact, the opening event which took place last weekend was the largest poker tournament ever held in New Orleans -- with a whopping 945 entrants (See Event #1).
There’s still much more to come. Poker players get one last chance to join the action this coming weekend, as there are only a few gold ring tournaments remaining on the schedule. Indeed, many poker players from all over the country have already descended upon New Orleans ever since this series began, desperately seeking to earn enough points to qualify for a coveted seat in the WSOP Circuit National Championship, coming at season’s end.
More information on the WSOP Circuit National Championship, including current rankings, can be found here.
The current season began last September at Horseshoe Bossier City (Shreveport), and now comes full circle back to Louisiana for the grand finale. Indeed, New Orleans has become a favorite destination for poker players and regulars who travel on the WSOP Circuit. For each of the past eight seasons, Harrah’s New Orleans has been the last party stop of the poker circuit celebration. This year, New Orleans wraps up what have been seventeen WSOP Circuit event destinations, attracting tens of thousands of poker players from all over the United States, and beyond.
There's a lot at stake for poker players in the Crescent City and those who are about to come – including gold rings, prize money, and ranking points. Since the season began, all tournament players have been in the running for 100 guaranteed pre-paid seats in the one-million guaranteed WSOP Circuit National Championship finale. In a sense, every National Championship seat is valued at $10,000 -- since that’s the proportion of the million dollar-plus prize pool each player represents. Another 100 players are eligible to buy into the tournament (top ranked players from each of the past two WSOPs in Las Vegas), which means the event will cap out with well over a million dollars at stake.
This marks the second straight season that the WSOP Circuit has utilized a national ranking system based on accumulated points. All players earned their points by finishing in-the-money in one or more of the 204 total gold ring tournaments which are being offered this season -- 12 of which take place at Harrah's New Orleans.
What awaits the fortunate 100 players who will advance to the National Championship? First, there is the chance to win a lot of money. Second, is the opportunity to appear on national television, since the tournament held at the Rio Las Vegas will be broadcast nationally on ESPN – one of only three events this year to be covered in full by the network. Third, all players will be competing for the most coveted prize in the game of poker – the WSOP gold bracelet. This is the second time that a gold bracelet has been tied to the WSOP Circuit. Last year, Sam Barnhart, from Little Rock, AR won the inaugural WSOP National Championship title.
For players who do not have ranking points yet, there’s still a shot to get into the million-dollar tournament. The final opportunity to be crowned the 2012 “WSOP Circuit National Champion” comes with the Main Event here in New Orleans, starting on May 18th. There will be two starting sessions played this Friday. The winner of the Main Event, which costs $1,600 to enter, will automatically earn a seat into the National Championship.
At the conclusion of the Harrah’s New Orleans tour stop – on May 21st -- the final official list of 100 players who qualify for the WSOP Circuit National Championship will be announced.
