2014-2015 WSOP Circuit Schedule Announced
On Tuesday, World Series of Poker officials released the official 2014-2015 WSOP Circuit schedule, which will feature 21 tour stops before the WSOP National Championship in May 2015.
It is a return to familiar Caesars-owned haunts for the 2014-2015 World Series of Poker Circuit, so the venues and format of the series should be familiar for those who have played in the tournaments before. There are three new locations for the coming season: Horseshoe Baltimore (which has yet to open) from February 26th through March 9th, 2015, Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas from November 13th through November 24th, 2014, and Harrah’s Ak-Chin near Phoenix from February 12th through February 23rd, 2015.
Two casinos – Palm Beach Kennel Club in Florida and Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina – will host WSOP Circuit events twice. So, if you do the math, sixteen venues return from this past season.
The World Series of Poker Circuit is going with the “12 Rings in 12 Days” theme again, starting most tour stops on a Thursday and ending on the second Monday (three-day Main Events will start on the second Saturday). The Main Events will have buy-ins of $1,675 and will be of the re-entry variety, with starting flights in the morning and evening at most locations. Rather than bracelets, as we are used to seeing at the WSOP, WSOP Circuit events award rings to the winners in addition to prize money.
The points ranking system will once again be in place to determine who qualifies for the WSOP National Championship, which took place this year at Bally’s in Atlantic City just before the start of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. There will be 42 automatic qualifiers, half of whom will be the Main Event winners of the 21 tour stops and half of whom will be the highest points earners at each stop. Another 58 players, to make it a nice, round 100, will qualify by being the highest points earners throughout the entire World Series of Poker Circuit season. Apparently, another six seats might be added for online qualifiers, but that is yet to be determined. The winner of the WSOP National Championship receives an official WSOP bracelet.
“With big fields, good value, and exciting stops, the action doesn’t stop all year long,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart in a press release. “We’re proud that many of the games brightest stars are being developed on the WSOP Circuit, and that by number of entrants, it has become the clear #1 mid-stakes tour in the world.”
Dominik Nitsche
The WSOP Circuit was not only designed to expand the World Series of Poker brand, but as Ty Stewart mentioned, to become the premier mid-stakes poker tour worldwide. It is very affordable for poker players who want to experience some of the excitement of the WSOP but can’t afford to put $1,000 to $10,000 down on a tournament in Las Vegas. Using the World Series of Poker Circuit stop at Harrah’s New Orleans from May as an example, all ring event buy-ins (except for the Main Event) were $365. There were a few non-ring events (not counting satellites) as well, which cost $250 to enter.
And even though the World Series of Poker Circuit features relatively low buy-in events at regional casinos that aren’t always the glamour locations celebrated on television, the Circuit produces very strong players. Take, for example, Dominik Nitsche. Nitsche won this year’s National Championship, earning the second bracelet of his career. Less than three weeks later, Nitsche won a $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em event to nab his third career bracelet and take his total live tournament winnings to $3.726 million.
2014-2015 World Series of Poker Circuit Schedule
| TOURNAMENT DATES | TOURNAMENT LOCATION | MAIN EVENT | |
| July 31 – August 11, 2014 | Palm Beach Kennel Club (Florida) | August 9-11 | |
| August 14-25, 2014 | Foxwoods Resorts (Connecticut) | August 23-25 | |
| September 4-15, 2014 | IP Biloxi (Mississippi) | Sept. 13-15 | |
| October 2-13, 2014 | Horseshoe Southern Indiana | October 11-13 | |
| October 17-28, 2014 | Horseshoe Hammond (Chicago) | October 26-28 | |
| Oct. 30 – Nov. 10, 2014 | Harveys Lake Tahoe (Nevada) | November 8-10 | |
| Nov. 13 – 24, 2014 | Planet Hollywood (Las Vegas Strip) | November 22-24 | |
| Nov. 28 – December 9, 2014 | Harrah’s Cherokee (North Carolina) | December 7-9 | |
| December 4-15, 2014 | Harrah’s California (San Diego area) | December 13-15 | |
| December 11-22, 2014 | Harrah’s Atlantic City (New Jersey) | December 20-22 | |
| January 8-19, 2015 | Choctaw Durant (Dallas/Oklahoma) | January 17-19 | |
| January 22-February 2, 2015 | Horseshoe/Tunica Roadhouse (MS) | Jan. 31-Feb. 2 | |
| February 5-16, 2015 | Palm Beach Kennel Club (Florida) | February 14-16 | |
| February 12-23, 2015 | Harrah’s Ak-Chin (Arizona) | February 21-23 | |
| February 19 – March 2, 2015 | Lumière Place (St. Louis) | Feb. 28 – March 2 | |
| February 26 – March 9, 2015 | Horseshoe Baltimore (Maryland) | March 7-9 | |
| March 7-18, 2015 | The Bicycle Casino (Los Angeles) | March 16-18 | |
| March 19-30, 2015 | Horseshoe Cincinnati (Ohio) | March 27-30 | |
| April 9 – 20, 2015 | Horseshoe Council Bluffs (Omaha/Iowa) | April 18-20 | |
| April 16 – 27, 2015 | Harrah’s Cherokee (North Carolina) | April 25-27 | |
| April 30 – May 11, 2015 | Harrah’s New Orleans (Louisiana) | May 9-11 | |
| TBD, May, 2015 | WSOP National Championship | TBD |
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