WSOP Circuit sets sights on Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort
1 Mar 2017
Following last year's model, the Global Casino Championship will be packed into the middle of the start of next season's first Circuit series. The 2017/2018 WSOP Circuit season kicks-off at Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort Wednesday, 2 August and will run through Wednesday, 16 August. The series will feature 12 gold ring events, including a $1,675 Main Event, in addition to the 2017 Global Casino Championship.
This year's Global Casino Championship (previously known as the National Championship) includes up to 122 automatic qualifiers. Of the potential 122 automatic qualifiers, up to 94 players will have qualified on the domestic tour and up to 28 on the International tour. The WSOP International Circuit is as big as it has ever been, featuring 14 WSOP Circuit stops on international soil this season.
For both the domestic and International WSOP Circuit, the Main Event winner at each stop of the 2016-2017 season receives a free entry, as does the Casino Champion at each stop. In addition, the top 50 season-long point earners on the domestic WSOP Circuit earn an automatic entry. Last season, the bubble for earning a season-long automatic entry was 125 points. It is expected to be higher this season since there are three more stops on the domestic Circuit than last season.
The standings of the season-long point's race can be found on the Circuit leader board.
All players who have earned an automatic entry will receive a $500 travel stipend and three nights at Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort, plus one additional night for anyone making the final table or for international participants.
The top 100 players in the GPI/WSOP Player of the Year rankings from 2016 also have the opportunity to buy into the Global Casino Championship directly for $10,000. The rankings are compiled based on players' performance in WSOP gold bracelet events in 2016. Those eligible can be found on the website.
For the second consecutive year, any player who won an official gold ring event on the WSOP Circuit this season also has the option to buy in to the Global Casino Championship directly for $10,000. For all players who buy their seats, the $10,000 is added directly to the prize pool (rake-free), in addition to the $1,000,000 put up by WSOP.
Players looking to earn a seat to the 2017 Global Casino Championship still have time to do so. The domestic WSOP Circuit still has seven stops remaining. The stops left include Los Angeles, Atlantic City, Tulsa, Omaha/Council Bluffs, Cherokee, Baltimore and New Orleans. The International Circuit stops remaining on this season's schedule include Italy, Czech Republic, France, Portugal and Belgium.
The three-day 2017 WSOP Global Casino Championship no-limit hold'em tournament will get underway at 12 noon on Tuesday, 8 August in the Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort Event Center with all eligible players. Television cameras will be on hand to cover the action with the final table taking place on Thursday, 10 August.
"The growth of the World Series of Poker Circuit over the last year has been astounding," said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. "We are reaching new players in the U.S. and around the world and it's great to have them square off against one another in this one-of-a-kind event. We're thrilled to be back at the beautiful Harrah's Cherokee once again, which has always been a great host for this prestigious event."
The remaining 2016-17 schedules are as follows:
Domestic tour remaining schedule
The Bicycle Hotel & Casino – 4-15 March 2017
Harrah's Resort Atlantic City – 9-20 March 2017
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa – 16-27 March 2017
Horseshoe Casino - Council Bluffs – 30 March - 10 April 2017
Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort – 12-24 April 2017
Horseshoe Casino - Baltimore – 27 April - 8 May 2017
Harrah's New Orleans Casino – 11-22 May 2017
WSOP Global Casino Championship – 8-10 August 2017
Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort – 2-16 August (2017-18 1st Circuit dates)
International tour remaining schedule
Casino Municipale di Campione d'Italia, Campione, Italy – March 13-27, 2017
King's Casino, Rozvadov, Czech Republic – March 23 - April 11, 2017
Casino Barrière de Cannes Croisette, Cannes, France – April 17-24, 2017
Casino Estoril, Estoril, Portugal – May 1-7, 2017
Grand Casino Brussels Viage, Brussels, Belgium – May 19-28, 2017
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 the WSOP website.