(Content provided by WSOP) LAS VEGAS – May 1, 2019 – The 16^th WSOP Circuit U.S. season promises to be the biggest ever, both in terms of stops and payouts. 

This year, the U.S. portion of the WSOP Circuit gets underway just one day after the summer WSOP concludes, with the first of 35 stops beginning July 17, 2019 at Choctaw Durant in Oklahoma/Dallas area. 

Players will be pleased with the new changes for the upcoming season, as the Big Blind Ante will be utilized throughout the series at all stops, and the percentage of players receiving a portion of the prize pool is increasing 50 percent, from 10 percent of entrants, to roughly 15 percent in 2019-20.  In addition, the WSOP has contracted with Poker News, the premier news and live reporting authority for poker worldwide, to provide live reporting for all Circuit stop Main Events and High Roller tournaments. 

“Changes in the past year were well received by both players and operators,” said WSOP Vice President Jack Effel. “This year, we complete our enhancements with Big Blind Ante becoming standard throughout all our events and stops, plus the decision to give 50% more players a portion of the prize pool.  We are confident these changes, plus exposure on Poker News are positive and will lead to more excitement and satisfaction of the WSOP Circuit.” 

While most venues will be familiar during the 2019-20 season, a half dozen new locales have been added. The WSOP is expected to offer a record 35 stops on U.S. soil during the 2019-20, all linked by a points system tied to the WSOP gold-bracelet awarding, $1,000,000+ prize pool, season-culminating Global Casino Championship. 

New stops joining the WSOP Circuit or returning in 2019-20 are:

• Ameristar St. Charles — St. Louis, Missouri returns at a new host property for the first time since 2015, beginning August 29
• Horseshoe Baltimore – The Maryland/D.C. market returns October 3-14, 2019
• Harrah’s Las Vegas – A new stop on the Las Vegas Strip will be held in its Convention Center Dec. 12-22
• Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa – The first stop in Tampa, Florida for WSOP is Feb. 6-17
• Horseshoe Bossier City – Louisiana comes aboard in their new facility, February 27 to March 10, 2020

Harrah’s Cherokee in western North Carolina, becomes the second stop, beginning August 1 and the tour continues virtually non-stop until the season-culminating stop at Harrah’s New Orleans that begins May 9, 2020. The season-culminating Global Casino Championship will remain at Harrah’s Cherokee and take place in August, 2020. 

Last year the WSOP Circuit offered players more starting chips, introduced the Big Blind Ante and polished the price points offered.  These changes have worked out well, with all becoming standard moving forward.  

The current WSOP Circuit season is on pace to break both attendance and prize pool records.  With two stops remaining, a record140,505 entries and $69,066,332 in prize money has been awarded thus far, 15-year highs. 

WORLD SERIES OF POKER 2019-2020 U.S. CIRCUIT TOUR SCHEDULE

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 at least a dozen official gold ring events starting at the $250 buy-in level and second, every stop will include a $1,700 Main Event. 

Most stops begin on a Thursday, and the four-day Main Event starts on the second Friday, thereby encompassing a 12-day timeframe including two weekends 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. 

As is tradition, the Circuit season will culminate with the Global Casino Championship, a special invitation-only event which has a minimum prizepool of $1,000,000. Players can qualify for the 2020 Global Casino Championship several ways (a.) win a Circuit Main Event at any U.S. or international stop (b.) win a “Casino Championship,” which is defined as the player at each stop who accumulates the most points throughout the open event gold ring schedule at any U.S. or international stop (c.) be one of the top 50 cumulative point earners over the entire season who hasn’t otherwise qualified (U.S. tour only).  

Each of these projected players will receive a “free roll” seat. Another way to enter the 2020 Global Casino Championship during the WSOP 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 2019 WSOP POY Standings in this case).  These buy-ins are rake-free, and every cent of additional buy-ins is added to the $1 million the WSOP is putting into the prize pool. 

WSOP U.S. 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). 

Stops may be added, subtracted or adjusted, both in time and duration.  Please review WSOP.com/2019/circuit 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.  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. 

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 late July each year, and culminating the following August with a $1,000,000 Global Casino Championship where the victor earns a WSOP gold bracelet as well.  WSOP U.S. 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 $1,700 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. Official WSOP Circuit events range in buy-in from $250-$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 2019-20, the WSOP Circuit domestic season consists of 35 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 official ring 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 15 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 49 years to 1970 – the famous World Series of Poker. This marks the 16^th 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 34 stops domestically, the WSOP Circuit visits 16 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/2019/Circuit/ or www.twitter.com/wsop

Dan Ross

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Dan is the founder of PokerLiveUpdates, a veteran poker tournament reporter who can be found wandering somewhat aimlessly through tournament arenas worldwide. As a founding member of FunTour2.0, he searches for the best in craft beer at all locations in the poker world.

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