The Florida poker scene is about to take a quantum leap forward this month when the World Series of Poker Circuit comes to the Sunshine State for the very first time.
The Palm Beach Kennel Club will be hosting ten WSOP Circuit gold ring poker tournaments over a two-week period. Tournaments begin on Thursday, February 17th with Event #1, which is a $345 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em competition. The following 12 consecutive days will be packed with multiple tournaments and around-the-clock cash-game action. The poker festival concludes on March 1st with the final table of the $1,600 buy-in Main Event Championship.
“Florida poker has officially arrived. Partnering with the World Series of Poker is as special as it gets," said Joseph Conti, Poker Tournament Director for the Palm Beach Kennel Club. "We're thrilled to be involved with the Rolls Royce of poker tours. For all of us here at the Palm Beach Kennel Club, the State of Florida, and most importantly the thousands of poker players here in the southeast as well as those attending from around the country, we are ready to make history. Based on the buzz, we are expecting some huge fields and very large prize pools for our events. We hope this will be the start of a very long and special relationship with the WSOP and hope to make poker players and the State of Florida proud."
Gold ring tournaments are only a fraction of what’s on the poker menu at West Palm Beach. Second-chance No-Limit Hold’em tournaments will be running from day one. The deep-stack tournaments will cost $235 to enter and begin nightly at 6 pm. Palm Beach also hosts a Ladies Championship ($125 entry fee) which will starts at 6 pm on February 28th. Satellites for all gold ring tournaments will also be going regularly inside the poker room. Several mega-satellites for the Main Event Championship will also be offered.
The Palm Beach Kennel Club recently expanded its poker operations to include 64 tournament tables, which should be able to accommodate the record turnout expected for several events. In fact, a number of WSOP Circuit events are predicted to shatter previous attendance and prize pool records as the largest single-venue poker tournament ever held in Florida history. For instance, the opening No-Limit Hold’em event which starts on February 17th should be so successful that two starting days have been scheduled. This will allow as many players to participate, as possible. The first session begins on Thursday at 11 am. The second session begins on Friday at 11 am. Players who bust out of Thursday are eligible to re-enter and play again Friday. This exciting event is expected to be a complete sell out. However, poker staff will do everything to welcome as many entries as possible, including allowing alternates.
Players are encouraged to come and register early. Pre-registration for all tournaments have already begun. Players may register now at the Palm Beach Kennel Club main cage inside the poker room. It should be noted that while extraordinary efforts have been made to allow all players an opportunity to enter and play, registering early not only guarantees a seat and a chance to win big prize money, but will also make things easier for those who have no alternative but to arrive on the starting day. For those who do arrive late, registration takes place up to two levels into each tournament, provided the event is not declared a sell out.
The Palm Beach Kennel Club is the first dog track to ever host a WSOP-related tournament. Each final table will take place in a premium location near the main grandstand, which will enable everyone close to the poker action to cheer on the greyhounds, as well. Naturally, betting windows will be close by for those who want to mix in some racing action with poker playing. Dog races take place most days starting at 1 pm. There are also dog races nightly on weekends.
The Palm Beach Kennel Club is conveniently located just steps away from the West Palm Beach international Airport, which offers direct flights from all over the country. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is also close by. Several hotels are situated near the dog track and poker facility, to accommodate all budgets. The cardroom offers regular shuttle service to and from at least three nearby hotels. Special hotel rate packages for poker players are available HERE.
South Florida is welcoming the WSOP Circuit and its players with open arms. The West Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau is hosting a big gala on Thursday, February 24th. Among those attending will be WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel, who has overseen operations for the world’s largest and most prestigious poker series for the past five years.
“We are thrilled to take the most prestigious name in poker to Flordia for the first time," said Jack Effel, WSOP Tournament Director and Vice President of International Poker Operations for Caesars Entertainment. "We are expecting huge fields and large prize pools as players compete for gold rings, big money, and the chance to compete in the televised $1 million WSOP Circuit National Championship coming at the end of this season.”
Florida has a proud poker tradition. The state has produced several notable names and faces familiar to everyone who follows the game. Among them is Michael “the Grinder” Mizrachi, from Miramar, FL who is expected to attend West Palm Beach. Mizrachi made the WSOP Main Event final table last year, finishing fifth. He also won the $50,000 buy-in Poker Players Championship, earning his first WSOP gold bracelet. Mizrachi is likely to be joined by his three brothers, including Robert who won a WSOP gold bracelet of his own back in 2007. In an unprecedented feat, all four Mizrachi brothers cashed in the 2010 WSOP Main Event, something unlikely ever to be equaled.
Other famous Floridians expected to attend include John Racener, from the Tampa-St. Petersburg area. He finished second in last year’s Main Event Championship, earning more than $5 million for being the runner-up. Another Florida poker pro who will attend is Tony “TopCat” Cousineau, from Daytona Beach. He holds the record as the player with most WSOP cashes in history among those yet to win a WSOP gold bracelet. In addition, several other notable poker stars are coming to Florida -- including 2004 world champion Greg "Fossilman" Raymer, 2007 world champion Jerry Yang, 2007 WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider, and many others. No doubt, South Florida will be the place to play poker in late February.
The action begins with a blue ribbon cutting ceremony on February 17th.
It’s not too late to be part of the biggest poker event in Florida history. West Palm Beach is well-known for its sandy white beaches, luxury hotels, fine restaurants, great shopping, and plenty of sunshine. And now, there will be great poker action around the clock at the Palm Beach Kennel Club. The complete schedule and structure sheets for all events can be viewed HERE.
This is the ninth of 15 WSOP Circuit stops this season. All players over age 21 are eligible to compete for a seat in the $1 million freeroll event which crowns the WSOP Circuit National Championship point race. This season's top 100 players who qualify will compete in the first-ever nationally-televised championship, which will take place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, on May 27-29, 2011. The winner of that extraordinary event will receive the most coveted prize in all of poker, a WSOP gold bracelet.