DATE CHANGE:
WSOP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TO BE CONTESTED MAY 22-24,
2013 IN NEW ORLEANS
Official
ESPN Televised WSOP Gold Bracelet Event Moves Back One Day
Players
Again to Compete for Shot at $1 Million+ at Harrah’s New Orleans Following Last
WSOP Circuit Stop
LAS VEGAS – March 11, 2013 – The culmination of the ninth season of the WSOP
Circuit will now officially be contested May 22-24, 2013, as the World Series
of Poker announced today the push back of the start day (by one day), in order
to get the final field set and give players enough time to get to New
Orleans. The original dates had the
event beginning on May 21, just a day after all final spots were to be
determined and verified. Now, May 21st
will be earmarked for an official Welcome Party hosted by Southern Comfort 100
Proof and advance player registration.
A WSOP gold bracelet will be on the line for
WSOP Circuit grinders and some of the top performers from official bracelet
events in the season-culminating Southern
Comfort 100 World Series of Poker National Championship taking place at
Harrah’s New Orleans just after the final Circuit stop, from May 22-24, 2013.
With Southern Comfort the Presenting Sponsor, the WSOP will bring the
nationally televised finale to where it all began – for both poker and Southern
Comfort – New Orleans, Louisiana. ESPN
will debut the National Championship on the flagship network July 30, 2013 from
9-11p.m. ET.
One hundred is again the magic number for the
WSOP Series of Poker Circuit Events
Presented by Southern Comfort 100 Proof.
Fueled by a $1,000,000 prize fronted by the WSOP, the top 100 players
from the Circuit tour who qualify via exemptions or at-large bids will
free-roll into the National Championship to battle in the Big Easy against any
of the 100 players made eligible based on their performances in 2011 and 2012
open bracelet events. As was the case in
2012, these players may buy-in for the equivalent equity, or $10,000.
The $1,000,000 along with a WSOP gold
bracelet and ESPN cameras will be on site in New Orleans as the WSOP crowns
this year’s champion on May 24, 2013.
ESPN will tape the coverage for air as part of its Tuesday night block
of coverage of the 2013 WSOP.
The three-day event begins on May 22 at 12
noon, with the 100 qualifiers who have earned their seat via victories or point
accumulation throughout the 20-stop WSOP Circuit tour that began in
August. With seven stops remaining, 26
players have automatically qualified already, with a hotly-contested point race
keeping hundreds of players within striking distance for the 60 seats that will
come via the point accumulation method.
The latest point standings can be found here:
http://www.wsop.com/2012/circuit/leaderboard.asp
The 26 players who have already automatically
qualified based on winning a Circuit Main Event or Casino Championship are: http://www.wsop.com/2012/circuit/qualified.asp
These 100 players will be joined by as many
as 100 more. The Southern Comfort 100 World Series of Poker National Championship
also ties in the Top 100 WSOP Player of the Year point-earners over two years
of WSOP calendar play (2011 & 2012) to participate in this event, by buying
in for $10,000.
Thus, this championship field could feature
as many as 200 players and $2,000,000 in prize money. (Last year saw 157 players and a $1,570,000
prize pool up for grabs).
The 100 players eligible to join this field
can be found here: http://www.wsop.com/2012/circuit/national-championship-qualifiers.asp
All participating players will receive
complimentary hotel stays on May 21 and May 22 if they RSVP in advance to
WSOP’s Daniel Vogel (dvogel@caesars.com). All players who have qualified through April
22 must RSVP by April 30 to take advantage of this opportunity. All players who qualify after April 22 will
be contacted by WSOP staff to coordinate hotel stay for National Championship. Any player still in the field on May 23 or 24
will have their hotel stays extended by the WSOP. Those who fail to RSVP at all or by the
deadline will be responsible for their own accommodations. Players are encouraged to remain in contact
with Vogel.
While the WSOP Circuit tour is currently at
Caesars Atlantic City, a half-dozen more
stops remain for players to qualify.
Those stops are:
- March 14-25,
2013 – The Lodge at Blackhawk outside Denver, Colorado
- March 27 - April
8, 2013 – Foxwoods Resort in Connecticut
- April 4-15, 2013
– Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina
- April 11-22,
2013 – Horseshoe Council Bluffs in Iowa (just outside of Omaha)
- April 25 – May
6, 2013 – Harrah’s Philadelphia
- May 9-20, 2013 –
Harrah’s New Orleans
Through the first 13 stops, 53,847 entrants
have competed for $29,191,518.00 in prize money, putting this season on pace
to be the richest and most attended in its nine-year history.
Circuit
schedules are subject to change. Stops may
be added or removed. For more information on individual circuit events,
including event schedules and structure sheets, can be found at each property
website or by visiting www.WSOP.com
*The WSOP Circuit Events and
culminating championship are subject to tournament rules and restrictions to be
released at a later date. The timing, number and location of events are subject
to change and all applicable gaming regulations.