WSOP Circuit Events attendance up 25 percent

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- The calendar year’s final WSOP Circuit Event ended last week with the conclusion of the Harrah's Resort Atlantic City stop. The sixth of 17 events scheduled for the 2011-2012 Season, the WSOP Circuit Event at Harrah’s Resort followed the trend of its preceding five WSOP Circuit stops of huge increases in prize pools and total attendance over last year.

In fact, overall attendance is up more than 25% over the same time last year through the first six stops of the 2011-2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Events while the total prize pool for all events is up nearly 33%.

Catering to both weekend warriors and travelling pros alike, the WSOP Circuit Events is a 17-stop, national poker tour with tournament buy-ins ranging from $345 to $1,600. If the WSOP Circuit Events are any indication, American poker is alive and well in this post-Black Friday era.

Numerous prize pool and attendance records have fallen so far this season, most notably at the Horseshoe Casino Hammond stop where its opening event drew a WSOPC record 3,001 entries.

Race for the WSOP Circuit National Championship Heats Up as Mark “Pegasus” Smith Eyes Second WSOP Circuit Player of the Year Honor

With six events now in the books, 12 of the 100 available seats to the 2011-2012 WSOP Circuit National Championship have been clinched by each stop’s Main Event champion and overall points earner. The race for one of 66 seats reserved for the top point earners is also heating up as players travel from stop to stop to accumulate points to come away with top finishes. Amateurs have fared well so far, having won four of the first six Main Event championships.

The WSOP Circuit National Championship is a nationally televised, million-dollar freeroll event with seats awarded to the Main Event champion and overall points earner at each of this season’s 17 scheduled WSOP Circuit Event stops. Seats will also be awarded to the players who accumulate the most qualifying points. The top 66 point earners through the end of the season will also gain entry into the WSOP National Championship.

Points are earned based on performance at each stop’s 12 official Ring Events. New for this season, the top 100 players in the new “WSOP World Rankings” will have the ability to buy into the National Championship for $10,000 a seat. The World Rankings will recognize cumulative performance in the open events at World Series of Poker and World Series of Poker Europe over a two-year period. Those who qualify will be announced shortly. Learn more about the WSOP Circuit points system and the National Championship here.

2009/2010 WSOP Circuit Player of the Year Mark “Pegasus” Smith, who currently holds the record for most WSOP Circuit Event rings at five, is in position to earn his second POY honor. He currently is in second place for overall points earned so far. David Nicholson, a poker pro from Biloxi, MS holds the overall points lead. (Alan – add their point totals here so people know what they are chasing)

11 Events Remain as Bicycle Casino Gears Up for First-Ever Circuit New Years Day.

The 2012 calendar year will start off with a bang as Los Angeles’ famed Bicycle Casino prepares to host its first-ever Circuit Event which kicks off on New Years Day. Hundreds of players from across the country are expected to fill the 150 tables in The Bike’s 100,000+ square foot poker room for this event.

Following the stop at the Bike, the WSOPC heads to the Midwest where Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, OK plays host for its second year. And if last year is any indication, the Dallas-area Choctaw resort will host plenty of action in its booming poker market.

As has become tradition, the 2011-2012 WSOP Circuit Event season concludes at the Harrah’s New Orleans Casino stop which takes place May 10-21.

Stats Facts and Figures so Far

There have been 24,320 entries through the first six stops of the 2011-2012 WSOP Circuit Events with total combined prizepools amounting to $12,321,800.