2017-18 WSOP DOMESTIC CIRCUIT SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

WSOP ANNOUNCES 2017-2018 U.S. WSOP CIRCUIT SCHEDULE

 Fourteenth Season of Domestic Circuit Features Record 26 Stops

Seminole Gaming in Florida & Thunder Valley in California Join Mix with Two Stops Each 

LAS VEGASMay 17, 2017 – Fresh off winning the award for the best poker tour in the U.S., the World Series of Poker Circuit continues to flourish and grow, and has scheduled a record 26 tour stops for its fourteenth season, all linked by a points system tied to the WSOP gold-bracelet awarding, $1,000,000+ prize pool Global Casino Championship.

 The 2017-18 WSOP Circuit officially gets underway August 2 at Harrah’s Cherokee in western North Carolina, and continues virtually non-stop until the season-culminating stop at Harrah’s New Orleans that begins May 10, 2018.

 In addition to the U.S. domestic WSOP Circuit tour, the International WSOP Circuit is expected to grow as well, with a future announcement planned to detail the dozen-plus stops planned during the 2017-18 season. 

There are three new stops on the domestic WSOP Circuit schedule this season – Thunder Valley Casino in Northern California near the Sacramento area has two stops planned, one from September 14-25, 2017 and again from January 11-22, 2018.  Seminole Gaming, with properties throughout Florida, has a stop scheduled at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Hollywood (September 21 to October 2, 2017) and another at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek (February 8-19, 2018) 

A popular tour destination is Choctaw Durant in the Dallas/Oklahoma market.  Choctaw has added a second stop this season, with events now planned for November 2-13, 2017 and again from January 4-15, 2018. 

Harrah’s Cherokee remains the only locale with three stops, scheduled (August 2-16, 2017, November 23-December 4, 2017 and lastly April 12-23, 2018).  

Las Vegas has three scheduled stops, two at Planet Hollywood on the Las Vegas Strip (November 9-20, 2017 & March 3-14, 2018) and one at the home of the WSOP, the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino from February 15-26, 2018. 

WSOP Circuit stop stalwarts Foxwoods Resort Casino (August 17-28, 2017), IP (September 7-18, 2017), Horseshoe Southern Indiana (September 28 – October 9, 2017), Horseshoe Hammond (in the Chicago area)(October 12-23, 2017), Harveys Lake Tahoe (October 26-November 6, 2017), Horseshoe Tunica (January 18-29, 2018), Harrah’s Atlantic City (March 8-19, 2018), Horseshoe Council Bluffs (March 29-April 9, 2018), Horseshoe Baltimore (April 26-May 7, 2018) and Harrah’s New Orleans (May 10-21, 2018) all return in similar timeslots as they’ve had previously.

Lastly, newly added stops from the thirteenth season, Potowatomi in Milwaukee and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa have re-upped in 2017-18.  Potowatomi is scheduled from February 1-12, 2018, shortly followed by Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa from March 15-26, 2018. 

All stops will release their series’ event schedules as they get closer and they have been approved by their local regulatory body. Two things are known for sure about every stop. First, every stop will offer a dozen official gold ring events starting at the $365 buy-in level and second, every stop will include a $1,675 Main Event. 

The “12 Rings in 12 Days” remains, with most stops beginning on a Thursday, and the four-day Main Event beginning on the second Friday, 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 is encouraged to add Seniors and Ladies events, which will also award a ring but will not count in the Global Casino Championship standings.

 Players can qualify for the 2017-18 Global Casino Championship several ways (a.) win a Circuit Main Event at any domestic or international stop (b.) win a “Casino Championship,” which is defined as the player at each stop who accumulates the most points throughout the 12-event gold ring schedule at any domestic or international stop (c.) be one of the top 50 cumulative point earners over the entire season who hasn’t otherwise qualified (Domestic tour only).  

Each of these projected players will receive a “free roll” seat. Another way to enter the 2017-18 Global Casino Championship during the Circuit Season is to win any official “ring event”. Any ring winner who doesn’t otherwise qualify for entry due to an automatic invite or cumulative standings will be eligible to buy-in to the WSOP Global Casino Championship for $10,000.  Likewise, the top 100 ranked players from the previous year’s WSOP Player of the Year, may also buy in for $10,000 (thus the 2017 WSOP POY Standings in this case). Every penny of all additional $10,000 buy-ins will be added to the $1 million the WSOP is putting into the prize pool. 

“We are very proud of what the WSOP Circuit has become and how it has performed for our partner casinos who have come aboard,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. “Players know they get a consistent structure and schedule at each stop, plus the opportunity to win big prizes as well as their seat into the million-dollar free-roll with a WSOP gold bracelet up for grabs.” 

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). 

Below is the current version of the domestic circuit schedule as confirmed as of the date of this announcement.  Stops may be added, subtracted or adjusted, both in time and duration.  Please review WSOP.com for the latest news and information related to these events.  Until actual event-by-event schedules are posted on the WSOP website, these events are not official.  Each stop requires its own regulatory approval in its own jurisdiction, and the timing of all approvals is uncertain. The WSOP reserves the right at any time to make changes to any and all events related to the WSOP Circuit. 

