For the first time ever, Ohio gets added to the mix, with two stops coming to the Buckeye State, plus Canada doubles its event schedule, with the addition of a stop in Montreal, Quebec at the prestigious Casino Montreal.

A WSOP gold bracelet will be on the line in the season-culminating National Championship event taking place in May, 2014, dates to be determined. This year’s finale will move to the East Coast and Caesars Atlantic City, where pending licensing & regulatory approval, WSOP.com intends to organize a “last shot” online tournament offering the final seats in the field. Once again, ESPN will televise the finale as part of their annual coverage of the World Series of Poker.

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 World Series of Poker Circuit National Championship.

The World Series of Poker Circuit Events begin Aug. 8 at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut with a 12-ring event schedule, the Main Event set to begin on Saturday, Aug. 17.

The tour continues almost non-stop from August through the National Championship in May. 

Once again, a points-ranking system for all ring tournament participants will be used and reward those players who participate in multiple events – with the Top 100 players qualifying for the WSOP Circuit National Championship (May 23-25, 2014, Caesars Atlantic City). There will be 50 automatic qualifiers, with 50 additional players qualifying based on points earned throughout their play on the circuit.

The “12 Rings in 12 Days” remains, with most stops beginning on a Thursday, and the three-day Main Event beginning on the second Saturday, thereby encompassing a total of 12 official WSOP gold ring events over 12 days, and offering players non-stop poker action at the regional level.

Each stop concludes with a $1,675 buy-in Main Event Championship slated to typically start on a Saturday (some will begin on Fridays with two start days due to capacity).

Also back, the Main Event’s will be played as re-entry, with two flights available to players at each of the stops.   

Each WSOP Circuit stop Main Event winner will receive an automatic berth into the WSOP Circuit National Championship. Automatic bids will also go to the “Casino Champions” at each participating venue. A Casino Champion is defined as the player at each stop who accumulates the most points throughout the 12-event gold ring schedule. Details of the six seats expected to be awarded via WSOP.com online promotions will be announced at a future date – (subject to all application regulatory requirements).

“The WSOP Circuit continues to pick up momentum,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. “We’re proud to have become North America’s largest poker tour, and believe we have the most complete offering out there. With big fields, good value, and exciting stops, the action doesn’t stop all year long.”

The 2012-13 WSOP Circuit Tour is currently at its final stop, in what is expected to be the largest tournament series in the nine-year WSOP Circuit history. The WSOP Circuit is on pace to have nearly 80,000 entries in official “Ring Events” and has seen the average Main Event winner receive $197,535.

WSOP Circuit Event stops feature standardized tournament structures and payouts, so players going from stop to stop will be treated in a consistent manner at each of the stops – (barring any regulatory or local law differences).

This year’s tour includes 19 returning venues from the 2012-13 season, plus the addition of Horseshoe Cincinnati in Ohio (September 19-30, 2013); Casino Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (November 14-25, 2013); and Horseshoe Cleveland in Ohio (March 20-31, 2014).

The entire 2013-14 schedule is as follows:

WORLD SERIES OF POKER 2013-2014 CIRCUIT TOUR SCHEDULE

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.