The World Series of Poker Europe, the WSOPE for short, is an expansion of the already famous World Series of Poker. It is the first expansion effort to take the series of tournaments outside of the US. Ever since the WSOP was established in 1970, the poker players would have to travel all the way to Las Vegas in order to participate (and they actually still do considering the WSOP’s grand prize and reputation). When the first WSOPE tournament was played in 2007, it was the first time a WSOP bracelet was ever given to a poker player outside of Las Vegas. As many know about how the WSOP operates so does the WSOPE. There are many different events and poker tournaments during the WSOPE, including poker cash games, bracelet tournaments, and many others.
WSOPE History
The World Series of Poker Europe was an extension of the WSOP since they wanted to expand these already popular and high class poker tournaments into neighbouring continents. This is why in 2007 the WSOP owners and organizers decided that it would be an excellent idea to have a different series of poker tournaments in Europe; which incidentally is another jackpot market full of poker players. It was then that Harrah’s, which is now known as Caesar’s Entertainment, made an alliance with the gaming site Betfair. Betfair is a large internet betting exchange, which helped the WSOPE take off. So far, there have been a total of 5 WSOPE events in Europe; the 6th WSOPE will be taking place from September 21 – October 4, 2012. As the WSOPE is a series of events and tournaments, each usually takes a few days to culminate. This is the reason as to why they last as long as they do; with the final tournament(s) being the Main Event to close out the year’s season.
The Poker Series
As the WSOPE and its parent series the WSOP would have it, they both occur at different ends of the year. This is so that the poker players can participate in both events, without it conflicting with any other event. So far, the WSOPE has had a total of 5 series, with an upcoming 6th. Starting out in 2007, the WSOPE was played in England. For the 2008, 2009, and 2010 WSOPE events, they all took place at the Casino at the Empire in London. While, the 2011 WSOPE was played in Cannes, France; the 2012 WSOPE will also be played there at Cannes, France. As the WSOPE is still young, they do not have as many events and tournaments as the WSOP. The events list for the 2012 WSOPE is short compared to WSOP’s, and they stick mainly to the poker games that are the most popular; Omaha and Texas Hold’em, and variations of each.
Pros vs. Cons of the WSOPE
As the WSOPE is an addition of the WSOP, which is already a much respected, popular, and huge poker event. Piggy backing on the WSOP’s reputation and strategies, the WSOPE has become an event that is mirroring its counterpart perfectly. As the WSOPE takes place in Europe, it will limit the amount of American players that can participate; that excludes the poker pro’s that can bankroll the trip. It does allow a vast majority of European poker players that could not otherwise participate in the WSOP, to take a seat at one of the largest and most prestigious poker events in the world. Initial investment vs. possible winnings is something that each player should analyse before making a decision. Many of the players that participate in the WSOPE will not see any winnings at all; that is always a risk at these kinds of events.
Winners Circle for the WSOPE
As the WSOPE has currently happened 5 times, and its 6th is on the way, there have been many bracelet winners throughout the years. The variety of poker players has increased due to the fact that there are more countries lumped together. This is why the nationalities of the bracelet winners are also varied. Players from the USA have 7, UK have 3, Denmark have 2, Italy have 2, Canada have 2, as well as players from Afghanistan, Finland, Germany, Monaco, Norway, and Switzerland. With this amount of variety, the competition is very intense and the games have become interesting to watch and analyse.