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. 

The 2017-18 domestic schedule follows on the next page:

WORLD SERIES OF POKER 2017-2018 CIRCUIT U.S. DOMESTIC TOUR SCHEDULE 

 

TOURNAMENT DATES

TOURNAMENT LOCATION

1.

August 2-14, 2017

Harrah’s Cherokee (North Carolina)

2.

August 17-28, 2017

Foxwoods Resort Casino (Connecticut)

3.

September 7-18, 2017

IP (Biloxi, Mississippi)

4.

September 14-25, 2017

Thunder Valley Casino (Sacramento area, California)

5.

September 21 – October 2, 2017

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Hollywood (Miami area, Florida)

6.

September 28 – October 9, 2017

Horseshoe S. Indiana (Louisville)

7.

October 12-23, 2017

Horseshoe Hammond (Chicago)

8.

October 26 – November 6, 2017

Harveys Lake Tahoe (Northern Nevada)

9.

November 2-13, 2017

Choctaw Durant (Dallas/Oklahoma)

10.

November 9–20, 2017

Planet Hollywood (Las Vegas Strip)

11.

November 23 - December 4, 2017

Harrah’s Cherokee (North Carolina)

12.

December 1-12, 2017

TBA

13.

January 4-15, 2018

Choctaw Durant (Dallas/Oklahoma)

14.

January 11-22, 2018

Thunder Valley Casino (Sacramento area, California)

15.

January 18-29, 2018

Horseshoe Tunica (Mississippi)

16.

February 1-12, 2018

Potawatomi (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

17.

February 8–19, 2018

Seminole Casino Coconut Creek (Coconut Creek, Florida)

18.

February 15-26, 2018

Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas)

19.

March 3-14, 2018

TBA

20.

March 8 – 19, 2018

Harrah’s Atlantic City (New Jersey)

21.

March 15-26, 2018

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa (Oklahoma)

22.

March 22 – April 2, 2018

Planet Hollywood (Las Vegas Strip)

23.

March 29-April 9, 2018

Horseshoe Council Bluffs (Omaha/Iowa)

24.

April 12-23, 2018

Harrah’s Cherokee (North Carolina)

25.

April 26 – May 7, 2018

Horseshoe Baltimore (Maryland)

26.

May 10 – 21, 2018

Harrah’s New Orleans (Louisiana)

27.

TBD

$1 million+ Global Casino Championship

 

ABOUT THE WSOP CIRCUIT

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Events are a series of poker tournaments hosted throughout the United States and throughout the world beginning in early August each year, and culminating the following summer with a $1,000,000 Global Casino Championship where the victor earns a WSOP gold bracelet as well.  WSOP Circuit Events are designed to give the recreational and amateur player an opportunity to participate in the WSOP experience at a more affordable price point and with less of a time commitment than the traditional WSOP in Las Vegas.  Each stop typically features 12 official events in 12 days, including a $1,675 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. Official WSOP Circuit events range in buy-in from $365-$5,300 and award a prestigious WSOP gold ring to each victor.  These poker tournaments are designed to reach a winner within two playing days, with some events even structured to complete in one day.  In 2016-17, the WSOP Circuit domestic season consisted of 22 stops all tied together by a cumulative points system that awards points based on finish in individual events.  A season-ending WSOP Global Casino Championship is held each summer. The winner of each stop’s Main Event (the only four-day structured event) gains automatic entry into the season-ending WSOP Global Casino Championship, as does each stop’s Casino Champion – the person who accumulates the most points throughout the 12 official events at a stop.  Two players at each stop earn automatic entries into the season-ending championship, with the remaining players being made up of at large qualifiers whom have accumulated the most points throughout the Circuit season. Players who finish within the top ten percent of the field are typically awarded prize money on an escalating scale until there is one player who has captured all the chips.  That victor wins the largest share of the prize pool, a WSOP Circuit gold ring and points toward the Global Casino Championship qualification. The WSOP Circuit Events are a regional and international offshoot of the longest-running, largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world, dating back 47 years to 1970 – the famous World Series of Poker. This marks the fourteenth year the WSOP Circuit Events have been held.  They were initially established by Caesars Entertainment (then Harrah’s Entertainment) after its purchase of the WSOP brand in 2004 as a way to bring the WSOP experience to Caesars-owned properties throughout the U.S. In the inaugural season (2004-05), the WSOP Circuit featured five stops – Atlantic City, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, San Diego and New Orleans. Now, with 26 stops domestically, the WSOP Circuit visits 13 U.S. states and cumulatively features more entrants than the Las Vegas version of the WSOP.  Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc., (CIE) owns the WSOP and the WSOP Circuit Events.  Visit us at http://www.wsop.com/2017/Circuit/ or www.twitter.com/wsop