World Series of Poker Circuit Event Begins This Thursday in Baltimore
“Maryland is home to many great poker players who have been looking forward to this event since it was announced several months ago,” said Horseshoe Baltimore Poker Room Manager Anthony Chester. “We’re transforming our special events space into a massive poker room to accommodate the huge fields of players we expect to compete for the state’s ultimate poker bragging rights and a place in the $1 million WSOP National Championship, which will be televised on ESPN.”
WSOP Circuit Events are designed to give the recreational and amateur player an opportunity to participate in the WSOP experience at more affordable price points and with less of a time commitment than the traditional WSOP in Las Vegas. Official WSOP Circuit events range in buy-in from $365 to $1,675 and award a coveted WSOP gold ring to each victor. The Circuit Event in Baltimore will feature a $365 buy-in event with a guaranteed prize pool of $250,000 beginning on Feb. 27.
Horseshoe Baltimore is expecting more than 6,300 players to register for the circuit event.
In 2014-15, the WSOP Circuit season consists of a total of 22 stops, all tied together by a cumulative points system that awards points based on a player’s finishing position in individual events. The season-ending $1 million National Championship will be held in May with the Top 100 qualifiers.
The winner of each stop’s Main Event – which, in Baltimore, has two start days: Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7 – gains automatic entry into the WSOP National Championship, as does each stop’s Casino Champion. The Casino Champion is the individual who accumulates the most points throughout all the tournaments held at each Circuit stop.
“We’re thrilled to host the most illustrious poker event in Maryland history,” said Horseshoe Baltimore Senior Vice President and General Manager Chad Barnhill. “We are the only casino in the state to bring the excitement of the World Series of Poker brand to regional players – and the only casino in Maryland where players have a chance to win a seat in the $1 million WSOP National Championship being held this May.”
Players who finish in the top 10 percent of each tournament 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 National Championship qualification.
WSOP began in 1970 and the WSOP Circuit launched in 2004-05 with five stops. Now, with 22 stops, the WSOP Circuit visits 15 states. In 2013, a total of 81,440 players entered WSOP Circuit tournaments, the most in the history of the event.
Portions of this article were taken from Horseshoe Baltimore’s official press release.
