LAS VEGAS – June 17, 2019 – The WSOP International Circuit gets underway next month in Sochi, Russia (July 19-28) with a total of nine events on tap before the end of the year.  Additional stops for the 2020 portion of the calendar will be announced in the future. 

For the first time ever, Mexico joins the Circuit, with a planned stop from October 11-21, 2019 at the Cintermex Convention Center in Monterrey, Mexico, just a two hour drive from Texas with a dozen U.S. airports providing direct flights into Monterrey. 

Like the U.S. domestic circuit, the International track will feature two qualifiers per stop for the WSOP Global Casino Championship.  A Main Event winner and the Casino Champion will each win automatic entry into the season-culminating event, in addition to the gold WSOP Circuit ring and prize money from that event.  The International and U.S. tours collide in the season-culminating Global Casino Championship in the summer of 2020 at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina.  There are no “at-large” qualifications on the International stops, and the International portion is expected to contribute around 36 qualifiers to the Global Casino Championship. 

International stop players have two ways to qualify for the 2019-20 Global Casino Championship (1.) win a Circuit Main Event (2.) win a “Casino Championship,” which is defined as the player at each stop who accumulates the most points throughout the gold ring schedule at the international stop. Each of these players will receive a “free roll” seat into the culminating event and be combined with the U.S. Domestic circuit qualifiers, which includes 50 at large point qualifiers, plus the 70 qualifiers that garner a seat via automatic qualification methods. 

“Our partner casinos have done a terrific job bringing the WSOP brand and experience to their properties,” said WSOP Director Gregory Chochon, who leads the WSOP’s international efforts.  “The WSOP International Circuit continues to grow internationally with more demand from additional properties to host these prestigious events.” 

The entire schedule for the WSOP International Circuit is as follows:

WORLD SERIES OF POKER 2019 CIRCUIT INTERNATIONAL TOUR SCHEDULE

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 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 early August each year, and culminating the following Summer with a $1,000,000 Global Casino Championship where the victor earns a WSOP gold bracelet as well.  WSOP 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 $1,675 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 12 official 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 sixteenth 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 35 stops domestically, the WSOP Circuit visits 17 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